Post office of the future: Now, send speed and registered posts 24/7 at smart kiosks

India Post on Wednesday opened Smart Post Kiosk, a digital postbox that provides speed and registered post services round the clock.

Set up at the Museum Road post office in central Bengaluru, the kiosk will help customers avoid long queues to send speed or registered postal packages that weigh up to two kilograms and make digital payments.

An officer explained how the kiosk works.

Users need to download the ‘Smart Post Kiosk’ app from Google Play or the website of the Karnataka Postal Circle. After providing sender’s and recipient’s addresses in the app, a six-digit numeric code will be generated.

Using the code, customers should visit the kiosk and upload the prefilled addresses and choose between speed and registered post. The kiosk will then generate a bar code based on the type of the article that the user wants to send. The bar code-affixed package should be scanned at the kiosk. This will automatically open a flap for dropping the article. Depending on the weight and the distance of the address, the kiosk will display the fees to be paid.

Users can make the payment through UPI (Google Pay, Amazon Pay or any bank app) by scanning the QR code displayed on the screen of the kiosk. Once the payment is successful, a receipt will be generated with all the details of the package. The receipt will also be sent to the user’s phone number and e-mail ID.

The smart kiosk, conceived as part of the Digital India initiative, was inaugurated in the presence of P K Bisoi, Secretary, India Posts.

An official from the Chief Postmaster General’s office, Karnataka Circle, said similar kiosks would be opened at public places, metro stations and shopping malls in the coming days.