The announcement made this week (1st March) sees photo capture extended to several Royal Mail premium services where a signature is required. This will be rolled out for Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 signature items, as well as Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am/1pm services over the next few weeks.

Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Mail said:

Both businesses and consumers want more transparency in understanding how and where their parcels are delivered. By adding photo on delivery to even more products we are continuing to deliver on our commitment to offer even more trust on the doorstep. This is another example of how we are constantly evolving our service to keep pace with the needs of our customers.

In addition to taking a signature, Royal Mail delivery staff will now capture a photo on their personal digital assistant (PDA) of the item having been safely delivered. This image is then uploaded to the Royal Mail website and app, where customers will be able to input their tracking number details to view the image and confirm that their item has been safely delivered. When a customer is not at home to take a parcel in, a photo can be uploaded of the parcel either being taken in by a neighbour or left in a safe location. When a photo is uploaded, customers are notified so they can view the image immediately.