The mail is not there
Shock for loyal customers, was the headline of a tabloid newspaper, targeting an audience that probably hardly used Deutsche Post's E-Post letter <>. As little used as I. In 2010, the concept was introduced, and I too registered, even then in search of good digital mail channels. A secure e-mail was promised by the concept at the time, which turned out to be not very practicable. Once again, the sticking point was encryption: reliable communication requires that both sender and recipient use the service. The Post's new service raised many hopes when it was introduced, but unfortunately these were not fulfilled. In practice, it did not succeed in enforcing a standard that would actually enable and, above all, facilitate digital communication with government agencies, insurance companies and other entities with which business letters are exchanged. It seems that it took a pandemic to raise awareness of the fact that digital communication is not just a nice extra, but necessary and indispensable.
Digital Postmen
What's the next step? Deutsche Post will continue to use e-letters in the future, but in hybrid form. In other words, as a sender, I can hand over my letter digitally to Deutsche Post, which prints it out and delivers it the old-fashioned way. Well. That's not the digital revolution, but it's a service that many other companies have also been offering for a long time and that I'm happy to use. It's great for digital nomads, people living in rural areas and anyone who doesn't have a mailbox or printer nearby. But it's not a dream of the future.
Empty digital mailbox
The same applies to the digital copy of letters, which as far as I know continues to be offered, as to the now disappearing e-Post service: What good is the service if no one uses it? In the year and a half since I registered, I have received a single letter this way.
At least: the letter announcement is working, and the service is even free. The only prerequisite: You need the DHL app or an e-mail box at GMX or WEB.DE. Even if you can't read the contents of the letter, you know what kind of paper letter will end up in your mailbox - or in the digitization service.
