SIST EN 14534:2024
(Main)Postal services - Quality of service - Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services for bulk mail
Postal services - Quality of service - Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services for bulk mail
This European Standard specifies methods for measuring the end-to-end transit-time of domestic and cross-border bulk mail, collected, processed and delivered by postal service operators. It considers methods using representative end-to-end samples for all types of bulk-mail services with defined transit-time service-levels as offered to the postal customer. It specifies a set of minimum requirements for the design of a quality-of-service measurement system for bulk mail, involving the selection and distribution of test mail sent by business senders and received by selected panellists.
This European Standard is applicable to the measurement of end-to-end priority and non-priority bulk-mail services. For the purpose of this standard, bulk mail services can include all types of addressed bulk mail including, but not limited to letter mail, direct mail, magazines and newspapers and encombrant-format mailings.
This European Standard relates to the measurement of bulk-mail services offered to businesses that have pick-ups at their offices or give their mail to postal service operators. If a third party agent acts for the postal operator, then the time the mail is handed over to the agent will form part of the measurement. Where a third party agent acts for the sending customer, the measurement will be from the point when mail is handed over to the postal operator.
This European Standard is of modular structure. It is designed to assess the service performance of postal operators for bulk mail services on the level of a single bulk mailing as defined by the postal customer or any aggregations thereof, including the performance of an individual customer / operator or the performance of a group of customers / operators or the performance at national level.
The standardized QoS measurement-method provides a uniform way for measuring the end-to-end transit time of postal items. Using a standardized measurement-method will ensure that the measurement will be done in an objective and equal way for all operators in accordance with the requirements of the Directive 97/67/EC and its amendments.
The end-to-end service measured may be provided by one operator or by a group of operators working either together in the same distribution chain or parallel in different distribution chains. The method for end-to-end measurement specified in this European Standard is not designed to provide results for the measurement of parts of the distribution chain.
This standard does not include other service performance indicators than those related to end-to-end transit time. In particular, this standard does not measure whether the timings of collections meet customers’ requirements.
The transit-time quality-of-service result will be expressed as percentage of mail delivered by, on or between expected dates. These dates can be defined absolute as calendar-days or relative to the date of induction. The transit time calculation rule will be in whole days.
This quality of service indicator does not measure the postal operator’s overall performance in a way, which provides direct comparison of postal service operators. This European Standard nevertheless provides minimum requirements for the comparability of end-to-end transit-time measurement results of specific bulk mailings.
This European Standard is not applicable for the measurement of end-to-end transit-times of single-piece mail services and hybrid mail, which require different measurement systems and methodologies (see, for example, EN 13850, Postal Services - Quality of Services - Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services for single piece priority mail and first class mail. (...)
Postalische Dienstleistungen - Dienstqualität - Messung der Durchlaufzeit von Massensendungen von Ende zu Ende
Dieses Dokument legt Verfahren zur Messung der "Ende-zu-Ende"-Durchlaufzeit nationaler und grenzüber
schreitender Massensendungen fest, die von den Postdienstbetreibern abgeholt, bearbeitet und ausgeliefert werden. Sie berücksichtigt Verfahren, bei denen repräsentative "Ende-zu-Ende"-Stichproben für alle Arten von Massensendungen mit definierten, dem Postkunden angebotenen laufzeitbezogenen Dienstleistungsniveaus zum Einsatz kommen. Es werden Mindestanforderungen an die Auslegung eines Qualitätsmesssystems für Massensendungen festgelegt, einschließlich Auswahl und Zustellung von Testsendungen, die von
absendern versendet und von ausgewählten Panelteilnehmern empfangen werden.
Dieses Dokument ist anwendbar für die "Ende-zu-Ende"-Messung von Massensendungen als Vor
rangsendungen und Sendungen ohne Vorrang. Für die Anwendung dieser Norm können Massensendungen alle Arten von adressierten Massensendungen umfassen, einschließlich unter anderem Briefsendungen, Direktwerbesendungen, Zeitschriften und Zeitungen sowie Sperrgut.
Dieses Dokument bezieht sich auf die Messung von Massensendungsdiensten für Geschäftskunden, die über Abholstellen in ihren Geschäftsräumen verfügen bzw. die ihre Sendungen Postdienstbetreibern übergeben. Handelt ein Dritter für den Postbetreiber, so wird der Zeitpunkt der Uebergabe an diesen Dritten bei der Mes
sung berücksichtigt werden. Handelt ein Dritter für den versendenden Kunden, wird die Messung zu dem
punkt beginnen, an dem die Postsendung an den Postbetreiber übergeben wird.
Dieses Dokument besitzt einen modularen Aufbau. Mit dessen Hilfe soll die Leistung der von Postbetreibern für Massensendungen angebotenen Dienstleistungen bewertet werden, und zwar bezogen auf eine einzelne vom Postkunden definierte Massensendung oder bezogen auf Aggregationen von Massensendungen, einschließlich der Leistung eines Einzelkunden/-betreibers oder der Leistung einer Gruppe von Kunden/Betreibern oder der Leistung auf nationaler Ebene.
Das genormte Messverfahren für die Dienstqualität (QoS) ermöglicht eine einheitliche Messung der "Ende-zu- Ende"-Durchlaufzeit von Postsendungen. Durch die Anwendung eines genormten Messverfahrens wird sicher
gestellt, dass die Messung objektiv und für alle Betreiber gleich und in Uebereinstimmung mit den
gen der derzeitigen Postrichtlinie erfolgt.
Die gemessene "Ende-zu-Ende"-Dienstleistung darf von einem Betreiber oder einer Gruppe von Betreibern angeboten werden, die entweder zusammen in derselben Verteilungskette oder parallel in unterschiedlichen Verteilungsketten arbeiten. Das in diesem Dokument festgelegte Verfahren für die "Ende-zu-Ende"-Messung ist nicht dafür vorgesehen, Messergebnisse einzelner Teile der Verteilungskette bereitzustellen.
Dieses Dokument enthält außer den mit der Durchlaufzeit "Ende-zu-Ende" zusammenhängenden Leistungs
indikatoren keine weiteren Dienstleistungsindikatoren. Vor allem wird mit dieser Norm nicht gemessen, ob Abholzeitpunkte den Kundenanforderungen entsprechen.
Das Ergebnis der Dienstqualität in Bezug auf die Durchlaufzeit wird als Prozentanteil der bis, an oder zwischen den erwarteten Zeitpunkten zugestellten Sendungen angegeben werden. Diese Zeitpunkte können absolut als Kalendertage oder relativ als Einlieferungsdatum definiert sein. Die Berechnung der Durchlaufzeit erfolgt immer in ganzen Tagen.
Mit diesem Dienstqualitätsindikator wird nicht die Gesamtleistung des Postbetreibers in einer Weise gemes
sen, die den direkten Vergleich der Postdienstbetreiber erlaubt. Dennoch enthält dieses Dokument
anforderungen an die Vergleichbarkeit der Messergebnisse in Bezug auf die "Ende-zu-Ende"-Durchlaufzeit bestimmter Massensendungen.[...]
Services postaux - Qualité de service - Mesure du délai d'acheminement des services de bout en bout pour le courrier en nombre
Le présent document spécifie les méthodes de mesure du délai d'acheminement de bout en bout du courrier en nombre, national ou transfrontalier, collecté, traité et distribué par les opérateurs de services postaux. Il s'appuie sur des méthodes utilisant des échantillons de bout en bout représentatifs pour tous les types de services de courrier en nombre offerts au client avec des niveaux de service définis en matière de délai d'acheminement. Il spécifie un ensemble d'exigences minimales pour la modélisation d'un système de mesure de la qualité de service du courrier en nombre, impliquant la sélection et l'acheminement de courrier-test envoyé par des entreprises expéditrices et reçu par des panélistes sélectionnés.
Le présent document s'applique à la mesure des services de courrier en nombre prioritaire et non prioritaire de bout en bout. Pour les besoins de la présente norme, les services de courrier en nombre peuvent inclure tous les types de courrier en nombre adressé, ce qui comprend, sans toutefois s'y limiter, les lettres, les publipostages, les magazines et journaux et les envois dans de très grands formats.
Le présent document couvre la mesure des services de courrier en nombre offerts aux entreprises qui disposent d'un système de levée dans leurs locaux ou qui remettent leur courrier à des opérateurs de services postaux. Si un agent tiers agit pour le compte de l'opérateur postal, la mesure inclut le moment où le courrier est remis à cet agent. Lorsqu'un agent tiers agit pour le compte du client expéditeur, la mesure débute au moment où le courrier est remis à l'opérateur postal.
Le présent document a une structure modulaire. Il est conçu pour permettre d'évaluer les performances des services de courrier en nombre offerts par les opérateurs postaux au niveau d'un envoi unitaire en nombre tel que défini par le client ou de toute agrégation de celui-ci, y compris les performances d'un client/opérateur unique, les performances d'un groupe de clients/d'opérateurs ou encore les performances au niveau national.
La méthode normalisée de mesure de la qualité de service fournit une manière uniforme de mesurer le délai d'acheminement de bout en bout des plis. L'utilisation d'une méthode de mesure normalisée assure que la mesure est effectuée de manière objective et identique pour tous les opérateurs conformément aux exigences de la Directive postale en vigueur.
Le service de bout en bout mesuré peut être fourni par un seul opérateur ou par un groupe d'opérateurs travaillant soit ensemble dans la même chaîne d'acheminement, soit en parallèle dans différentes chaînes d'acheminement. La méthode de mesure de bout en bout spécifiée dans le présent document n'est pas conçue pour fournir des résultats concernant la mesure de parties de la chaîne d'acheminement.
Le présent document n'inclut aucun autre indicateur de performance du service que ceux liés au délai d'acheminement de bout en bout. La présente norme ne mesure notamment pas si les heures de levée satisfont aux exigences des clients.
Le résultat de qualité de service en matière de délai d'acheminement est exprimé en pourcentage de courrier distribué avant les dates prévues, aux dates prévues ou entre les dates prévues. Ces dates peuvent être définies de manière absolue sous la forme de jours civils ou de manière relative par rapport à la date de dépôt. La règle de calcul du délai d'acheminement utilise des jours complets.
Cet indicateur de qualité de service ne mesure pas les performances globales de l'opérateur postal d'une manière qui permette la comparaison directe des opérateurs de services postaux. Le présent document fournit néanmoins des exigences minimales quant à la comparabilité des résultats de mesure du délai d'acheminement de bout en bout d'envois en nombre spécifiques.
Le présent document n'est
Poštne storitve - Kakovost storitev - Merjenje časa prenosa od sprejema do vročitve pri množični pošti
Ta evropski standard določa metode za merjenje časa prenosa od sprejema do vročitve za domačo in čezmejno množično pošto, ki jo sprejemajo, obdelujejo in dostavljajo poštni operaterji. Upošteva metode, ki uporabljajo vzorce vseh vrst storitev od sprejema do vročitve za množično pošto z določenimi časi prenosa, ki so ponujeni stranki pošte. Določa sklop minimalnih zahtev za zasnovo kakovosti sistema merjenja za množično pošto, vključno z izbiro in razpošiljanjem preskusnih pošiljk, ki jih pošiljajo poslovni pošiljatelji in sprejemajo izbrani člani.
Ta evropski standard se uporablja za merjenje prednostne in neprednostne množične pošte od sprejema do vročitve. Za namene tega standarda lahko storitve množične pošte vključujejo vse vrste naslovljene množične pošte, med drugim pisemske pošiljke, neposredno pošto, revije in časopise in prostorninsko veliko pošto.
Ta evropski standard se nanaša na merjenje storitev množične pošte, ki so na voljo podjetjem, ki imajo v pisarnah sprejemne točke ali svojo pošto oddajo poštnim operaterjem. Če kot poštni operater deluje tretji zastopnik, mora v meritev biti vključen tudi čas, v katerem zastopnik prejme pošto. Kjer tretji zastopnik deluje kot pošiljatelj, mora meritev biti od časa, ko je pošta izročena poštnemu operaterju.
Ta evropski standard je modularne strukture. Oblikovan je za ocenjevanje učinkovitosti poštnih operaterjev pri storitvah množične pošte na ravni ene množične pošte, kot je to opredelila stranka pošte ali njena združenja, vključno z učinkovitostjo posamezne stranke/operaterja ali učinkovitostjo skupine strank/operaterjev ali učinkovitostjo na nacionalni ravni.
Standardizirana metoda merjenja kakovosti storitev zagotavlja enoten način za merjenje časa prenosa od sprejema do vročitve poštnih pošiljk. S standardizirano metodo merjenja se bo zagotovilo, da je meritev objektivna in enaka za vse operaterje v skladu z zahtevami Direktive 97/67/ES in njenimi spremembami.
Merjeno storitev od sprejema do vročitve lahko zagotovi en operater ali skupina operaterjev, ki sodelujejo v isti distribucijski verigi ali pa delujejo vzporedno v različnih distribucijskih verigah. Metoda merjenja storitve od sprejema do vročitve iz tega evropskega standarda ni zasnovana, da zagotovi rezultate merjenja delov distribucijske verige.
Ta standard ne zajema drugih kazalnikov uspešnosti storitve, razen tistih, ki so povezani z merjenjem časa prenosa od sprejema do vročitve. Predvsem ta standard ne meri, ali časi sprejema izpolnjujejo zahteve strank.
Rezultat ocene kakovosti storitve merjenja časa prenosa se izrazi kot odstotek pošte, dostavljene do, na ali med pričakovanimi datumi. Te datume je mogoče opredeliti absolutno kot koledarske dni ali relativno kot datume zaključka. Pravilo za izračun časa upošteva cele dni.
Ta kazalnik kakovosti storitve ne meri splošne učinkovitosti poštnega operaterja na način, ki omogoča neposredno primerjavo poštnih operaterjev. Ta evropski standard vseeno določa minimalne zahteve za primerljivost rezultatov merjenja časa prenosa od sprejema do vročitve posebne množične pošte.
Ta evropski standard se ne uporablja za merjenje časa prenosa od sprejema do vročitve posamičnih poštnih pošiljk in hibridne pošte, ki zahtevajo drugačne merilne sisteme in metodologije (glej na primer standard EN 13850 Poštne storitve – Kakovost storitev – Merjenje časa prenosa od sprejema do vročitve za posamične pošiljke prednostne pošte in pošte prvega razreda. (...)
General Information
Relations
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-februar-2024
Poštne storitve - Kakovost storitev - Merjenje časa prenosa od sprejema do
vročitve pri množični pošti
Postal services - Quality of service - Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end
services for bulk mail
Postalische Dienstleistungen - Dienstqualität - Messung der Durchlaufzeit von
Massensendungen von Ende zu Ende
Services postaux - Qualité de service - Mesure du délai d'acheminement des services de
bout en bout pour le courrier en nombre
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 14534:2023
ICS:
03.240 Poštne storitve Postal services
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
EN 14534
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
December 2023
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 03.240 Supersedes EN 14534:2016
English Version
Postal services - Quality of service - Measurement of the
transit time of end-to-end services for bulk mail
Services postaux - Qualité de service - Mesure du délai Postalische Dienstleistungen - Dienstqualität - Messung
d'acheminement des services de bout en bout pour le der Durchlaufzeit von Massensendungen von Ende zu
courrier en nombre Ende
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 8 October 2023.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2023 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 14534:2023 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 4
Introduction . 5
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 8
3 Terms and definitions . 8
3.1 General. 8
3.2 Terms and definitions of EN 13850:2020 which also apply to this document . 10
4 Symbols and abbreviations . 12
5 Transit time as a Quality-of-Service indicator . 13
5.1 General. 13
5.2 Transit time calculation . 14
5.2.1 Measurement unit . 14
5.2.2 Establishing the date of induction . 14
5.2.3 Calculation of the transit time . 16
6 Methodology . 16
6.1 Representative sample design . 16
6.2 Minimum Sample Size (MSS). 17
6.3 The design basis . 17
6.3.1 General. 17
6.3.2 Choice of the design basis . 17
6.3.3 Evaluation of the design basis . 17
6.4 Discriminant Mail Characteristics (DMC) . 18
6.4.1 General. 18
6.4.2 DMC in aggregated fields of study . 18
6.4.3 Geographical stratification . 19
6.5 Geographical distribution of the receiver panel . 20
6.6 Creation of test mail . 21
6.6.1 General. 21
6.6.2 Logistic structure of a bulk mailing . 21
6.6.3 Separate production and manual inclusion methods . 22
6.6.4 Address seeding methods . 23
6.7 Documentation of date and time of posting . 23
6.8 Integrity of the measurement . 24
7 Report . 25
7.1 Measurement results . 25
7.2 Service Performance Indicators . 25
7.2.1 Available types of indicators . 25
7.2.2 Accuracy . 26
7.3 Weighting of the results. 27
7.3.1 Reasons for implementing a weighting system . 27
7.3.2 Weighting caps . 27
7.4 Content . 28
8 Quality control . 29
9 The Annexes . 29
Annex A (normative) Accuracy calculation . 31
Annex B (normative) Transit Time Calculation . 42
Annex C (normative) Comparability of Measurement Results . 46
Annex D (normative) Design of aggregated Fields of Study . 52
Annex E (normative) Additional Requirements for continuous Fields of Study [CMS/SCMS]
................................................................................................................................................................... 57
Annex F (normative) Quality control . 65
Annex G (normative) Auditing . 68
Annex H (informative) Purpose of postal Quality of Service standards . 70
Annex I (informative) Considerations before implementing EN 14534 . 75
Annex J (informative) Design basis . 81
Annex K (informative) Implementing EN 14534 . 90
Annex L (informative) Application of the accuracy calculation . 111
Bibliography . 123
European foreword
This document (EN 14534:2023) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 331 “Postal
services”, the secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by May 2024, and conflicting national standards shall be
withdrawn at the latest by May 2024.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes EN 14534:2016.
Annexes A to Annex G are normative.
Annexes A to Annex C and Annex F are covering the measurement of a single bulk mail induction.
Annex D, Annex E and Annex G are covering additional requirements for the measurement of aggregated
or continuous fields of study.
Annexes H to Annex L are informative.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North
Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United
Kingdom.
Introduction
The European Commission emphasizes the need to have common rules for the development of
community postal services and the improvement of Quality-of-Service (QoS). The Commission has
identified requirements for postal QoS-Measurement systems that include:
— independent end-to-end measurement capabilities;
— a focus on national and cross-border distribution service performance;
— a single, uniform and reliable system for monitoring distribution service performance within the
Union.
The Commission has acknowledged that the different postal traditions and cultures in Europe would not
allow for the establishment of one common unified European measurement system and that national
systems should have sufficient freedom to reflect needs and peculiarities of national markets. On the
other hand, they should fulfil a defined set of minimum requirements to satisfy the information interests
if applicable of the Commission, the regulatory authorities, postal customers and postal operators
themselves.
The objective of this standard is to define a modular QoS measurement system in a competitive
commercial context. The measurement is designed to estimate the end-to-end transit time quality of
service given to the postal customer. The measurement can be set up domestically in each European
country and cross-border between the European countries.
This document refers to a number of principles and minimum requirements to be applied for the
measurement of the end-to-end transit time service-level of bulk mail services. It is widely applicable for
single-induction as well as continuous measurement applications. It provides recommendations on the
comparability of different bulk mail transit time QoS measurement results and their use as key
performance indicators.
This bulk mail standard has been developed from the requirements of EN 13850, Postal services – Quality
of service - Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services for single piece priority mail and first-
class mail. Both European Standards consider methods using a representative end-to-end sample of all
types of addressed mail appropriate for their coverage. For the measurement of bulk mail services, a
separate standard is required for the following reasons:
— Senders: Members of the public posting single items are replaced by businesses, small in number –
posting large volumes of mail. Third party agents (consolidators, mailing houses, letter shops) may
also act on behalf of posting customers.
— Contracted Services: Mail posted in bulk will often be mailed under a contract between the
customer and the postal operator. Typically, bulk services require customers to standardize format
and weight of their mailing, undertake a level of pre-sortation or to present mail in different ways
according to the contract conditions.
— Volumes of mailings: Bulk mailings are large. They may contain thousands or millions of items.
— Performance Measures: On-time performance measures are expanded to provide different types of
(i) on, (ii) by or (iii) between specific-dates performance depending on what is agreed with the postal
customers or is specified for this service.
— Discriminant Characteristics: Test items shall match the characteristics of customer mailings. The
range of characteristics relevant for the performance varies by type of mail service, and a wider set
of potential characteristics should be considered. Greater flexibility is required to define for what
part of the real mail logistics the results are representative for.
— Production of Test Mail: For the inclusion of test mail in the customers bulk mailings a variety of
methods may be appropriate. They include database-seeding methods used in different stages of the
customer’s mail production process as well as methods to include pre-produced test items in the
customer’s bulk mailing between production and induction of the customers’ real mail.
— Dates of induction: The rules and requirements for bulk mail induction are more complex and may
be specific to the contract between customer and postal operator.
1 Scope
This document specifies methods for measuring the end-to-end transit time of domestic and cross-border
bulk mail, collected, processed and delivered by postal service operators. It considers methods using
representative end-to-end samples for all types of bulk mail services with defined transit time service-
levels as offered to the postal customer. It specifies a set of minimum requirements for the design of a
quality-of-service measurement system for bulk mail, involving the selection and distribution of test mail
sent by business senders and received by selected panellists.
This document is applicable to the measurement of end-to-end priority and non-priority bulk mail
services. For the purpose of this standard, bulk mail services can include all types of addressed bulk mail
including, but not limited to letter mail, direct mail, magazines and newspapers and encombrant-format
mailings.
This document relates to the measurement of bulk mail services offered to businesses that have pick-ups
at their offices or give their mail to postal service operators. If a third-party agent acts for the postal
operator, then the time the mail is handed over to the agent will form part of the measurement. Where a
third-party agent acts for the sending customer, the measurement will be from the point when mail is
handed over to the postal operator.
This document is of modular structure. It is designed to assess the service performance of postal operators
for bulk mail services on the level of a single bulk mailing as defined by the postal customer or any
aggregations thereof, including the performance of an individual customer / operator or the performance
of a group of customers/operators or the performance at national level.
The standardized QoS measurement-method provides a uniform way for measuring the end-to-end
transit time of postal items. Using a standardized measurement-method will ensure that the
measurement will be done in an objective and equal way for all operators in accordance with the
requirements of the current Postal Directive.
The end-to-end service measured may be provided by one operator or by a group of operators working
either together in the same distribution chain or parallel in different distribution chains. The method for
end-to-end measurement specified in this document is not designed to provide results for the
measurement of parts of the distribution chain.
This document does not include other service performance indicators than those related to end-to-end
transit time. In particular, this standard does not measure whether the timings of collections meet
customers’ requirements.
The transit time quality-of-service result will be expressed as percentage of mail delivered by, on or
between expected dates. These dates can be defined absolute as calendar-days or relative to the date of
induction. The transit time calculation rule will be in whole days.
This quality of service indicator does not measure the postal operator’s overall performance in a way,
which provides direct comparison of postal service operators. This document nevertheless provides
minimum requirements for the comparability of end-to-end transit time measurement results of specific
bulk mailings.
This document is not applicable for the measurement of end-to-end transit times of single-piece mail
services and hybrid mail, which require different measurement systems and methodologies (see, for
example, EN 13850, Postal Services — Quality of Services — Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end
services for single piece priority mail and first-class mail.
In certain circumstances, this standard allows a choice between alternatives to be made subject to the
approval of the regulator. This approval is only necessary if the service is within the universal service
obligation.
This document includes specifications for the quality control and auditing of the measurement system.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 13850:2020, Postal services - Quality of services - Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services
for single piece priority mail and first class mail
ICC/ESOMAR, International Code of Marketing and Social Research Practice (latest version)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 13850:2020 and the following
apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1 General
3.1.1
bulk mail
large volume of mail having similar mail and induction characteristics
Note 1 to entry: Bulk mail items are usually from the same weight group and share the same size or shape
characteristics.
Note 2 to entry: Bulk mail items have usually a common sender and share the same point(s) of induction.
Note 3 to entry: Bulk mail senders often share the outward processing of bulk mail by pre-sorting or segregating
the mail to enable the postal operator to by-pass the first sortation stages.
Note 4 to entry: Regarding the volume and/or requirements of the induction process, bulk mail does not qualify as
single piece mail.
3.1.2
bulk mailing
bulk mail posted by a single postal customer at the same induction point(s)
Note 1 to entry: A bulk mailing is defined by the postal customer, usually being a business.
Note 2 to entry: A bulk mailing usually covers one induction date or, in some cases, a small number of consecutive
days of operation.
Note 3 to entry: Large bulk mailings may be inducted at more than one postal operator, depending on the areas of
destination.
Note 4 to entry: Large bulk mailings may be inducted at two or three induction points, depending on the areas of
destination.
The listed terms and definitions of EN 13850 also apply to this EN; the terms specific to EN 14534 are included in
this EN.
3.1.3
bulk mail campaign
finite set of bulk mailings following a defined pattern
Note 1 to entry: A bulk mail campaign is defined by the postal customer, usually being a business.
Note 2 to entry: A bulk mail campaign may comprise bulk mailings with different types of bulk mail.
Note 3 to entry: A bulk mail campaign may consist of cycles or waves in time of bulk mailings of similar nature.
3.1.4
(bulk mail) sender
organization sending bulk mail, usually being a business
Note 1 to entry: The bulk mail sender can be the postal customer or his agent.
Note 2 to entry: The postal customer or the customer’s agent can be a consolidator or a mailing house / letter shop
3.1.5
business panellist
panellist with an address other than a household address such as a company or an organization
3.1.6
continuous measurement
measurement with mail allocated to all months of the year, and within the months to all weekdays of
operation of the postal operator (‘strictly continuous measurement’)
Note 1 to entry: A measurement is also continuous in the context of this standard if bulk mailings are measured
regularly with the same methodology for at least a calendar year (‘continuous measurement’).
Note 2 to entry: Relevant weekdays of operation are all possible weekdays of posting in accordance with the field
of study and the chosen transit time calculation rule (see Annex B)
3.1.7
dimension
mail characteristic with at least two modes, used to form subgroups of mail flows whose quality of service
is to be compared
3.1.8
fixed date of induction
contracted date, on which mail items that have been collected and put on hold, are to be distributed from
their point of storage
Note 1 to entry: Contracted fixed dates of induction are to be accompanied by a last date of collection and a last
collection time.
3.1.9
induction
takeover of the responsibility concerning a postal item and its distribution by a postal service provider
Note 1 to entry: ‘Induction’ is equivalent to ‘Posting’ when the posting is done before the last collection time.
3.1.10
induction point
physical location at which postal items are placed into the collection/acceptance system that is under the
responsibility of the induction postal operator
3.1.11
last collection time
advertised last time for collection or contracted latest time for collection
Note 1 to entry: The last collection time is often also called last acceptance time for which the postal operator states
the transit time target.
Note 2 to entry: This is often not equal to the actual collection time, because from the postal work-organization
point of view, the collection usually happens some time later than the advertised last collection time (e.g. the
collection routing timetable can only be defined with some tolerance).
3.1.12
last date of collection
contracted latest date for posting/collection for bulk mailings with a fixed date of induction
3.1.13
split induction
bulk mailing with more than one induction date
Note 1 to entry: It may be possible to assign to each delivery destination of a split induction exactly one induction
date.
3.2 Terms and definitions of EN 13850:2020 which also apply to this document
— accuracy
— aggregation
— audit
— average (arithmetic mean)
— characteristic
— continuous measurement
— corrective action
— country
— cross-border mail
— date of delivery
— date of induction (J)
— date of posting
— delivery point
— design basis
— design factor
— discriminant characteristic
— distribution
— domestic mail
— effective sample size
— end-to-end
— estimate
— estimator
— field of study
— independent performance monitoring organization
— measurement period
— metered mail
— non-priority item
— office of exchange
— on-time performance
— on-time probability
— one-operator field of study
— panel turnover
— panel rotation
— pick-up time
— postal area
— postal catchment area
— postal item
— postal performance indicator
— postal service
— posting
— priority item, first class item, a-class item
— private panellist
— quality
— quality assurance
— quality control
— real mail flow
— real mail study
— rural
— service standard
— single piece mail
— sorting centre
— stratification
— study domain
— test item
— time of delivery
— time of posting
— transit time
— urban
— user
— weighting
4 Symbols and abbreviations
CMS Continuous Measurement System
CMW Calculated Mode Weights
df Design factor
DMC Discriminant Mail Characteristic
EC European Commission
ESS Effective Sample Size
EtE End-to-End
IFW Individual Final Weight
IRV Intra-Relation Variation
IT Information Technology
J Date of induction
LDC Last Date of Collection
MSS Minimum Sample Size
P Date of Posting
QoS Quality of Service
RMW Real mail Mode-Weights
RMS Real Mail Studies
RSW Real mail Strata-Weights
RtT Relation-to-Total Variation
SCMS Strictly Continuous Measurement System
SIP Single Induction Point
SRS Simple Random Sample
StrRS Stratified Random Sample
StrEtE Stratified End-to-End Sample
SWB Standard Weighting Basis
USO Universal Service Obligation
WB Weighting Basis
5 Transit time as a Quality-of-Service indicator
5.1 General
The bulk mail transit time Quality-of-Service (QoS) is usually to be expressed as the percentage of mail
distributed within the end-to-end transit time target. All performance indicators shall refer to the on-time
performance, i.e. either the bulk mail end-to-end transit time or the percentage of mail delivered (i) by,
(ii) on or (iii) between expected dates. These dates shall be defined absolute as calendar-days or relative
to the date of induction J+n .
( )
The measurement process involves the selection and distribution of test items sent by selected
businesses and received by selected panellists. The sample design gives the specifications for the business
senders, receiver panellists and items to be representative of the chosen design basis. The design basis is
the most appropriate structural information available to characterize all real mail distributed in the field
of study.
The sample design shall be representative of the chosen design basis. The design basis shall be selected
according to its ability to characterize all real mail distributed in the field of study. If the field of study is
composed of several study domains, it is the QoS measurement for the overall field, which shall comply
with the requirements of this document.
The system for measuring the distribution of the end-to-end transit time of bulk mail items shall be robust
and shall give a statistical measurement at a defined level of accuracy. The measurement methodology
shall be objective and shall be auditable.
5.2 Transit time calculation
5.2.1 Measurement unit
The transit time of a postal item shall be measured in units of days and expressed as J+n days with J
( )
being the date of induction. The method for establishing the date of induction shall be agreed between
the organization commissioning the measurement system and the independent performance monitoring
organization. For measurement purposes, the date of induction J is when the postal operator takes
responsibility for starting the distribution process of the posted mail in accordance with a QoS target. The
handover to the postal operator may be made by the business sender or an agent acting on behalf of the
business sender.
5.2.2 Establishing the date of induction
It is the responsibility of the independent performance monitoring organization to put in place an
inclusion method, which provides for consistent, accurate dates and times of posting. The method(s) used
to obtain accurate dates and times of posting shall be agreed between the sending bulk mail customer
and the independent performance monitoring organization before a method of inclusion is implemented.
The agreed inclusion method(s) shall facilitate the identification of the date of induction based on:
— the date and time of posting; and
— the last collection date and time;
for each individual test item in the sample, keeping in mind the postal logistics of the service provider.
For most bulk mailings, one date of induction will suffice for all items that are posted. In some cases,
however, a posting may be spread over two or more days (multi-day induction) and knowledge of where
each item is within the bulk mailing will be key to determining accurate dates of induction. In a
measurement of a multi-day induction different times or even dates of posting might be applied to the
same delivery destinations (split induction). The information needed for handling split-inductions is often
more complex and systems feasible for verification, if they exist at all, more extensive than in the one-day
induction case.
One way of overcoming some of these problems is to adapt the inclusion method to the type of mailing in
question (see 6.6). Different inclusion methods may help the sending customer to provide accurate
date(s) and time(s) of posting.
Depending on the contract between business sender and postal operator, the date of induction for each
mail item is – alternatively – the date of the:
— (i) Actual collection from the sender’s or agent’s premises;
— (ii) Contracted collection from the sender’s or agent’s premises, provided the contracted bulk
mailing is ready for handover on the contracted date;
— (iii) Advertised collection time after posting by the sender at a postal induction point;
— (iv) Final collection or posting in a series of collections/postings to cover a delivery destination;
— (v) Contracted fixed start of the distribution process after the mail items have been collected/posted,
put on hold and stored for a time at a defined location in the postal network (interim storage)
under the condition that the posting takes place before the agreed last collection date and time. For items
with a time of posting later than the last collection time, the date of induction is set to the next valid date
of induction for this type of mail (for details see B.2).
It is essential that a common understanding of the determination of the date of induction is reached
between all concerned parties before the start of the measurement. This shall be documented.
The following steps shall be undertaken to minimize the recording errors for date and time of posting:
— The date and time of posting shall be provided to the independent performance monitoring
organization by the sending bulk mail customer or the sending customer’s agent, e.g. a mailing house.
This information may be provided electronically, by manual observation or by written
documentation.
— Where practicable, the actual production of all test items shall be verifiable, in cases where address
seeding by the customer or his agent (see also 6.6.4) is the preferred mode of test mail production
and placement.
— Where practicable, the date and time of posting shall be verifiable using information from the postal
operator.
— In multi-day bulk mailings, the business sender and the independent performance measuring
organization shall agree on a method to verify the exact date and time of posting of the relevant
mailing(s) to all delivery destinations.
EXAMPLE 1 This may be done, for example, by using existing electronic or logistic information or by deploying
personnel of the performance monitoring organization.
Delivery destinations should be derived from the organizational structure of the postal operator or any
other structure, which determines the sorting, packing and routing order of the mailing.
Table 1 — One and Multi-Day Inductions
Options Required Information Possible info from postal operator
All mail has the same induction date Date and time of posting of Postal operator may be able to confirm the
the total bulk mailing date of induction
Split induction type I: Date and time of posting is If information on each delivery unit is
required for each delivery captured, the postal operator may be able to
More than one induction date, with each
unit confirm the date of induction for each
delivery destination posted completely on
destination
one induction date
Split induction type II Date and time of posting is The postal operator is unlikely to be able to
required for individual items confirm the date of induction
At least one delivery destination with more
than one possible induction date.
NOTE To reduce the likelihood of type II splits, it is advisable to decide for the smallest identifiable logistic
entity (e.g. postal destination documented on the tray or palette) to serve as delivery destination in the context of
this document.
If type II split inductions (see Table 1) are likely to appear there is a risk that, for some items, it is not
possible to determine a distinct induction date. In these cases, the postal operator and the business
customer shall agree on a procedure how to deal with these items.
EXAMPLE 2 These items will be declared invalid, because the date of induction cannot be determined.
EXAMPLE 3 The date of induction associated with the last of the split postings per delivery unit will be taken.
The following minimum requirements for the recording of the date and time of posting shall apply:
— Recording errors shall be small enough so that they do not affect the survey results, taking into
account the accuracy claimed for them.
— The method of seeding shall be the one which leaves least scope for error and which provides dates
of induction sufficient to meet the above requirements.
— Tests shall be made by the independent performance monitoring organization to monitor the level
of inaccuracy in recording dates of induction.
Each sending customer may require a unique approach from the independent performance monitoring
organization.
5.2.3 Calculation of the transit time
For the purpose of this document, transit times for domestic and cross-border mail shall be calculated
according to the calculation rule as presented in B.3. Published regional holidays shall be subtracted in
the calculation of transit time.
The calculation of the transit time takes into account test items posted before the last collection time of
the day for the type of mail in the field of study. The last collection time is taken preferably as stated in
the induction documentation (actual collection time of the postal collection service) or otherwise as
announced by the postal operator (planned collection / latest acceptance time at a postal point of
induction). If a test item is posted after the last collection time, then the date of induction J should be
adjusted to the next induction date for this type of mail.
The transit time calculation rule shall be agreed, fixed and documented before the start of the
measurement. This includes the type of last collection times to be applied.
It is necessary to ensure that panellists can identify the delivery of the item to the address or the receipt
of the item to a named individual. If P.O. Boxes are to be included in the sample, panellists will need to be
able to confirm that they collect the mail daily after the published pick-up time. If there are items included
in the survey, which are not letterbox-friendly or for some other reason cannot be delivered without the
presence of the panellist, it is the first attempt to deliver that shall count as the day of delivery if the date
of the first attempt to deliver can be retrieved from a written notification.
Only valid test mail items shall be included in the calculations (see also F.7). All postal items required for
cumulative reporting according to 7.2.1 shall be considered in the calculations. Postal items not delivered
within this timeframe may be excluded, because they may be deemed as lost or are not detectable in the
system any more within the reporting period.
6 Methodology
6.1 Representative sample design
The measurement shall be based on a defined methodology. It shall be carried out by an independent
performance monitoring organization.
The methodology shall be based on test mail volumes representative of the chosen design basis. It shall
define indicators that are representative of the transit time QoS provided in the measurement period.
The design basis shall be defined before the start of the measurement in accordance with the field of
study. Statements regarding the representativity of the measurement shall be made in relation to the
chosen design basis.
This document is designed to be able to monitor an individual bulk mailing. However, the field of study
may also be defined as all bulk mail items of an individual customer or a small group of customers or –
more generally – of a representative sample of a postal operator’s or a country’s bulk mail customers.
The test mail method shall consist of a process in which businesses act as senders and panellists act as
receivers. Senders induct test items into the postal operator’s mail network and register date and time of
posting; receivers register the date of delivery. Receivers shall be spread all over the field of study in
order to fulfil the specifications of minimum sample size, maximum panellist workload, stratification and
geographical coverage.
The sending and receiving process shall be organized properly in order to fulfil the specifications of the
sample design. The test mail shall be selected or manufactured in such a way as to fulfil the specifications
of the discriminant mail characteristics. A representative sample design may be realized either by a strict
proportionality of the test mail flows with respect to the design basis, or by an over-representation or an
under-representation of some strata. The latter requires corrective weighting, which allows restoring the
proportionality.
6.2 Minimum Sample Size (MSS)
250 test items shall be the Minimum Sample Size (MSS) for a single bulk mailing. With this MSS, reliable
results can be achieved for performance levels above 85 %.
A maximum of one test item per bulk mailing shall be allocated to any receiver.
6.3 The design basis
6.3.1 General
The design basis may be determined in different ways. The standard design basis is based on real mail
volumes.
The design basis shall be provided by the stakeholder(s) commissioning the measurement.
6.3.2 Choice of the design basis
Depending on the availability of real mail volume data at the planning stage, each of the two types of
design bases may be an appropriate choice:
— 1st choice: Measured or registered real mail volumes (standard design basis, historical data);
— 2nd choice: Estimates via logistic or management data (alternative design basis, historical data).
It is possible that the type of design basis varies between the discriminant mail-characteristics, for
example if real mail data are only available for some of the discriminant mail characteristics but not for
all. For each discriminant mail-characteristic the most reliable design basis available shall be chosen.
The provision of the distribution of the following real mail characteristics as a minimum is mandatory:
— the discriminant characteristics according to 6.4.2;
— the geographical stratification according to 6.4.3.
6.3.3 Evaluation of the design basis
6.3.3.1 Real mail evaluations
If available and reliable, the results of real mail evaluations shall be used as the standard design basis.
Real mail evaluations shall be done before or parallel to the set up of the measurement system in order
to gain real mail volume information and to obtain the structural information needed for the
determination of the sample design. For a data-update, further evaluations may be run before or parallel
to the measurement period.
The real mail evaluations shall:
Accuracy of ±5 % (design factor =1; Agresti-Coull Interval
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