Switzerland’s postal service aims to enroll one million Swiss residents in its ePost encrypted communications app by the end of 2025. With traditional mail declining every year, Swiss Post sees ePost as a promising solution. They envision this app as the primary way for Swiss residents to interact with banks, insurers, government agencies, hospitals, and even local clubs.
ePost offers users a unified inbox for emails, instant messages, and electronic documents. It allows people to receive and pay their bills directly and efficiently manage important documents like insurance quotes and medical records. The app is getting attention beyond Switzerland too; countries like Germany, France, and those in the Nordics are exploring similar services.
Renato Stalder, the CEO of ePost, shared that interest in the app has surged in 2024, with 15,000 to 25,000 new users joining each month, mostly through word-of-mouth.
Swiss Post recognized the need for a digital solution back in 2000 when people started preferring emails and texts over letters. As demand for traditional postal services shrank, the government decided to build a nationwide communication platform available to everyone with a Swiss passport, living both at home and abroad. Swiss Post launched a subsidiary, ePost Service AG, to create this technology, adopting a startup mindset to attract tech talent.
Initially, ePost’s concept was to digitize letters, but Stalder admitted they misjudged public interest. The app struggled to gain traction. It took half a year to recruit just 50,000 users because it didn’t connect well with the shift to emails and messaging.
Going back to the drawing board, ePost revamped the app to include secure messaging, document storage, and bill payment options. They provided cloud software for small and medium-sized companies, while larger businesses could use on-site servers. The challenge remained that businesses hesitated to join without sufficient user engagement, and residents were reluctant to participate unless there was a solid presence of businesses on the platform.
Stalder aimed for two banks, two insurance companies, and two local governments to partner with ePost. The goal was to create branding for the app that resembled the physical letters businesses send, adding familiarity for users. He noted that financial institutions worried about employees using apps like WhatsApp for work communications, as WhatsApp lacks company records—creating risks in accountability.
ePost lets users communicate with various organizations from one platform. Users can receive documents and invoices directly, and they have the option to pay bills through the app, which works with most Swiss banks. Stalder highlighted the simplicity of signing documents within the app, eliminating the hassle of printing.
The app organizes messages in one place, making it easier for users to locate important documents—especially handy during tax season. Each incoming document gets a digital signature, ensuring its integrity.
Currently, ePost employs 140 people focused on expanding the user base. They’ve set a goal to hit one million users by 2025 and aim to break even by 2026. Future plans include integrating secure encrypted email into the app, enabling easier connections with other software applications, including Microsoft Teams, to enhance communication flows.
Stalder acknowledged the technical challenges that still exist, like missed notifications when users log out. During a recent conference, he learned that this issue is common across many platforms, but he remains optimistic that a solution is on the horizon. Reflecting on their journey, he noted that starting with email and messaging rather than simply transitioning letters to a digital format would have been a better approach.