Over the past few months we have been engaging with the Access customers and supply chain members to seek ways in which we could improve forecasting accuracy. Accurate forecasts enable us to run our operational units more efficiently, helping us focus on resourcing to workload, to ensure we have the right levels of staffing.

Following feedback from the industry, I am pleased to announce the launch of a trial which allows customers to submit their reforecast up to 20:00 on each Working Day, as opposed to the current cut-off time of 16:00. The purpose of the trial is to assess whether the additional window of time supports customers in preparing a more accurate reforecast, and consequently Royal Mail to adjust its operational resource the evening before handover of mail.

The trial will commence from 25 April 2022, and run for an initial period of 6 months. Customers can choose to join at any time after 25 April 2022, simply by speaking with your Account Director. Your Account Director will also provide you with the trial terms upon your request to participate.

We thank you for your ongoing support and feedback on this particularly important subject area. Of course we will update the industry on the outcomes of the trial in due course.