CEN/TC 331/WG 1 - Quality of service

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. (...)

This European Standard specifies methods for measuring the end-to-end transit time of domestic and cross-border Single Piece Priority Mail (SPPM), collected, processed and delivered by postal service operators. It considers methods using representative end-to-end samples for all types of single piece priority mail services for addressed mail with defined transit-time service levels offered to the customer. This standard is applicable to the measurement of End-to-End priority mail services.
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 assure that the measurement will be done in an objective and equal way for all operators in accordance with the requirements of the Postal Directive 97/67/EC and its amendments.
This European Standard is mandatory and mainly used for performance measurement connected to requirements of the Universal Postal Service; domestic and international (UNEX).

This European Standard specifies complaints handling principles related to domestic and international postal services. It applies to both national and cross border services. The standard also gives guidance for compensation and redress procedures.
This European Standard may be applied to all types of postal service both Universal service and non-universal service and by all types of postal organizations. It defines various types of complaints and establishes a methodology for handling complaints in order to improve the service given to postal users. It also gives guidance for complaints handling processes to be set up by postal service providers in order to improve quality of service.
This European Standard provides guidelines beyond the requirements given in ISO 10002 and ISO 9001 in order to consider both the effectiveness and efficiency of a complaint handling process, and consequently the potential for improvement of the performance of an organization. When compared to ISO 9001, the objectives of customer satisfaction and product quality are extended to include the satisfaction of interested parties and the performance of the organization.
This European Standard is applicable to the processes of the organization and consequently the quality management principles on which it is based can be deployed throughout the organization.
It should be noted that the number of complaints received might not be related to the level of service given. A large number of complaints may on the contrary reflect the effectiveness of the postal operator's complaint handling process.

A feasibility study to explore the use of real mail data in measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services for single piece crossborder priority mail.

In addition to EN 13850:2012 Postal Services - Quality of Service - Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services for single piece priority mail and first class mail, this European Standard specifies methods for measuring the end-to-end transit time of domestic and cross-border non-priority single piece mail, collected, processed and delivered by postal service operators. It considers methods using a representative end-to-end sample of all types of single piece addressed letter mail with defined transit-time service levels offered to the customer. This standard is applicable to the measurement of End-to-End single piece non-priority mail services.
This European Standard has been developed from and is compatible with the requirements of EN 13850:2012. As such, surveys for both priority and non-priority single piece mail may be undertaken concurrently while reporting separate estimates of priority and non-priority transit times.
The overall transit time quality-of-service result is to be expressed as the percentage of mail delivered within (J + n) days end-to-end according to the EU Postal directive .
This European Standard relates to the measurement of so-called "normal" services given to private persons / households and smaller businesses that post mail at street letter boxes, over the counter at post offices, have bring services from their offices or give their mail directly at postal service operators’ sorting centres.
For technical reasons this European Standard may not in all parts be suitable for the measurement of very small volumes of mail and for operators with limited coverage.
This European Standard is not applicable for measuring the end-to-end transit time distribution of large bulk mailers’ services or hybrid mail, which require different measurement systems and methodologies; (see, for example, EN 14534 Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services of bulk mail).

Method for measurement of parcel transit time for cross-border parcels is mainly from an e-merchant perspective, especially for small and medium-sized companies. Based on an earlier study, the method will be based on events of the track and trace process.
Events used need to be kept simple and transparent for the measurement of the complex matrix of the flows between European countries.
The last part of the process (delivery options) is dependent on the country and on its historical development of postal and logistic operators - this part of the logistics process is currently too complex for simple measurement. Therefore the Technical Specification (TS) will focus on the main part of the process: from entrance (hand over) in the logistics chain to the first attempt of delivery.
(...)
The Technical Specification should:
-   be technically and supplier neutral;
-   not be limited to postal operators but open to all operators transporting parcels;
-   take into account events relevant for the customer’s (sender or receiver) needs;
-   define calculation rules;
-   be easy to implement.
This Technical Specification does not set quality of service standards or targets.

This Technical Report specifies methods for measuring the quality of a re-forwarding service of domestic addressed mail that is collected, processed and delivered by postal service operators. As a European Standard or technical specification it relates to the measurement of services given to household and business customers who receive mail at their homes, their post office boxes, or at their office premises and have contracted their national Postal Operator (PO) to re-forward their mail for a defined stretch of time to an address that deviates from the one presented on the postal items that are to be delivered to them.
It is not the purpose of this standard to measure the POs performance in a way that provides direct comparison of postal service providers.

A feasibility study has been performed to see whether a standard for this subject can be developed. CEN/TC331 decided it was not feasible but the results should be kept therefore the report is transferred into a Technical Report.
Registered postal items contain - by nature - important messages or goods. Any of such items, which may be delivered to a person not being authorized to receive them may cause substantial problems, even if the correct addressee receives it afterwards. The knowledge of the quality performed by the operator would therefore give the customer an indication, to which extend registered postal items are delivered.
It was originally aimed to specify requirements for a method and its implementation aiming at measuring another aspect of the quality of delivery. It deals specifically with registered postal items delivered to someone not authorized to get them.

This Technical Report takes into account the existing systems for measuring access to postal services and the targets that are already in use in member states. To get an understanding of the existing systems regarding population coverage, a questionnaire entitled “Methodology for the Measurement of Distance to postal Access Points” was circulated to postal operators and postal regulators (see Annex A).

This document specifies methods for measuring the level of loss and substantial delay, using a survey of test letters, of domestic and cross-border priority and first class single piece letter mail, collected, processed and distributed by postal service operators.
It is impossible in practice to distinguish between items which will never arrive and items which have been delayed for a very long time. A minimum period is therefore defined after which an item that has been sent shall be treated as if it has been lost or substantially delayed for the purposes of measurement.
The resulting overall figure for loss and substantial delay is to be expressed as a percentage of the total posted priority and first class single piece mail. This indicator does not measure the postal operator's overall performance in a way which provides direct comparison of postal service operators, and does not include other service performance indicators other than those related to loss and substantial delay.
According to this document, loss and substantial delay is estimated within specified accuracy limits. When the level of loss is very small it may only be possible to estimate an upper limit for the level of loss.
This document has been developed from and is compatible with the requirements of EN 13850 for the measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services for single piece priority mail and first class mail, so that the same survey may be used to measure loss and substantial delay and on-time performance. Thus it comprises a set of requirements for the design of a measuring system involving the selection and distribution of test letters sent and received by selected panellists, according to a specification that ensures that the test letter sample design is representative of the real mail flows.

Modifications because of:
When EN 14534 was developed it was decided to base it on existing measuring systems already in use among the European Union member states. Since the publication of EN 14534 in 2003 more countries have joined the European Union which have increased the number of cross-border mail flows significantly and therefore made it necessary to adapt the standard accordingly.
Amendment 1 to this European Standard has been developed to make it possible to economically measure a larger number of mail flows from a wider range of countries than the original versions of the standard was made for.
Amendment 1 to this European Standard gives information on how to categorize mail flows for measuring purposes and explain how required accuracy for small and medium sized mail flows can be obtained by measuring under a consecutive number of years.

Modifications because of:
When EN 13850 was developed it was decided to base it on existing measuring systems already in use among the European Union member states. Since the publication of EN 13850 in 2002 more countries have joined the European Union which have increased the number of cross-border mail flows significantly and therefore made it necessary to adapt the standard accordingly.
Amendment 1 to this European Standard has been developed to make it possible to economically measure a larger number of mail flows from a wider range of countries than the original versions of the standard were made for.
Amendment 1 to this European Standard gives information on how to categorize mail flows for measuring purposes and explain how required accuracy for small and medium sized mail flows can be obtained by measuring under a consecutive number of years.

Modification because of:
When EN 14508 was developed it was decided to base it on existing measuring systems already in use among the European Union member states. Since the publication of EN 14508 in 2003 more countries have joined the European Union which have increased the number of cross-border mail flows significantly and therefore made it necessary to adapt the standard accordingly.
Amendment 1 to this European Standard has been developed to make it possible to economically measure a larger number of mail flows from a wider range of countries than the original versions of the standard was made for.
Amendment 1 to this European Standard gives information on how to categorize mail flows for measuring purposes and explain how required accuracy for small and medium sized mail flows can be obtained by measuring under a consecutive number of years.

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. (...)

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. (...)

This European Standard specifies methods for measuring the end-to-end transit time of domestic and cross-border Single Piece Priority Mail (SPPM), collected, processed and delivered by postal service operators. It considers methods using representative end-to-end samples for all types of single piece priority mail services for addressed mail with defined transit-time service levels offered to the customer. This standard is applicable to the measurement of End-to-End priority mail services.
The standardised QoS-measurement method provides a uniform way for measuring the end-to-end transit time of postal items. Using a standardised measurement method will assure 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.
It is not the purpose of this standard to measure the postal operators’ overall performance in a way that provides direct comparison of postal service providers.
This European Standard relates to the measurement of the SPPM services given to household and business customers that post mail at street letterboxes, over the counter at post offices or have pick-ups at their offices. To cover flows with smaller mail volumes this European Standard includes flexibility areas for adapted implementation. For technical reasons this European Standard may not be suitable for the measurement of very small volumes of mail.
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. This European Standard is not applicable for the measurement of end-to-end transit times in fields of study with more than one induction operator (Multi-Operator Environments), which require different methodologies. The method for end-to-end measurement specified in this European Standard is also not designed to provide results for the measurement of parts of the distribution chain.
This European Standard is not applicable for the measurement of end-to-end transit times of bulk mailers’ services and hybrid mail, which require different measurement systems and methodologies (see, for example, EN 14534 Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services of bulk mail).
This European Standard includes specifications for the quality control and auditing of the measurement system.
This European Standard does not specify:
-   the minimum acceptable level of accuracy that will be required by the national regulatory authority;
-   the target(s) that the regulatory authority might set;
-   how the regulatory authority should determine whether the target(s) have been met.

This Technical Report is an extension as a guide to the European Standard EN 14012 with regard to damage of postal items. EN 14012 recommends:
The continual improvement of the overall quality of service is an objective of the complaint handling system, and using the information from the complaint handling process to improve the overall quality of service should be a permanent objective of any postal organization.
Complaint handling processes should allow analysis of complaint causes.
However, it does not contain detailed guidelines to possible solutions. Damages are a rare event and a standard for measurement proved not to be feasible. This document contains a set of best practices dedicated to use by postal operators regardless of their size and users of postal services.

This European Standard specifies complaints handling principles related to domestic and international postal services. It applies to both national and cross border services.  Attention is given to how to handle complaints in multiple operator situations. The standard also gives guidance for compensation and redress procedures.
This European Standard may be applied to all types of postal service both Universal service and non-universal service and by all types of postal organizations. It defines various types of complaints and establishes a methodology for handling complaints in order to improve the service given to postal users. It also gives guidance for complaints handling processes to be set up by postal service providers in order to improve quality of service.
This European Standard provides guidelines beyond the requirements given in ISO 10002 and ISO 9001 in order to consider both the effectiveness and efficiency of a complaint handling process, and consequently the potential for improvement of the performance of an organization. When compared to ISO 9001, the objectives of customer satisfaction and product quality are extended to include the satisfaction of interested parties and the performance of the organization.
This European Standard is applicable to the processes of the organization and consequently the quality management principles on which it is based can be deployed throughout the organization. The focus of this European Standard is the achievement of ongoing improvement, measured through the satisfaction of customers and other interested parties.
It should be noted that the number of complaints received might not be related to the level of service given. A large number of complaints may on the contrary reflect the effectiveness of the postal operator's complaint handling process.
This European Standard consists of guidance and recommendations and is neither intended for certification, regulatory or contractual use, nor as a guide to the imple

This European Standard provides a dictionary of the possible ) components of postal addresses, together with examples of and constraints on their use.
This European Standard defines three hierarchical levels of postal address component:
- segments, such as addressee specification, which correspond to major logical portions of a postal address;
- constructs, such as organisation identification, which group elements within segments into units which are meaningful for human interpretation;
- elements, such as organisation name or legal status, which correspond to the lowest level of constructs, i.e. those which are not themselves made up of subordinate elements, though they may be sub-divided for technical purposes.
To cover multiple occurrences and locations of elements in an address, and to be able where necessary to work with sub-divisions of element content, the standard defines a fourth level:
- element sub-types, such as door type or door indicator, representing parts of conceptual elements, such as door, for database storage or to facilitate presentation, or representing multiple instances of conceptual elements for use in defining address element structures or templates.
NOTE   The underlying point is that elements are conceptual whereas sub-types are defined to meet technical needs such as template construction, rendition requirements, accurate representation of address instances, and matching to postal database fields.
This European Standard further provides a methodology for the specification of postal address templates, which stipulate how a postal address is to be written, including the order in which postal address elements are to appear, required and optional elements, and the presentation or rendition of the elements, subject to constraints on the space available for that task. Languages suitable for human comprehension and computer processing of postal address templates are defined and described.
It also defines a number of useful terms, such as delivery address, forwarding address, mailee and mail originator. By providing a standard dictionary of postal address components, this European Standard is expected to greatly facilitate the formal description of actual address representations and the definition of procedures for mapping between them.
In practice, many address representations, whether in computer databases, in electronic messages or in printed or written form, combine several of the postal address components defined herein into single fields or lines. ) Considerable intelligence may be required in mapping between different representations, particularly where these are subject to a degree of ambiguity. )
This European Standard does not specify the length or value range of components.
This European Standard does not cover the topic of data protection. Users of this European Standard are nevertheless reminded that the storage and exchange of personal data are subject to legislation in many countries. This European Standard may be applied only to the extent that this is compliant with such legislation.

This European Standard specifies methods for measuring the end-to-end transit time of the domestic and cross-border, priority and non-priority, bulk mail, collected, processed and distributed by postal service operators. It considers methods using a representative end-to-end sample of addressed bulk mail. End-to-end is defined as from the point mail is placed into the collection/acceptance system under the responsibility of the postal operators, to the final delivery point under the responsibility of the postal operators.
For the purpose of this European Standard, bulk mail can include all types of addressed bulk mail: letter mail, direct mail, magazines, and newspapers, unless otherwise indicated.
The overall quality of service result should be expressed as the percentage of mail delivered within J + n days end-to-end according to the EC postal directive or the percentage of mail delivered by, on or between expected dates. The measurement should be in whole days and not be restricted by reference to a specific time of day for delivery.
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, and does not include other service performance indicators than those related to transit time. In particular this European Standard does not measure whether the timing of collections meets customers’ requirements.
The European Standard can be used to assess the performance of postal operators for specific products or services at a national level or for an individual or a group of customers.
The European Standard should not be used to assess the overall performance of a group of products or services which have other service specifications in terms of transit time expectation.
It specifies a set of requirements for the design of a quality of service measurement system for bulk mail, involving the selection and distribution of test mail sent and received by selected pan

This Technical Report is an implementation guide to EN 14534 for use by postal operators, regulators and those responsible for commissioning, carrying out, or auditing the measurement of postal service quality. It gives information, which will facilitate the implementation of EN 14534. It gives an overview of the processes required and factors to consider when measuring quality of service. It provides guidance on alternative approaches allowed in the standard including how to select and calculate alternative or additional discriminant factors and methods for weighting of strata. It describes a process for implementation of the measurement system, and provides examples and clarification on specific requirements of EN 14534. It gives information on how to interpret the test results obtained by measurement according to the standard.
This Technical Report does not alter in any way the requirements of EN 14534. It is concerned with technical issues in the implementation of the measurement system. The Technical Report provides guidance but it does not specify how the regulators shall enforce and monitor the use of the standard since this is the responsibility of the European Commission and the national regulatory authorities themselves.

This Technical Report specifies methods for measuring the transit time results of domestic and cross-border parcels, collected, processed and delivered by postal service providers. Transit time is the time elapsed between initial and final scan of the item. The initial scan may occur at varying points within the pipeline (e.g. point of posting, entry into the first sorting centre). Similarly the final scan may occur at e.g. exit from the last sorting centre, final delivery.
Therefore there are two different categories of transit time:
1.   End-to-End
A true end-to-end transit time measure may only be possible for some items recorded in the track and trace system. End-to-end is defined as from the point parcels are placed into the collection/acceptance system under the responsibility of the postal operators, to the final delivery point under the responsibility of the postal operators. In many instances postal operators do not extend track and trace to the final delivery point.
These items may not cover the total parcel flow. Generally the results of this subset cannot be taken as representative of the total flow, but this subset may represent a particular sector, e.g. single parcels sent over a post-office counter to single receivers. The transit time results of purely this subset are of public concern.
2.   Non End-to-End
If initial and/or final scans occur in the sorting centres for at least some parcels, it is possible to calculate the transit time between sorting centres, e.g. first-sorting-centre-to-last-sorting-centre. This can be done to calculate transit time results for all parcels in the total flow - this may be reasonable for internal purposes. The objective of the measurement to estimate the transit time quality of service given to the customer can only be achieved, if the time elapsed between posting and first scan and between delivery and last scan respectively can be estimated (eventually by the customer).
The overall transit time quality of service

In addition to EN 13850:2002 Postal Services - Quality of Service - Measurement of the transit time of end-to-end services for single piece priority mail and first class mail, this European Standard specifies methods for measuring the end-to-end transit time of domestic and cross-border non-priority single piece mail, collected, processed and distributed by postal service operators. It considers methods using a representative end-to-end sample of all types of single piece addressed letter mail.
This European Standard has been developed from and is compatible with the requirements of EN 13850:2002. As such, surveys for both priority and non-priority single piece mail may be undertaken concurrently whilst reporting separate estimates of priority and non-priority transit times.
The overall transit time quality-of-service result is to be expressed as percentage of mail delivered within J + n days end-to-end according to the EU "Postal directive" .
This European Standard relates to the measurement of so-called "normal" services given to private persons / households and businesses that post mail at street letter boxes, over the counter at post offices, have pick ups at their offices or give their mail directly at postal service operators’ sorting centres.
For technical reasons this European Standard may not in all parts be suitable for the measuring of very small volumes of mail and for operators with limited coverage.
This European Standard is not applicable for measuring the end-to-end transit time distribution of large bulk mailers’ services and hybrid mail, which require different measurement systems and methodologies.

This Technical Report is an implementation guide to EN 13850 and its amendments for use by postal operators, regulators and those responsible for commissioning, carrying out, or auditing the measurement of postal service quality. It gives information, which will facilitate the implementation of EN 13850. It gives an overview of the processes required and factors to consider when measuring quality of service. It provides guidance on alternative approaches allowed in the EN 13850 including how to select and calculate alternative or additional discriminant factors and methods for weighting of strata. It describes a process for implementation of the measurement system, and provides examples and clarification on specific requirements of EN 13850. It gives information on how to interpret the test results obtained by measurement according to the standard.
In all places where references in this Technical Report are made to EN 13850 it should be understood that it includes all amendments to EN 13850. This Technical Report does not alter in any way the requirements of EN 13850. It is concerned with technical issues in the implementation of the measurement system. The Technical Report provides guidance but it does not specify how the regulators shall enforce and monitor the use of the standard since this is the responsibility of the European Commission and the national regulatory authorities themselves.
Parts of this Technical Report may also be considered for guidance when implementing the following quality of service standards:
-   CEN/TS 14773, Postal services - Quality of service - Measurement of loss and substantial delay in priority and first class single piece mail using a survey of test letters
-   EN 14508, Postal services - Quality of service - Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for single piece non-priority and second class mail
-   EN 14534, Postal services - Quality of service - Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for bulk mail

This European Standard specifies methods for measuring the level of loss and substantial delay of domestic and cross-border registered letter mail, collected, processed and delivered by postal service providers. The resulting overall figure for loss and substantial delay is expressed as a percentage of the total posted registered mail collected or received by the postal service providers.
This European Standard is applicable only to those service providers which have a measurement system in place which
- records each item as it is posted,
- records each item as it is delivered,
- can, by comparing these records, count the number of items which have been posted and not delivered.
This European Standard can be used if appropriate to measure the level of loss of other types of postal items for which such a measurement system is in operation.
This European Standard specifies requirements for the design and operation of the measurement system and for other procedures to allow the level of loss to be calculated.
This European Standard does not specify technical requirements for the design and operation of a registered letter service, except for purposes of measurement. It does not deal with the technical requirements of a track and trace system.
This European Standard includes specifications for the quality control of the measurement system and for the reporting of loss of mail.

This European Standard specifies methods for measuring the end-to-end transit time of the domestic and cross-border priority single piece letter mail, collected, processed and distributed by postal service operators. It considers methods using a representative end-to-end sample of all types of single piece addressed letter mail. End-to-end is defined as from the point mail is placed into the collection/acceptance system under the responsibility of the postal operators, to the final delivery point under the responsibility of the postal operators.
The overall transit time quality-of-service result is to be expressed as percentage of mail delivered within
J + n days end-to-end according to the EC postal directive.
This quality of service indicator does not measure the postal operator’s overall performance in a way that provides direct comparison of postal service operators, and does not include other service performance indicators than those related to transit time. In particular this European Standard does not measure whether the timing of the last collection of the day meets customer’s requirements.
It specifies a set of requirements for the design of a quality of service measuring system for single piece priority mail, involving the selection and distribution of test item sent and received by selected panellists. The sample design gives the specifications for the item to be representative of the real mail flows.
This European Standard relates to the measurement of the so-called "normal" services given to private persons / households and businesses that post mail at street letter boxes, over the counter at post offices, have pick ups at their offices or give their mail directly at postal service operators sorting centres.
For technical reasons this European Standard may not in all parts be suitable for the measuring of very small volumes of mail and for operators with limited coverage.
This European Standard is not applicable for measuring the end-to-end tran

The standard will define a methodology for the evaluation of complaints and redress procedures. The standard will apply to various types of complaints and for each of them establish a methodology for measuring response rates for their acknowledgement, processing and resolution by the postal operator.

This European Standard specifies methods for measuring the end-to-end transit time of the domestic and cross-border, priority and non-priority, bulk mail, collected, processed and distributed by postal service operators. It considers methods using a representative end-to-end sample of addressed bulk mail. End-to-end is defined as from the point mail is placed into the collection/acceptance system under the responsibility of the postal operators, to the final delivery point under the responsibility of the postal operators.
For the purpose of this European Standard, bulk mail can include all types of addressed bulk mail; letter mail, direct mail, magazines, and newspapers, unless otherwise indicated.
The overall quality-of-service result should be expressed as percentage of mail delivered within J + n days end-to-end according to the EC postal directive or the percentage of mail delivered by, on or between expected dates. The measurement should be in whole days and not be restricted by reference to a specific time of day for delivery.
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, and does not include other service performance indicators than those related to transit time. In particular this European Standard does not measure whether the timing of collections meet customers' requirements.
The European Standard can be used to assess the performance of postal operators for specific products or services at a national level or for an individual or a group of customers.
The European Standard should not be used to assess the overall performance of a group of products or services which have other service specifications in terms of transit time expectation.

This European Standard specifies methods for measuring the end-to-end transit time of the domestic and cross-border priority single piece letter mail, collected, processed and distributed by postal service operators. It considers methods using a representative end-to-end sample of all types of single piece addressed letter mail. End-to-end is defined as from the point mail is placed into the collection/acceptance system under the responsibility of the postal operators, to the final delivery point under the responsibility of the postal operators.
The overall transit time quality-of-service result is to be expressed as percentage of mail delivered within
J + n days end-to-end according to the EC postal directive.  
This quality of service indicator does not measure the postal operator's overall performance in a way that provides direct comparison of postal service operators, and does not include other service performance indicators than those related to transit time. In particular this European Standard does not measure whether the timing of the last collection of the day meets customer's requirements.  
It specifies a set of requirements for the design of a quality of service measuring system for single piece priority mail, involving the selection and distribution of test item sent and received by selected panellists. The sample design gives the specifications for the item to be representative of the real mail flows.
This European Standard relates to the measurement of the so-called "normal" services given to private persons / households and businesses that post mail at street letter boxes, over the counter at post offices, have pick ups at their offices or give their mail directly at postal service operators sorting centres.
For technical reasons this European Standard may not in all parts be suitable for the measuring of very small volumes of mail and for operators with limited coverage.

This Technical Report is an implementation guide to EN 13850 for use by postal operators, regulators and those responsible for commissioning, carrying out, or auditing the measurement of postal service quality. It gives information, which will facilitate the implementation of EN 13850. It gives an overview of the processes required and factors to consider when measuring quality of service. It provides guidance on alternative approaches allowed in the Standard including how to select and calculate alternative or additional discriminant factors and methods for weighting of strata. It describes a process for implementation of the measurement system, and provides examples and clarification on specific requirements of EN 13850. It gives information on how to interpret the test results obtained by measurement according to the standard.
This Technical Report does not alter in any way the requirements of EN 13850. It is concerned with technical issues in the implementation of the measurement system. The Technical Report provides guidance but it does not specify how the regulators shall enforce and monitor the use of the standard since this is the responsibility of the European Commission and the national regulatory authorities themselves.
Parts of this Technical Report may also be considered for guidance when implementing the following quality of service standards:
- prCEN/TS 00331029 Postal services - Quality of service  - Measurement of loss of non-registered mail
- prEN 14508 Postal services - Quality of service  - Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for single piece non-priority and second class mail
- prEN 14534 Postal services - Quality of service  - Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for bulk mail