Corporate Hypocrisy

[brownmonster]

The question I have is....what happened to "Smart Pickups?" I was kind of looking forward to it as it was supposed to eliminate the need to go to certain pickups everyday and possibly reduce the amount of pickup accounts that are measured for pickup compliance. I guess the point of this thread might squash my hopes for that reduction in pickup compliance but I'm still thinking that only having to go to certain pickups on certain days or only when they actually have something to pickup is a good idea.

Smart pickups are working. The customer needs to sign up for the service. I have 2 that use it. I get a message in DIAD about an hour before the scheduled pickup to cancel it. One I drive right by but the other involves a pain in the butt intersection so it saves me 5 minutes. I like the system so far.

 

[Catatonic]

Smart pickups are working. The customer needs to sign up for the service. I have 2 that use it. I get a message in DIAD about an hour before the scheduled pickup to cancel it. One I drive right by but the other involves a pain in the butt intersection so it saves me 5 minutes. I like the system so far.

Glad to hear that. More customers are signing up every week.

 

[SignificantOwner]

........and you really care.......why?

Just the way I'm wired I guess.

 

[SignificantOwner]

I've been dealing with this issue for quite a while... I am aware of nobody that has had a raise reduced or has been disciplined because of the is report (if they are properly servicing the customers). There are multiple levels... Pickups within 15 minutes, 30 minutes, etc.

As I recall, the goal is 85%... Certainly, it is stupid to think that the higher the number the better the operation. As I said, its a stupid metric, but its no more than that.

P-Man

I

It's a QPR element so it's part of the increase calculation. Not too freakin' hard to understand. As far as the discipline, sit in on a few district conference calls where the operations manager tells us how ineffective we are at hitting this stupid and inaccurate measurement.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Smart pickups are working. The customer needs to sign up for the service. I have 2 that use it. I get a message in DIAD about an hour before the scheduled pickup to cancel it. One I drive right by but the other involves a pain in the butt intersection so it saves me 5 minutes. I like the system so far.

Based on the funny looks I get from customers when I mention this I think the problem here is the customers don't really know much, or anything, about it. This is yet another failure by our sales team.

 

[pretzel_man]

It's a QPR element so it's part of the increase calculation. Not too freakin' hard to understand. As far as the discipline, sit in on a few district conference calls where the operations manager tells us how ineffective we are at hitting this stupid and inaccurate measurement.

What is your current and target % effective for this element?

What weight is this given on your QPR?

 

[bumped]

I'm above 90% everyday. The only times I may not be are in weather situations or I have a pickup or two that is unexpectedly heavy. I just break off and do the pickups in the window allowed. I don't care about miles or the time it takes even if I drive right by the residence where the pickup is an hour later. This is what management wants, and have had my on car with me when I've done it. I just tell time this is the way "you" management people want it. I don't make the trace, nor am I going to fix it. Its not my problem, and as I've been told by a former center manager "I'm not paid to think."

 

[bad company]

It's a QPR element so it's part of the increase calculation. Not too freakin' hard to understand. As far as the discipline, sit in on a few district conference calls where the operations manager tells us how ineffective we are at hitting this stupid and inaccurate measurement.

We used to have a really good operations manager in GA before UPS bought Overnite. Now he's a region manager at UPSF. His replacements have been terrible. We now focus more on trivial measurements instead of actual issues that can be corrected that have a real effect on service and costs.

 

[bad company]

Based on the funny looks I get from customers when I mention this I think the problem here is the customers don't really know much, or anything, about it. This is yet another failure by our sales team.

Bingo

 

[soberups]

We used to have a really good operations manager in GA before UPS bought Overnite. Now he's a region manager at UPSF. His replacements have been terrible. We now focus more on trivial measurements instead of actual issues that can be corrected that have a real effect on service and costs.

Its not what you accomplish that gets you promoted in management....its how good you look on paper pretending to accomplish it.

Its always better to generate favorable statistics than it is to produce meaningful results.

 

[tieguy]

Its not what you accomplish that gets you promoted in management....its how good you look on paper pretending to accomplish it.

Its always better to generate favorable statistics than it is to produce meaningful results.

union management or company management?

 

[bbsam]

union management or company management?

Is there a difference?

 

[dannyboy]

How about if a driver decided ........bad reports would call for his heads

First off, drivers around here dont decide anything for themselves, they have a management team to do that.

Secondly, hourly dont have two heads, so i figure you must have had a manager out there delivering?

Pman, this is another interesting feather in the cap of those with too much time, and not enough to actually do. To have a measurement that measures something that really cant be done the way they want, a paper tiger in which countless boob get to monitor numbers that are not relevant.

See, I would think that this would be a great example to have a undercover boss to actually have to deal with stupidity that flows down the hill, instead of the polished numbers that dont mean a damn thing.

Before long, there will be a way to monitor how many sections of toilet paper a driver uses at the center.

d

 

[randomUPSISer]

Before long, there will be a way to monitor how many sections of toilet paper a driver uses at the center.

d

That's part of the EAAMS (Enterprise Asset Allocation Management System) coming from I.S. sometime this year. Among other things, it will be monitoring each package centers water bill, electricity bill, printer ink bill, printer paper bill, office supplies bill, toilet paper usage, and heating bill. The system takes into account how many people are stationed at the center, how many people are at the center X hours at the center, package volume, and other inputs to arrive at whats considered the optimal amount of each bill. From there reports are generated to show each centers management what their target is for each of those things. The project was sponsored by Corporate I.E. as a way to reduce cost across the board. We are almost finished with user acceptance testing and will be rolling out the system to a couple of test centers by the end of 1st quarter.





















I kid I kid

 

[over9five]

Before long, there will be a way to monitor how many sections of toilet paper a driver uses at the center.

d

Sheets Per On Ring Hour?

 

[pretzel_man]

First off, drivers around here dont decide anything for themselves, they have a management team to do that.

Secondly, hourly dont have two heads, so i figure you must have had a manager out there delivering?

Pman, this is another interesting feather in the cap of those with too much time, and not enough to actually do. To have a measurement that measures something that really cant be done the way they want, a paper tiger in which countless boob get to monitor numbers that are not relevant.

See, I would think that this would be a great example to have a undercover boss to actually have to deal with stupidity that flows down the hill, instead of the polished numbers that dont mean a damn thing.

Before long, there will be a way to monitor how many sections of toilet paper a driver uses at the center.

d

Danny,

I guess I view it a little differently....

Consistency of pickups is a good thing... At least for some customers. For others it doesn't apply....

The report is fine as a generic piece of information.... Its only a problem when someone tries to think that 100% is possible (or even needed). I use it for what it is. I work on fixing the important pickups and don't worry about others.

Its not a perfect report or measurement, but its better than not knowing at all.

P-Man

 

[SignificantOwner]

What is your current and target % effective for this element?

What weight is this given on your QPR?

10% weight, goal is 80%.

 

[dannyboy]

Pman

The knowing is fine. The problem is that you might very well be within 100% range with customer needs and wants, but 50% or less for the pencil pushers that have to justify their jobs. The post by SO is an indication of the element of micro-managing your way out of business.

Cost control is important, dont get me wrong, but at some point there is the fact of a diminishing ROI that needs to be factored in.

And also understand that I know it will take a leaner streamlined ups to fight the battles of the future. But sometimes I see UPS trying to strain a knat with cheese cloth. The outcome is not quite what was wanted or needed. And the people that plan these ventures poor more money into the problem to fix it, until the focus moves elsewhere. And then that money is in reality wasted.

d

 

[Catatonic]

Based on the funny looks I get from customers when I mention this I think the problem here is the customers don't really know much, or anything, about it. This is yet another failure by our sales team.

Conversion of customers to Smart Pickups was not suppose to be a responsibility of the Sales Force.
The targeted customers are so low volume it did not make any sense to involve Sales force. I would hope no Sales person would be visiting these customers.
This is for new customers signing up for accounts via UPS.com or CSCs or if the center wanted to suggest to the customer.
Existing customers in this volume range were to be targeted through UPS publications, letters, brochures and e-mails.

 

[Bubblehead]

Danny,

I guess I view it a little differently....

Consistency of pickups is a good thing... At least for some customers. For others it doesn't apply....

The report is fine as a generic piece of information.... Its only a problem when someone tries to think that 100% is possible (or even needed). I use it for what it is. I work on fixing the important pickups and don't worry about others.

Its not a perfect report or measurement, but its better than not knowing at all.

P-Man

In this lies the problem in my estimation.
No way that the brainless driver can know the difference, right?
So instead of identifying the pickups that benefit from this measurement, we subject them all to this scrutiny.
Then to add insult to injury we will also include on area pickups to this report, even though by definition, they have no commit time.
Brilliant!
I know, it's not a perfect report...by design.