The challenge
A need for efficient collaboration between departments for an optimal customer experience
The complexity of many different touchpoints with customers across various channels
The result
Development of clear guiding principles for the omnichannel strategy
Creation of a product/channel matrix as a decision tool for channel choices
Optimising the omnichannel strategy
bpost wanted to strengthen its customer experience in an environment with more and more complex touchpoints. Customers reach the company through many channels: post offices, the website, the mobile app, delivery staff, customer service and more. Each channel plays its own role and has its own strengths.
Management saw this as a challenge, but also as an opportunity: how can we align these channels better, so the customer experience becomes more consistent and more efficient?
A well-aligned omnichannel strategy would:
- make the experience clearer and simpler for customers
- streamline internal operations through deliberate channel choices
- help avoid overlap and inefficiency
What was missing was a shared strategic framework. There was a need for guidance when making choices:
which channel do you use when, for which product or type of customer interaction, and based on which principles?
Workshops that gave insight and direction
bpost came to Harmony with a clear question: how do we bring more direction to our omnichannel strategy? Internally, there was a need for two concrete tools:
- a set of guiding principles to support choices about channel use
- a product/channel matrix that helps departments make those choices in practice
To reach shared insights quickly, bpost chose a Business Next Step programme. Instead of a long preliminary phase or a broad research plan, the focus was on a few carefully built workshops. The combination of internal preparation and external facilitation gave the process the sharpness it needed.
As facilitator, Harmony brought structure and process experience. Its external role made it easier to involve all departments on an equal footing and to get conversations about alignment and priorities going.
- Input from different teams was brought together into one shared frame of reference
- It became clearer how different products and channels reinforce each other
- The workshops offered room to test insights and translate them straight into the teams’ own reality
The result gave direction and was practical to use, with agreements and frameworks that now serve as a guide for the further development of the omnichannel roadmap.
A focus on strategy leads to clear direction
The Business Next Step programme gave bpost a practical result with broad support. In two focused workshops, the team worked towards a strategic framework that gave direction for channel choices within the wider omnichannel strategy.
Two concrete tools were central:
- a set of guiding principles that served as a touchstone for future decisions
- a product/channel matrix that helped align the offering with the strengths of each channel
This output gave a firm footing for the further implementation of the roadmap, and it also supported more efficient collaboration between teams. The programme brought insights together, structured existing knowledge and created more alignment across departments.
With this foundation, bpost could move forward with focus. The follow-up centred on applying the guidelines in practice, monitoring their effect and adjusting where needed. The approach developed during the programme formed a solid starting point for the next phases of its omnichannel strategy.
Harmony bracht de noodzakelijke neutraliteit om onze aannames uit te dagen. Hun aanpak was consistent: elke business unit werd op gelijke voet betrokken, wat leidde tot heldere inzichten en breed gedragen beslissingen.
A leading European logistics provider
As the main postal operator and universal service provider in Belgium, bpost delivers to every letterbox five days a week and handles around 5.8 million letters and 537,000 parcels every day.
The company runs a network of 2,300 post offices and PostPoints in Belgium and offers a wide range of postal, financial and insurance products. With more than 40,000 employees worldwide, bpostgroup connects millions of people and businesses every day.
