Cash rebates

Honda wanted a more efficient way of managing cash back promotions after experiencing problems handling a huge response to a motorcycle cash back incentive.

"Everything was being double-handled and it took us between two and six weeks to get the cheques in the mail" says Honda Finance Manager Christine Pilbeam. "A combination of Australia Post services provided the solution we were looking for."

"Using Post eLetter, we set up a template of a letter from Honda that could be personalised for every customer who qualified for a cash-back", explains Australia Post Account Manager, Joe Hassall.

"Honda simply sent a data file listing the eligible cash back customers and we printed, enveloped and lodged the letter.

We also included a redemption barcode that could be scanned at Post Offices displaying the Bank@Post sign, enabling customers to claim the relevant cash back instantly."

One of Australia's largest providers of health insurance for international students, OSHC Worldcare (a company of Mondial Assistance Group), uses Australia Post to process refunds for thousands of students around the country.

Based in Brisbane, but with members spread throughout Australia, OSHC Worldcare wanted a quick and secure way to process health refund claims. So 4 years ago, the company started using Australia Post's Cash Rewards service to develop a successful solution.

OSHC Worldcare's customer service representatives process refund claims at about 90 educational institutions, issuing a voucher that can be redeemed for cash at any Post Office. OSHC Worldcare can be sure that each claim will be made only once, thanks to each voucher's unique barcode, which also gives an audit trail.

"Using Australia Post to provide a cash refund works incredibly well for us," explains Kathleen Newcombe, Executive National Manager Health, Mondial Assistance. "Administering cash isn't a core competency for us and we didn't want our customer service representatives to be handling large amounts of cash on campus. Outsourcing this function to Australia Post means we have a highly secure, reliable and fast means of providing cash to students."

Students are also impressed with the service. More than 25,000 cash redemption transactions have been made at Post Offices in the past 12 months.

"As more and more students become aware of the convenience and fast turnaround of our refund claims, the take-up rate of our health care cover is growing faster than the international student population," says Newcombe.

Breville identified improved customer convenience and reduced administrative work as the benefits of the Cash Rewards service.

"We were happy with the performance of the Cash Rewards service", says Breville Trade Promotions Manager, Katerina Kassabalis. "Customers perceived it to be difficult when redeeming cash backs with traditional methods. Using Australia Post ensured our promotions met sales objectives, as customer participation increased due to the convenience of this method."