The award recognises the British Forces Post Office (BFPO) efforts to continually improve the e-bluey system. Over the last two years, the volume of e-blueys has grown from 30,000 per month to around 100,000 per month. The footprint of e-bluey has also increased, particularly in the UK and Germany, providing families and friends of deployed servicemen and women greater access to the system.
See Related Links >>> for video footage of E-Blueys arriving in theatre.
"E-blueys" have superseded the old blue paper forms or "blueys". They work by allowing Service personnel and their families and friends to type their messages into a dedicated e-bluey terminal, or via the internet. The messages are then emailed to the UK, or wherever the Service man or woman is deployed, printed off and delivered in the post as standard letters. The expected delivery time is within 24 hours.
Staff Sergeant Kev O'Brien, currently in Afghanistan with 20 Field Squadron, is just one of thousands of British troops deployed on operations who use the system. He said:
"I find it very useful out here in theatre and I think all the guys do in the operational areas because of the quickness of it - I send an e-bluey here and within two days it's been received by the family at home; if they send me one here, because we're right next to where it's printed off at, we get it the day after, so it's an extremely useful system for corresponding, rather than using the old snail-mail system.
"My two daughters are nine and thirteen and they can just get on there and e-bluey me anytime that they want. I'm fully informed on what's going on back home, and it's an excellent way of doing things."
BFPO was presented with the trophy at a gala dinner in London. Brigadier Mike Hickson, Director BFPO, said:
"BFPO is thrilled to win this award, but we do not intend to rest on our laurels and we will continue to improve and enhance the e-bluey service over the next few years. I would like to thank our partners at Superletter.com Inc. and all the BFPO staff who have worked so hard in ensuring that the e-bluey service continues to improve and develop."
The awards are decided by a panel of expert judges and sponsored by some of the biggest names in the industry, including Citipost, PA Consulting, Royal Mail and UK Mail. They have been acknowledged as the domestic postal industry's most prestigious appreciation of excellence and achievement.