The Small Firms Association today launched its official campaign to prepare small businesses for the introduction of Postcodes in Ireland in Spring 2015...
Speaking at a briefing seminar by the Postcode Management Licence Holder (PMLH) for SFA members in Dublin today, SFA Director, Patricia Callan said that:
“The introduction of Postcodes is a major government initiative and will allow for more precise location of approximately 2.2 million houses and buildings for delivery, marketing and customer identification purposes. Every address in the country will have its own unique postcode - a world first - which opens up several new opportunities for small businesses. Currently, an estimated 35% of houses are classified as ‘non-unique’ addresses in Ireland, which adds substantially to costs on business including increased delivery times and inability to optimise routes.”
She stated that “it is important for small businesses to start planning now how they will prepare for postcodes, especially as regards the IT systems they use, new business opportunities or what their key customers or suppliers might be expecting them to do.” She encouraged small businesses to consider becoming ‘early adopters’ of postcodes, citing the many business benefits to postcodes, including faster and more accurate address capture & verification; better customer segmentation & profiling; more targeted customer service, sales & marketing campaigns; delivery & logistics improvements and other location-based services; and enhanced risk analysis and fraud detection.
Callan added that “whilst there will be a small initial cost outlay for accessing the PAD (Postcode Address Database) that is being developed, and potential added value services on database encoding, the long-term potential to reduce business costs is much more significant. The introduction of Postcodes will also be a spur to Irish small businesses to develop more value added reseller products using the enhanced PAD and to engage more strategically in e-commerce.”
Callan concluded: “Postcodes are not just about postal services; the potential benefits of the system to individual business sectors needs to be clearly communicated. The SFA is committed to being a leading voice in this campaign”.
Article Published: 15/04/2014