When you take into consideration the huge rise in technology over the last decade, and the barriers that the technological boom has broken down, you could be forgiven for thinking that courier companies would have long been at the cutting-edge of what’s capable through the use of advanced tracking systems. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case, meaning that more often than not consumers are left experiencing anger and frustration while they wonder where their parcel or delivery is, and when it will actually turn up. UPS is looking to be one of the first big players to truly solve that problem with the rollout of its new tracking service.
We’ve all experienced the problem. You order something from your favorite retailer, and get excited when you receive the email telling you that your item(s) has been dispatched and that it is due for delivery the next day. You excitedly input the tracking number into the courier’s website, only to be greeted with a collection of nonsensical information that tells you your parcel was picked up ten hours earlier and handed to a local depot, but that nothing has actually happened since. It’s outdated, and represents a terrible customer-experience for someone who has parted with money and wants to know where the goods are.
UPS is looking to take the first step in trying to solve that problem by introducing the new ‘Follow My Delivery’ system for its UPS My Choice service. The integrated system is essentially a minute-by-minute tracking suite that allows excited consumers to see the exact location of their UPS package on a map in real-time, down to the truck which is carrying it.
However, the map won’t actually show a route of delivery, meaning that it’s still estimated as to when the driver will arrive at the property based on his/her current location. If the delivery vehicle is in your neighborhood, or better still, on your street, then you can be fairly confident of receiving your parcel sooner rather than later.
The service does however come with a few caveats. UPS will likely look to roll this out across its network of services and delivery types in due course, but for now it’s only going to be applicable to pricey UPS Air and UPS Worldwide Express deliveries. Those wanting to take advantage of the tracking will also need to sign up for a free UPS My Choice account to be able to gain access to this new functionality.
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