The UNEX survey: Panellist instructions Panellist instructions

Transcription

1 The UNEX survey: Panellist instructions Panellist instructions Welcome to the UNEX panel! The UNEX survey is an international postal survey run by the International Post Corporation (IPC) for the benefit of national postal operators all around the world. It is an international postal end to end transit time monitor involving over 40 countries covering Europe, North and South America plus Asia Pacific. Around 500,000 test letters are sent on the survey each year. Each letter contains a transponder which allows us to track the position of the letter through each section of its route. The UNEX Panel is managed by TNS UK and this study is carried out in accordance with the Market Research Society Guidelines. You can find out more about TNS and IPC on their websites. However, please direct all communication to TNS only. To ensure the UNEX results remain unbiased, it is important that IPC do not know the identity of any of the panellists. As a UNEX panellist we ask you to post and/or receive test letters and then enter the post/receipt dates on the Panel Zone. Below are all the steps you should follow when posting or receiving UNEX items from getting everything you need from us, to entering the items on your Panel Zone. The tasks should only take a couple of minutes each day to complete. When reading these instructions, you only need to refer to the sections that are relevant for your role which may be a Sender, a Receiver, or a Sender/Receiver. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your help in this important international survey. By taking part you are helping us to improve the postal services all around the world. 1 P a g e

2 Contents Panellist instructions... 1 Our Panellists... 3 The Panel Zone... 3 Getting you sender/receiver packs... 4 Sending UNEX items... 5 Sender location point... 5 Returning the transponders... 6 Entering your UNEX data... 7 Registering unavailability... 8 Recommend friends and family... 8 Common questions P a g e

3 Our Panellists The UNEX survey is based on the real movement of mail around the world, and therefore we recruit a panel which can reflect this. Our Panel is made up of volunteers sending and receiving test mail between each other, and then recording the sent and receipt dates on our online system the Panel Zone. We have some panellists who send mail for us, some who receive mail and some who do both. To make sure we reflect the real world, we have both private individuals and businesses on our panel. This allows us to measure post franked in three separate ways by stamps, by franking machines and by postage paid and sent by three different methods at a mailbox, in a Post Office, and by pickup from a business mail room. The Panel Zone To make things as simple as possible, we have created a website dedicated to UNEX The Panel Zone. On the Panel Zone, you are able to: Enter the sent and receipt dates; Tell us when you will be unavailable for your tasks; Find help and information about the UNEX survey; and Contact us if you need any assistance. Please keep your Panellist ID safe. You ll need it to log on to Panel Zone The Panel Zone website is: Why not save Panel Zone in your favourites so you can access it easily To log on to the Panel Zone, go to the website and enter your unique panellist ID, and your password. You will have received your Panellist ID when you joined our panel, and will have the opportunity to set your password to something you ll be able to remember. When you first join the survey, please log onto the Panel Zone to familiarise yourself with the website, and to make sure you are able to log on. 3 P a g e

4 Getting you sender/receiver packs We will provide you with everything you need to complete your tasks. Sender Packs If you are a sender, once a week you will receive a Sender Pack. This pack will contain: 1) A posting plan showing the list of letters you need to post that week, and the date they should be posted on. (see example below) 2) UNEX test letters this will be all of the letters which you need to send out during that week. You should check all your letters against your posting plan, and if any are missing then let us know. Receiver Packs If you are a receiver, once a month you will receive a Receiver Pack. This pack will contain: 1) A batch of return envelopes for you to return the transponders to us in. Each return envelope will include a silver lined bag which prevents the transponders sending signals while they are being returned to us 4 P a g e

5 Sending UNEX items As a sender on our panel, your weekly tasks involve posting test letters and then entering the posting information on The Panel Zone. All you need to do is follow the steps below. Every week you should: 1. Check your posting plan for which letters you should post on which days. 2. Post the test letters from one of the sender location points which you have recorded on our system. You should make sure to post your letters at least 30 minutes before the last collection time. 3. If a test letter has a customs sticker or CN 22 form affixed to it, please make sure it is signed and dated before posting. 4. After you have posted the letter, write down the posting information on the Posting Plan for future reference. 5. Enter the date, time and location that you posted the item on the Panel Zone later that day (please see the Entering your UNEX data section for more details) You will be able to identify each letter by the recipient s name Sometimes we need to double-check some details about UNEX items, so we ask our panellists to keep their completed posting plan for 3 months after posting the items on it. If you join the survey as a sender, we will confirm with you how your test letters will be franked and what type of induction point they should be posted from. It is important that you do not change this without notifying us first. Sender location point A sender location point (SLP) is the place which you send your mail from. This will either be a mailbox, a post office, or by pickup from a business mail room. There are a few things to remember here: Your SLP should be in the same postcode area as the address you registered with us; You should only post from the SLP type (e.g. Mail Box) which we agreed with you; You should only send UNEX items from an SLP that you have registered on your Panel Zone. However, you can set up as many points as you like. In order to register an SLP, click on the Sending location registration icon and enter the details. You will need to know the postcode, and the last collection times for each day. 5 P a g e

6 Receiving UNEX items As a receiver, your tasks involve receiving letters and entering the date you received them on the Panel Zone. All you need to do is follow the steps below. You should: 1. Check your mail every day, after the last delivery time, so that you can be sure of the day when the item was delivered. 2. Open each test letter you receive and find the unique item ID number on the inside of the envelope. 3. Write the delivery date on the back of the envelope, or in a diary. 4. Enter the delivery date on Panel Zone. (please see the Entering your UNEX data section for more details) 5. Every two weeks you should send the transponders back to us (See the Returning transponders section for more details) This last delivery time can vary so we recommend checking in the late evening (around 1900) If you notice anything unusual with the envelope, for example, if it has been opened or ripped, please contact us via the My Messages feature on your Panel Zone. Sometimes we need to double-check some details about UNEX items, so we ask our panellists to keep their envelopes for 3 months after receiving the items. Returning the transponders We need the transponders back because we reuse them in other UNEX items. Therefore, please be careful with the transponders so that we can use them for as long as possible. You should not bend the transponders, or staple anything to the envelopes while the transponders are still inside. When returning your transponders, please place them inside the silver-lined bag within the return envelopes you received in your Receiver pack. This stops the transponder sending signals on its way back to us. Please place no more than 4 transponders in each envelope, and remember that you should only return the transponders, not the UNEX test envelope that they came in. 6 P a g e

7 Entering your UNEX data A large part of the data we report comes from our panellists. Accuracy is the top priority, and to ensure this, there are three important rules all our panellists should follow: 1) Data entry should be done as soon as possible after sending/receiving a UNEX item. 2) Always enter the actual date an item was delivered to your address or posted by you. 3) Never guess - if you are not certain about a piece of information you should enter it as unsure. To enter your UNEX information you need to find the UNEX test item on the system, and then enter the details required. The Posting Plan and Receiving plan icons show all the items that you have been allocated by our system so far. They will appear three weeks before you are due to send/receive them. Items you have sent As a sender, you will find the UNEX items you have sent by clicking on the Posting Plan icon. Then: 1. Find the item you have just sent you can check the Item ID number on your posting plan 2. Then enter the information. You will need to enter: The date you sent the item, The time you sent the item, The SLP you sent the item from. 3. Then click Submit Please enter the time in 24 hour clock format (e.g. 4pm is 1600) Items you have received As a receiver, you will be able to find the item you ve received under the Receiving plan icon. Then: 1. Select the item you can check the ID number on the inside of the letter, 2. Enter the date the letter was delivered. If you are not certain about the date, select unsure. 3. Then click Submit Double-checking our database Sometimes we need to double-check the details of UNEX items you have entered in the past. If we need to, an Item Query notification will appear when you log into Panel Zone. You can reference either your letters, or your posting plan to find the correct information and either confirm or amend our data, or mark it as unsure. Please answer these questions when they appear, as if you wait too long, we cannot use the data in the UNEX survey results. 7 P a g e

8 Registering unavailability We need our panellists to be available to complete their tasks for as much of the year as possible. If you will be unavailable, please let us know at least 4 weeks in advance. This is because all our items are prepared 4 weeks in advance to give us time to deliver them to all our panellists. It is much better for us to deal with changes before this point. A panellist is unavailable if they are unable to send the UNEX letters on a particular day, or check their letter box daily after the last delivery time. You might be unavailable for a number of reasons such as holidays, illness or work related travel. To register unavailability, click on the Not available to Send/Receive icon. Then simply click Add and enter the dates you will be unavailable to complete your UNEX tasks as normal. If you are not able to enter your period of unavailability at least 4 weeks in advance, please inform us by sending us a message via the My messages on Panel Zone. Providing Cover It would be great if you could find someone who can cover your UNEX tasks while you are unavailable. This could be anyone aged over 18. We would like you to provide cover as we have to send/receive a certain number of UNEX items throughout the year and providing cover you will help us to hit this target. Your cover should be able to carry out your tasks in exactly the same way as you. If you send UNEX items, your cover should be able to send on the date shown on the posting plan, at least 30 minutes before the last collection time, and from the sender location points that you have entered on Panel Zone. If you receive UNEX items, your cover should be able to check your mail every day after the last possible delivery time. The cover should be able to enter data on Panel Zone regularly, and they should also know how to contact us if they need assistance. Moving home If you move home while you are on our panel, please let us know at least 4 weeks in advance. You can let us know by clicking the Notify coordinator of address change. We will then contact you to confirm the new address, the date when you move and whether you are still eligible for the survey. You may have your mail redirected to your new home. You should enter any UNEX mail which is redirected as Unsure because this will delay the delivery. Recommend friends and family We are always looking for new panellists. If you know somebody who would like to take part in the survey you can recommend them by clicking on the Recommend Friends and Family icon. We will then contact them to see if they are eligible to take part. 8 P a g e

9 Common questions Sometimes things do not go to plan, and we understand this. While it is important that you follow the plans as closely as possible here are some common questions we get asked. You will be able to find more on our FAQ page, which you can access on the Panel Zone. 1. What if I need assistance? Sometimes you might need a bit of help with your tasks. We are always here to help. You could: Check the FAQs, because the answer is probably here, Review all the training materials on your Panel Zone, Contact us through the My Messages on your Panel Zone. Simply type your question into the box, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 2. I missed the posting date on an item If you miss the posting date of a UNEX item, you can send it on the same day of the week for which it was initially intended up to 3 weeks later. This means, if you were scheduled to send a letter on Monday 1 st January, you will be able to send it seven days later on Monday 8 th, seven days later still on Monday 15 th, or seven days after this on Monday 22 nd. It is important that the item is sent on the same day of the week so a Tuesday item should be sent on a Tuesday, a Wednesday item should be sent on a Wednesday and so on. 3. I checked the mailbox too early It is important that you check your mailbox after the last delivery time for your country and region. This can change so we recommend that you check your mail after 19:00 in the evening. If you check your mail before this time, and then find a UNEX item the day after you should enter the item as unsure on your Panel Zone. This is because it could have been delivered after you checked your mail the day before, or on the day you found it. 4. I forgot to tell us about holiday Wherever possible you should let us know when you will be unavailable at least 4 weeks in advance. However, if your unavailability is unexpected, you should let us know as far in advance as possible. If you return from holiday and you have received UNEX item you should enter them as unsure on your Panel Zone. If you have UNEX items to send, you could send them when you get back, on the same day of the week for which they were initially intended. 5. What happens to my personal information? The information collected in this survey will be used for Market Research purposes only, and will not be held for any longer than is necessary for this purpose. In order for us ensure other panellists "Personal address information" are treated with the highest confidentiality we request that you do not disclose any panellists information you have been made aware of whilst participating in the survey or use it for any reason. Should you have questions on this matter please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. 9 P a g e