Kantar - Royal Mail Monitoring and Posting Panel

Primrose

Well done paul2louise!   If you lead a busy life I recommend you try and prepare all the items as soon as they arrive, keeping everything in a separate place so that things are handy when you need them.  It can sometimes be difficult to keep track of required posting dates, so on in inside flap of each envelope (important not to write on any exteriors when it can be seen and disclose you are a panel member) I write the posting date, AM or PM, and whether a RIDF (that square disc thing) has yet been added.     Keep a note of  RIDF code used on your record sheet in case of a future query 

If you're preparing items well in advance, they may not yet appear on your posting schedule on the website so sometimes you may have to be patient until the next week arrives.

As the posting date gets close, I also put a small yellow sticky note on the envelope with posting date and AM or PM and store it by the front door as another reminder.

DisablednProud

elsien said:

DisablednProud said:

NBLondon said:

{Deep Breath}

I'm back on the panel.  I was uncertain about it after hearing all the grief here about apps and sacks and whatever but I got an e-mail invite and decided to give them another try.

I'm working from home; so no big issue with parcels arriving, the PO is a short walk away so I can nip out at lunchtime or end of day.  Should be easier than when I was onboard previously.

I'm told to expect my first posting pack (2 training items) next week so lets see what happens.

Sacks are a right pain in the bum, I used to be on this panel years ago, and I can tell you the work literally involved posting out a few envelopes a week, and that was it.

It's slowly become more and more work whilst the 'pay' has remained quite stagnant really. By next year they will be expecting us to start to deliver people's mail too, at this rate.

The sacks are easier than queuing up to buy an APL. Just hand them over and that’s it. Not even had to make up an excuse about what’s in them either, which is a bonus. 

Yeah but my point is, when these surveys first started there was no over the counter work, you never had to step foot inside a PO, it was 100% letter+large letter in your local postboxes, and usually only a handful a week, (now I'm getting up to 5-6 a week sometimes and then on top of that the sacks, which my local PO actually asked a whole bunch of questions about, asking me if I was a business and whatnot) and the 'pay' was the exact same as it is now. 

silvercar

DisablednProud said:

elsien said:

DisablednProud said:

NBLondon said:

{Deep Breath}

I'm back on the panel.  I was uncertain about it after hearing all the grief here about apps and sacks and whatever but I got an e-mail invite and decided to give them another try.

I'm working from home; so no big issue with parcels arriving, the PO is a short walk away so I can nip out at lunchtime or end of day.  Should be easier than when I was onboard previously.

I'm told to expect my first posting pack (2 training items) next week so lets see what happens.

Sacks are a right pain in the bum, I used to be on this panel years ago, and I can tell you the work literally involved posting out a few envelopes a week, and that was it.

It's slowly become more and more work whilst the 'pay' has remained quite stagnant really. By next year they will be expecting us to start to deliver people's mail too, at this rate.

The sacks are easier than queuing up to buy an APL. Just hand them over and that’s it. Not even had to make up an excuse about what’s in them either, which is a bonus. 

Yeah but my point is, when these surveys first started there was no over the counter work, you never had to step foot inside a PO, it was 100% letter+large letter in your local postboxes, and usually only a handful a week, (now I'm getting up to 5-6 a week sometimes and then on top of that the sacks, which my local PO actually asked a whole bunch of questions about, asking me if I was a business and whatnot) and the 'pay' was the exact same as it is now. 

That hasn't been my experience. I was often getting 4-6 parcels a month to post at the local PO. The preparation was less than now, no sacks to bundle up with cable ties and less paperwork. I was paid per parcel rather than per sack, and often 2 parcels needed posting in the same day, so effectively the pay rate on that element has halved. Additionally the reimbursement of the postage costs was generally rounded up, so there was a small profit level on that.
Now there is more hassle with sacks, less compensation as it is per sack not per parcel and no mark up on postage reimbursement. More work for less money, coupled with longer queues at local POs and staff who are less experienced with sacks.

elsien

Primrose said:

Well done paul2louise!   If you lead a busy life I recommend you try and prepare all the items as soon as they arrive, keeping everything in a separate place so that things are handy when you need them.  It can sometimes be difficult to keep track of required posting dates, so on in inside flap of each envelope (important not to write on any exteriors when it can be seen and disclose you are a panel member) I write the posting date, AM or PM, and whether a RIDF (that square disc thing) has yet been added.     Keep a note of  RIDF code used on your record sheet in case of a future query 

If you're preparing items well in advance, they may not yet appear on your posting schedule on the website so sometimes you may have to be patient until the next week arrives.

As the posting date gets close, I also put a small yellow sticky note on the envelope with posting date and AM or PM and store it by the front door as another reminder.

I have a slightly different system although I do prepare them in advance in one go  - no writing on the envelope or post its. I write the RFID on the printed postal summary, then I stick reminders on my phone for each posting day.
I also write on letters I receive the date that they come as I don’t always log them as soon as I get them and although you think you’ll remember what came when, you don’t. 

Don’t flag up to Kantar if you get a letter from one of the idiots who write the details on the outside of the envelope, because you’ll be the one removed from the panel if you do. 

General_Grant

I guess people should use the system that best fits with their way of dealing with everyday tasks.

I use a concertina file (one with divisions for days of the month - actually 2 days per section) and put the prepared envelopes in the pocket, moving the paper schedule through as I go.  I use the concertina file for other reminders - like the reminder to re-tax the car or tickets for a concert - so I check it every evening to look for the next day.

I make up the envelopes the day I receive the posting schedule but don't seal until I've been able to add to the online account.  That's just in case I'm asked to return a RFID between adding to an envelope and being able to record it online.  Parcels/bags are kept separately till nearer the time of posting.

Money_Grabber13579

I finished my stint on the panel a month ago. However, I received a parcel from another panellist just yesterday! Unless it has spent that long in the postal system (which is unlikely as all my other mail is back to normal), I suspect it was posted much later than expected! Now have another RFID to get back to Kantar, after having thought that I’d got rid of them all…

Primrose

I received an envelope this morning with the posting date written  on the back flap. Looks as if it,s come from a commercial organisation as it had a mail mark postage receipt.

tboo

paul2louise said:

I have just been accepted. Just had a welcome email. Any advice or tips so that I don't make a bodge up. 

You are all super organised with your different systems. The phone idea is good, but as I don't look at it all the time then that is a no-no.

I just write in the supplied diary -  the name, where to post and time. Have all the envelopes/boxes all filled in etc and popped into a box in order of posting.

Then tick it off when completed. Simple enough for me

I keep the diary next to my keyboard so I can definitely look at it daily.

This also means DH looks in it as well and asks if I want anything posting..... Bonus.

silvercar

Am amazed at the effort some people put in.

I make up the week's postings at the beginning of the week and leave them in a neat stack in order of posting....and that's it. I have the instruction sheet on top of the pile. When I'm going to be near a post box I take what is due to be posted that day or even ones that are already late. I always log the exact time of posting when I'm at the post box. So some of my mailings are late, some of the AMs become PMs, but Kantar have never complained. 

paul2louise

Primrose said:

Well done paul2louise!   If you lead a busy life I recommend you try and prepare all the items as soon as they arrive, keeping everything in a separate place so that things are handy when you need them.  It can sometimes be difficult to keep track of required posting dates, so on in inside flap of each envelope (important not to write on any exteriors when it can be seen and disclose you are a panel member) I write the posting date, AM or PM, and whether a RIDF (that square disc thing) has yet been added.     Keep a note of  RIDF code used on your record sheet in case of a future query 

If you're preparing items well in advance, they may not yet appear on your posting schedule on the website so sometimes you may have to be patient until the next week arrives.

As the posting date gets close, I also put a small yellow sticky note on the envelope with posting date and AM or PM and store it by the front door as another reminder.

Thank you. I am quite looking forward to this. I do other stuff for Kantar, shopandscan, pulse, etc so this will be great. I work part time so should be able to fit it in