Postmaster interviews: one family, one vision, one team

In Q&As broadcast to thousands of Post Office employees, postmasters are sharing their experiences in the field, perspectives on issues which impact them, and their hopes for the future of Post Office and their branches.

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing key themes from these interviews here. Read on for the highlights of these interviews between Mark (also a postmaster since 2018, Mark operates three branches in Norfolk) and our postmasters, who we thank for their contributions.

An introduction to Postmaster Experience Director Mark Eldridge

‘The important thing is your team is behind you’: Postmasters Dipesh Modha and Sara Barlow BEM talk to Mark Eldridge and Post Office colleagues

Mark Eldridge: Dipesh, please tell us a little about yourself.

Dipesh Modha: I’m postmaster of Edgware Road Post Office. I’m also a part-time teacher. I’m passionate about life coaching, and giving back to the community. ME: How have you managed your impressive Google reviews? DM: The customer is everything. If a customer decides to go next door, I'm out of their business. So, when Covid hit and everyone was spending time online, I was looking up my branch. I had 43 reviews at the time, over a two-year period, and all of them negative. I thought, this does not represent me or my staff. So, what can I do to boost that all-important online reputation?

First of all, I acknowledged all the negative reviews. I replied to them properly, and then set a target to increase our number of Google reviews to 100. I said to my team, you know these negative reviews do not represent us. So let’s see what we can do about it. My team understood, with every single person trying get reviews. We hit our target, so I increased it to 200, then 500, which we hit; and our star rating was going up quite quickly, as well. And now we have over 2,800 reviews, and 4.9 stars. (Note: 3000 as of publication.) The important thing is your team is behind you. I track every single review, and make sure my team understands our goal. It’s important to me that customers know, if they come into my branch, they’re going to get fantastic service.

Sara Barlow BEM: I run Rainhill branch, just on the outskirts of Liverpool. It’s a privilege to be postmaster there. ME: Can you talk about the wellbeing project you’re involved in, with Post Office? SB: To support postmasters, we need the support of Post Office, of the NFSP, of CWU. We've gone through really dark and difficult times as a business in the last few months, and I could see a change in mood significantly at the beginning of the year. My first thought was, what can we do to help these postmasters? Not just from a health and wellbeing perspective, but also from a business perspective, from a financial perspective. There was plenty there, but it wasn’t the easiest to find.

So, Mark and I have been collaborating with the NFSP and Post Office to launch a wellbeing platform for postmasters, to help them access the support available. (Note: as of publication, this has been launched.) I think it's really important that we bridge the ‘us and them’ gap. That we forge friendships between ourselves. That will move the business forward. I know I have found it really helpful to be collaborating with Post Office, and to see where the support is.

ME: Thank you, Sara. Our aim is to broadcast what we already do well to our postmasters, so they're aware what support is on offer; but also to identify and address any gaps in that support. I’m very excited about this project, and a huge thanks to everyone involved.

‘The post office plays a massive part in the community’: Postmasters Ying Shi and Tony Fleming talk to Mark Eldridge and Post Office colleagues.

Mark Eldridge: Tell us a little about yourself and the post office you operate.

Ying Shi: I’m postmaster of Caterham Post Office. I also run Haslemere banking hub. We opened our branch three days before lockdown, with two days’ training. So a huge thanks to our area manager, and the entire business support centre and I.T. department. I was making ten phone calls a day because I wanted to make sure everything was right! For the last few years, we've focused on three things: strategic growth, outstanding customer service, and community engagement.

These three strategies have been the core pillars of our business success. Having a post office is the best decision for my businesses. Not only has it brought different demographics of customers to the door, but it has also made our existing business more viable and more sustainable. I'm very grateful for all the Post Office colleagues who have visited my branch; I’ve had so many wonderful colleagues supporting me along the way. So thank you.

Tony Fleming: I am delighted to be here to give you a little insight into what it's like being a postmaster. I’m the postmaster for Thorne near Doncaster in South Yorkshire. It's a fantastic office; we see a footfall of 3500 - 4000 a week. I've also been appointed as the Banking Hub operator for Thorne. So I'm going to have top performing Post Office branch on one side of the walkway, and down the road on the other side I'm going have a Banking Hub. I’m really looking forward to it, and it’ll be great for the community.

The post office plays a massive part in the community of Thorne, which is an old mining town. When I bought the post office in 2015, it lived on the back of other shops. Not now. The post office is the absolute centre of excellence that people in the town come to. Other shops benefit from us being there, and that’s massive to me. Prior to buying my post office, I did 32 years working for Lloyds Bank. Everything I learnt from banking, a lot of transferable skills, I brought with me to my post office.

ME: Both Ying and Tony are peer-to-peer support postmasters. So not only do they put all of their efforts, energy and experience into their own branch and their own teams, but they also spread that love into other Post Office branches. Tony, share that journey with us.

TF: When I heard about peer support, I thought, ‘that's exactly what this organization needs.’ I spend one day a week doing peer support at the moment, which means I can get in two to three visits as week. You see so much more, when you’re doing peer support, about what assistance branches could benefit from. I can share my experience and help other postmasters make the most of business opportunities.

ME: And Ying, you’re a peer support postmaster as well, but you also operate a banking hub. What has your experience has been of launching and setting up that banking hub?

YS: For me, the banking hub is really a community hub, especially for elderly customers and small businesses. For example, in the past I have helped a local business promote their event on a community page, which was very much appreciated. I’ve also given talks at U3A events, which have lots of retired customers who really appreciate face-to-face service. Small businesses know that we are here for them, ready to provide support. And we’ve received flowers in the past from regular customers who are really appreciative of our banking services.

‘We are one family, one vision, one team’: Postmasters Paul Patel and Gurpreet Dhillon talk to Postmaster Director Mark Eldridge and Post Office colleagues during Wednesday’s 10@10

Mark Eldridge: Tell us a little bit about yourself and the post office you operate?

Paul Patel: I operate post offices in a village called Dibden Purlieu in Hampshire, and another in Grayshott on the Hampshire-Surrey border. I've been a postmaster for six and a half years and come from a family that has been in the business for over 40 years. I also run a mobile post office van serving various villages. My customer base is mainly residential with an aging population, and I take pride in knowing my customers well.

Gurpreet Dhillon: I am from Stone Cross in Birmingham, West Midlands. Like Paul, I've grown up in the post office environment as it is a family business. We are the heart and soul of our community, knowing everyone from the oldest to the youngest. Our role goes beyond just providing postal services; we are deeply involved in supporting our community.

ME: What do you think is key to making the partnership between Post Office and Postmasters a success?

PP: For me, and I think people have heard me say this many times, the trust and the relationship are paramount. We are one; Post Office can't operate without Postmasters, and Postmasters can't operate without Post Office. We are one family, one vision, one team. This means that mutual support and collaboration are essential for our success.

When we trust each other and work together seamlessly, we can overcome challenges more effectively and innovate more efficiently. Building and maintaining this trust requires open communication, transparency, and a shared commitment to our common goals. By fostering a strong, united relationship, we ensure that both sides can thrive and achieve great things together.

GD: Support needs to be consistent and at a high standard. Every postmaster is at a different level of learning, so personalised support is essential. Building strong foundations and involving postmasters in decision-making processes can help strengthen the network.

ME: How do you handle communication and training for new products and services?

PP: Branch Hub is a great tool. It’s important to involve postmasters early in the development of new products to ensure practicality. We need effective ways to disseminate information, considering the varying levels of access and learning among postmasters.

ME: What additional support would you like from the Post Office?

GD: Consistent and high-standard support for all postmasters is essential. Encouraging postmasters to engage in community support activities, like food banks, and providing the necessary resources and training for these initiatives can make a significant difference.

PP: Viewing postmasters as partners rather than franchisees is crucial. We need to work together, share information effectively, and support each other to thrive.

GD: The interaction with post office team members has improved, and the support is getting better. Building a strong foundation and having robust communication channels are key to further improvements.

PP: The development of tools like Branch Hub has been helpful. The success of initiatives like the Christmas campaign, where postmasters were involved from the start, shows the importance of our input. Continuous engagement through working groups and forums is also beneficial.

ME: How has the support from the POL team evolved over the years?

PP: The interaction we’ve had with a lot of the POL team has been very positive. We are getting much better support than we were a number of years ago. The responsiveness and willingness to assist have significantly improved, making our operations smoother and more efficient.

However, to sustain and enhance this progress, we need to build a better foundation for this support network. This involves establishing more consistent communication channels, ensuring that feedback loops are effective, and creating a robust system that can adapt to future challenges and changes in the industry. By doing so, we can continue to strengthen our partnership and drive mutual success.

ME: Do you have any final thoughts on improving the Postmaster experience?

GD: We need to step out of our comfort zones and embrace new ways to support our communities. Post Office should definitely look at providing more opportunities and resources for postmasters to engage in community-building activities.

PP: Continuous support and open communication are key. We need to invest in the wellbeing of postmasters and involve them in strategic decisions to build a stronger network.