OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad (OCBC Bank) and delivery company J&T Express (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (J&T) are collaborating to make “last mile” delivery safer and more convenient for over 1,500 couriers in Malaysia through the use of the bank’s digital collection solution OCBC OneCollect.

The collaboration, which follows from previous successes since the two first got together in 2021, will see the digital collection solution being progressively used by all J&T Express couriers nationwide, along with an in-store presence as well, OCBC Bank said in a statement.

The move harnesses OCBC Bank’s OCBC OneCollect to overcome seemingly insurmountable “last mile” delivery challenges related to collection of payment by these couriers.

OCBC OneCollect, rolled out just as the pandemic set in, is Malaysia’s first merchant cross-border Quick Response Code (QR Code) collection service.

OCBC Bank’s collection solution enables J&T Express’s couriers to eliminate cash collection – vulnerable to theft and being misplaced when on the go – through a QR Code embedded in their collections app.

At the customer’s doorstep, the courier simply generates a QR code using the app for the customer to scan and make the payment on the spot. The amount then flows seamlessly into J&T Express’s account. When the funds are successfully credited, the courier receives a credit notification upon which the delivery is released to the customer.

Similarly, for collections at outlets, customers are invited to do the same, saving J&T Express the hassle of needing to open over a thousand dedicated current accounts.

According to OCBC Bank Managing Director and Head of Transaction Banking Chong Lee Ying, the tie up with J&T Express is a milestone in the bank’s quest to remove all impediments to effective “last mile” delivery.

“Last mile delivery has long had to contend with safety and convenience issues as the couriers open themselves to unseen and unappreciated risks when it comes to collecting cash on behalf of the company.

“This can go unnoticed because each collection is relatively small. But the amounts can snowball with each delivery, making the couriers targets for theft. In addition, cash easily gets lost or misplaced. We are pleased that OCBC OneCollect is able to step in where it matters most,” she added.

J&T Express (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd Chief Finance Officer David Zheng said the company is pleased to have OCBC Bank’s solution being used to enhance the safety of its couriers who operate mainly on motorcycles to make its operations even more seamless.

“Going cashless for a cash-on-delivery business is a happy misnomer. We have now made it possible to eliminate cash handling and sorting out of physical cash at all our points of collection including our outlets. This saves us daily trips to the bank as well,” he said.

OCBC OneCollect was earlier for enabled collection by businesses using PayNow QR (Singapore) and DuitNow QR (Malaysia) as a digital merchant solution, encompassing both mobile application and web portal options.

OCBC Bank became the first bank to introduce PayNow QR into the Malaysian market in 2020 and extended the service earlier this year to logistics and “last mile” delivery companies to address collection and reconciliation issues.

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