On demand p/u's and CSR's

[dilligaf]

This is a 2 part post.

Part 1:

Last week I had an ODS P/U for a residential customer. Fortunately the p/u was on rte and didn't cost me much time but it did cost me a great deal of aggravation and caused a customer to be thoroughly PISSED off. I arrived at the customers, rang the bell, waited for said customer who finally came to the door. I asked him about the p/u and he went back into the house and came back out with the pkg. As soon as I saw the pkg I knew this wasn't going to go so well. The pkg had a Fedex ground label. I explained to the customer that this wasn't a pkg I could take and why. Of course the customer was pissed. He ranted about how the CSR charged him 12$ for the p/u. I was standing there taking the brunt of his irate admonitions (and I didn't blame him one little bit) and there was not one damn thing I could do about it. What I did do was call the Fedex X driver to find out if she had the ground drivers number. She didn't. So I went on my way. (I would add here that this is not the first time that this has happened).


Part 2:

Today I get an ODS p/u for an 'AIR' pkg. This p/u was not on my rte but because it's an 'AIR' pkg it gets rte'd to me. The regular driver that should get this doesn't get to the area until to late to make the 'committed' air drop. I'm assuming that the ODS p/u was originally rte'd to the regular driver but instead of verifying what the service level was for the p/u he automatically refused it. In fact I know damn good and well that's exactly what he did. So now it falls to me to verify the service level. If it's an NDA then I have to get it. No option. But if it's not then there is no reason for the regular driver to not pick it up. I ODS the ctr and ask for a verification of the service level. I don't have a lot of time here waiting for a response because I'm going to be out of the area soon so I call my OR and repeat my request. I finally get a response back that this p/u is a 2D. I send back, not mine - send to regular driver. (I will mention that this p/u is way out of my way).


Now, and I am serious about this, I would like someone/anyone who knows someone/anyone in ATL to forward this: P-man? Hoke? Anyone who know's who might be able to deal with this. No joking. I am serious, if someone wants to give me an email addy I will copy this and forward it to them.

Part 1 - Do our CSR's even ask customers for tracking numbers when a customer calls in for a p/u? Do our CSR's not know what our tracking numbers are? Do they not know the difference betwen ours and FEDEXes? Does anyone in ATL realize how much time is wasted because our CSR's do this? What are you people thinking?

Part 2 - We drivers have to deal with this every day and I have a simple solution. I bet if this was turned over to some think tank brainiac, they would say, "Well, of course!". I am far from being a Mensa member and it makes sense to me. Maybe that's why ATL hasn't come to the same conclusion, it makes to much sense.

The ODS p/u's will clarify either, GND or AIR. Instead of clarifying AIR why can't the CSR's enter 1DA, 2DA, 3DS (3 day select), or INT (international)? This is such an extremely simple solution and would solve so many problems that we drivers face all the time.

AIR (3 letters)
1DA (3 letters)
2DA (3 letters)
3DS (3 letters)
INT (3 letters)

Hello Atlanta, do you hear me? Have the CSR's ask what the tracking number is. If it's not a 1Z # then it isn't ours. If it is an air p/u then enter the appropriate service level instead of AIR. Your efforts to make my day run a little smoother would be greatly appreciated.

 

[brownedout]

Great post! Dilli. I'm sure it's happened to most if not all of us. And great solutions too, but herein lies the problem. It's a drivers real-world solution. Not a solution by CEO Davis' Management Commitee or their cronies. It seems so simple to us we live it. We will still have to deal with it however, as we have been for too long already, they must not feel it's an issue. CSTC (Customer Service Telephone Centers) reps seem to be some of the most unknowledgeable employees we have. It would be nice from an operational standpoint if we could all get on the same page.

 

[dilligaf]

Great post! Dilli. I'm sure it's happened to most if not all of us. And great solutions too, but herein lies the problem. It's a drivers real-world solution. Not a solution by CEO Davis' Management Commitee or their cronies. It seems so simple to us we live it. We will still have to deal with it however, as we have been for too long already, they must not feel it's an issue. CSTC (Customer Service Telephone Centers) reps seem to be some of the most unknowledgeable employees we have. It would be nice from an operational standpoint if we could all get on the same page.

I couldn't agree more. I had a conversation with a customer (business) a few days ago (thurs/ the customer is closed on fri) and she had called the 800# to get her pkgs held at the ctr on fri so she could pick them up. The CSR told her she couldn't do that, that the driver had to make an attempt first. This happened not 5 minutes before I got there. I told her not to worry about it, the pkgs would be held and she could go pick them up anytime. I also gave her the ctr phone number for future reference.

 

[Anonymous 10]

That's logistics

 

[dilligaf]

That's logistics

I hate that song.

 

[bigbrownhen]

This is a little off post topic. I had two complaints in less than an hour from two different customers about the 800 # service. One customer was trying to locate a missing pkg. It ended up being missorted to another state and rerouted. The first person at the call center actually hung up on him. When he called back, he got someone who knew what to do, and figured out where said pkg was. The other customer, like Dillis, was just flat out given incorrect information. All this focus on performance and safety knowlege, how about some basic customer service!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

dilli, I am very confused by your two part post. I will start with part 2. What difference does the level of service of the pkg being picked up make as to who picks it up or what time it is picked up? I routinely get NDA OCA's which I pick up well after the delivery commit times. It sounds as though the regular driver simply doesn't want to make the pickup. As for part 1, I had one of these last week. I simply cancelled the OCA, so the customer wouldn't be charged, and took the pkg, which I then dropped off at the local MBE, which is one of my last pickups. I'm not suggesting that you take the pkg but I do think that you should have cancelled the OCA so as to do the right thing for the customer---would you want to spend $12 for nothing?

 

[dilligaf]

dilli, I am very confused by your two part post. I will start with part 2. What difference does the level of service of the pkg being picked up make as to who picks it up or what time it is picked up? I routinely get NDA OCA's which I pick up well after the delivery commit times. It sounds as though the regular driver simply doesn't want to make the pickup​What he didn't want to do was take the time to find out what the service level was and he should have but instead he dumped it in my lap and wasted my time. As for part 1, I had one of these last week. I simply cancelled the OCA, so the customer wouldn't be charged, and took the pkg, which I then dropped off at the local MBE, which is one of my last pickups. I'm not suggesting that you take the pkg but I do think that you should have cancelled the OCA so as to do the right thing for the customer---would you want to spend $12 for nothing?

Dave, It's not 'delivery' commit times that are the focus. You misread. It's the air drop commit that is the problem. I should have clarified this in my original post - In my area we have to have our outbound air at the drop points at a specific time. In the case of my rte yesterday, the drop time is 4:30. The driver that does the area that had the OCA p/u doesn't get to his delivery area until around 5 so it is impossible for him to make the air drop. (I should say here that the other driver delivers the majority of his rte in a completely different zip code.) If this pickup had been an NDA it would have had to have been picked up and taken to the air drop point prior to 4:30. As I am closer to this delivery area (but it's not on my rte) I would have had to pick it up. Not a problem except that it happens to often, and yesterday would have be one of those times, that I waste my time and miles going to pick up something that I DIDN'T need to. The same thing applies to OCA that I get that is legitimately mine but I may not necessarily need to break off trace to make the air drop commit. If ATL wound implement a simple change - 1DA, 2DA, 3DS or INT then I could look at an OCA and know immediately how it needs to be handled. I wouldn't have to waste time getting a hold of the ctr to clarify service levels. I guarantee that there are many many drivers that would appreciate this simple change. There are many areas across the country that have to deal with the same thing that we have to.

Our air has to get back to the ctr and then be driven down to Phoenix which is almost a 2 hour drive. It has to make the plane. We don't have the luxury of being next door to an airport.

Now for the the ground p/u. I should have clarified this as well. Both scenarios involve 2 different rural rtes. I don't have the luxury (again) of having an MBE next door. In our case we don't even have MBE's anymore. We have 2 UPS stores and neither are anywhere near the rural rtes. In both cases (the ground and the air p/u) I would have had to break off and drive back to the next town to drop them off and that isn't going to happen unless it is absolutely necessary. As far as the ground p/u I didn't cxl it and you are right, that is exactly what I should have done. I have no doubt though, that the customer got his money back (hehehe). I wouldn't want to have been the CSR that he talked too when he called back. And of course I sympathize with the customer, NO I wouldn't want to spend 12$ unnecessarily. This was not the point of my original post. My point was and remains to be, our CSR's don't know what they are doing. I've heard the same complaint time and time again. Customers call in for what ever reason and our CSR's don't know how to handle what ever needs to be taken care of.

 

[dilligaf]

This is a little off post topic. I had two complaints in less than an hour from two different customers about the 800 # service. One customer was trying to locate a missing pkg. It ended up being missorted to another state and rerouted. The first person at the call center actually hung up on him. When he called back, he got someone who knew what to do, and figured out where said pkg was. The other customer, like Dillis, was just flat out given incorrect information. All this focus on performance and safety knowlege, how about some basic customer service!

No, it's not off topic but just another aspect of the topic. Our CSR's leave a lot to be desired. This company dumps crap in our lap every day. It's time they started looking in their own backyard. Their think tank comes up with all these glorious ideas for the company, it's time someone came up with something that would actually help the drivers.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I keep on forgetting that you live on the "wrong" coast and have to compensate for the 3 hour time difference on NDA going to the "right" coast.

 

[cachsux]

Topic 1) It would help if people had half a brain and bothered looking at where it says FEDEX on the package and not UPS and contacted the appropriate company. Not to rain on your assessment of our customer service ability but it was that way when I was in package and if it hasn`t gotten better since then it never will.

Topic 2) The idea that anyone with the authority to enact a positive change will do so when it much easier to dump it into an hourlys lap is a pipe dream. It shows your character as a good employee who wants to improve the company but I`m afraid the company that would act upon such input is long gone.

 

[Re-Raise]

I am just so excited about our implementation of UPS My Choice.

 

[brownedout]

I only think about moving NDA's from here (east coast) to there (west coast). Have never much considered the nightmare (time difference) of the reverse movement. Damn! we're pretty good.

 

[dilligaf]

P-man, help!!





LOL You guys aren't being much help. Dave, I thought I was on the right side of the country and you were on the wrong side.

 

[cachsux]

C`mon now. The country ,like an Oreo, has the good stuff in the middle.

 

[menotyou]

C`mon now. The country ,like an Oreo, has the good stuff in the middle.

Who doesn't lick the middle of an Oreo first?

 

[old levi's]

Who doesn't lick the middle of an Oreo first?

That's what I'm talking about!

 

[gman042]

Do the people that work in the CSR centers even work for UPS? Are they outsourced? From the comments of customers, it is apparent the call centers know absolutely nothing of how the UPS system works.

 

[cachsux]

I don`t think they ever did. I remember being the victim of some incredibly dumb promises on their behalf.

 

[Dizzee]

I don`t think they ever did. I remember being the victim of some incredibly dumb promises on their behalf.

They used to be UPS employees. To save money, UPS outsourced to a company that pays minimum wage and has constant turnover. If I remember correctly, there were a few upper management people that lost their jobs because they bought a lot of stock in that company right before UPS announced they would be doing business with them.