Heres an idea..a "find my driver" smart phone app

[soberups]

What about the customers that ship drugs"illegal drugs"? You want some dealer keep texting you where are you? wheres my package?

Using the new service would require the customer to register an address, cellphone# and possibly a credit card. Not the type of thing that most drug dealers would want to do. And in any case, the last thing that any drug dealer would need to do is rip off the driver who has his package when he can simply sign for it and receive it without any further hassle.

The new service would also make it clear that, for safety reasons, any meet points would have to be in a well lit public area subject to the driver's discretion.

 

[toonertoo]

yeah why not. We have so many things to do in an alotted time frame, whats one more?

 

[Jackburton]

Meaning no disrespect, but you just contradicted yourself. On the one hand, you give priority to the customer who pays extra $$$ but then you say that all customers should be treated equally.

Customers should get the level of service they are willing to pay for. We already offer various levels of service at various price points. NDA....NDA saver....2Day Early AM.....Saturday Delivery.....all the way down to Ground Saver and Surepost. I am simply proposing an additional level of service at an additional premium price.

I guess the second part of the quote about 180 other people to service didn't come out correctly. My meaning is what you propose is what we have have already in terms of service times. The people who aren't special are the ones that pay say the "saver" price and want it before 1030, or for ground want it delivered at a specific time. All of this under the current services offered of course.

I for one wouldn't feel comfortable knowing someone could track me down no matter where I was.

 

[just_a_number]

Instead of (or in addition to) the "My Choice" program that makes the customer wait during a 2 hr delivery window....we should consider a smart phone app that would, for a fee, allow the customer to exchange text messages with the driver thru the DIAD in order to get an ETA or find and meet the driver on route to get their package.

Think this through for a minute. We already have the technology in place. For a $5 or $10 fee, the customer could enter the tracking number or the delivery notice number into their smart phone, link up to the OMS communication system in the center, and be able to either get an ETA for delivery or find and meet the driver using direct communication instead of calling a 1-800 number and having to go thru layers of different people.

We would make it clear that the customer would have to go to the driver for 2nd attempts, not the other way around. Customers would also be required to register their phone# and address with UPS in order to weed out flakes. All communications between the customer and the driver would either be recorded or vetted though the center first to prevent inappropriate use of the system. Customers would also be required to present photo ID to the driver and the meeting would have to be in a safe and well lit location.

I cant count the number of times I have had customers try to get my cellphone number (NOPE) to make arrangements to meet me for a signature required package that they werent home for. Or they call the 1-800 number....who calls the center....who sends me a text message trying to set up a meet point.... and then tries to communicate that back to the customer. The process is slow, unwieldy and inefficient. Direct communication with the driver....subject to appropriate safeguards and restrictions...could eliminate all of that and reduce the number of send-agains and Will Call packages.

For busy customers who are "on the go", this would be a great option that would keep them from having to drive all the way to a UPS store or sitting and waiting at home during a 2 hr delivery window.

Opinions?

Don't give these clowns another brilliant idea...now I can have a 20 min text msg with some trailer trash who is lookin for her boil lotion she ordered from qvc...sheer brilliance

 

[chuchu]

Actually, our system could list our vehicle number (added to the EDD manifest) and put it on line for someone with a tracking number to track via our Diad GPS. No phone calls, no wasted time meeting someone that can't show up on time, etc. That would seem better for everyone. But with inclement weather season coming up and NO time between pickups for some desperate person needing their Godiva chocolates I would rather make the choice of who gets their delivery and when (medicines, savers, etc.) versus the customer. Their package is always their priority no matter what you are dealing with.


I like the old system.....drivers discretion.

 

[jaker]

No way no how I never agree to meet people some reason they are never there when you say yes so now I say no all the time

 

[soberups]

Don't give these clowns another brilliant idea...now I can have a 20 min text msg with some trailer trash who is lookin for her boil lotion she ordered from qvc...sheer brilliance

Did you even read what I posted? Or were there too many big words in it? Here is a key sentence that I actually typed in bold for emphasis:

......All communications between the customer and the driver would either be recorded or vetted though the center first to prevent inappropriate use of the system......

 

[hurricanegunner]

I can see where you are going with this Sober. As long as it involves communication through the diad only and no break in trace, I think it is a great idea.

 

[AssistantSanta]

I'd like an Office Depot/UPS store will-call option on first attempt. Instead of old school "photo ID" thing, how about confirmation PIN sent via text or voice to the phone number on file for address or consignee phone number entered for the shipment which you must produce at time of pickup?

The post office is not far away for most people, but UPS customer counter is for many people.

 

[Just Lurking]

If I remember correctly, this idea was mentioned many years ago on RoundUPS. This was before 9/11 and I am pretty sure security concerns killed that idea after 9/11.

Why would any need to know where any UPS truck is located in real time from a remote location.

 

[rocket man]

not in 1 not in 2 final notice say,s it all. we already have will call intercept and what ever the company can think of.

 

[Brownslave688]

In theory this is not a terrible idea. Unfortunately we work in real life not in theory.

 

[soberups]

In theory this is not a terrible idea. Unfortunately we work in real life not in theory.

Try telling that to the guy who does your timestudy.

 

[brownmonster]

We should be able to communicate everthing we need to now on the 1/16th inch of space on the delivery notice.

 

[raceanoncr]

Or they could just have the stuff sent to an address where someone is available to sign for it in the first place. I could never figure out why someone would have something shipped to their house when they knew no one would be there to sign for it in the first place.

rod, not to derail this thread, BUT I WILL...you're old enough to remember when we DELIVERED the turkeys, right? I mean, DELIVERED the Christmas turkeys to UPS people, in the daytime, when no one is home, trying to indirect, leaving a delivery notice, no response, coming back three times, having the turkey on hold for a week...ending up a non-frozen, leaky, blob of cardboard.

UPS people were, at least then, they WORST to deliver to. They KNEW the turkey was coming but, for the most part, did nothing about trying to receive it.

 

[Stuck_on_preload]

In theory, YES it is a good idea…BUT how long will all the texting back and forth take up of the driver’s time? Especially if he’s got 120 stops, 10 schedules, 5 on calls and 70 or 80 of his customers are texting him, “Where are you going to be in 10, 15, 30 minutes? Unless, and here’s another great idea, let your customers know you will be in a certain place at a certain time, say a UPS Store or drop box location. Then customers can meet them there and he can knock off 5 or 6 stops reducing his send agains and not having to re-attempt. And I agree with Jackburton, I wouldn’t want customers knowing where I was and being able to track my movement. And that $5 or $10 fee, would that be just to get the app or would it be a charge for every time the customer wants to get their package?

 

[728ups]

Try telling that to the guy who does your timestudy.

Our timestudies are now done by a person in a cubicle in Atlanta that uses Google Earth to determine the time allowances.

 

[Backlasher]

Honorable idea, but I get enough ODS messages as it is and can only imagine how many ODS messages I'd get with a system like this. Who's to say you don't get an amount of customers that you haven't attempted yet plan on not being home and would rather just meet you on road. This system could be abused no matter what effort is tried to minimize abuse. People could go run choirs and shopping and just ODS u on their way threw town.

Might as well just leave it all at building and they can snatch it up their.

ODS, were can I meet you?

ODS, were can I meet you?

ODS, were can I meet you?

ODS, were can I meet you?

This on top of all current ODS's.

Also, what if you gotta bad sort and have to dig it out of a full truck cause you just started your day and not even done with air.

Pop, ODS, were can I meet you?

 

[rocket man]

I like your idea sober.

There are plenty of customers who are willing to pay a little extra to get their package exactly when they want it.

There are also several scenarios where customers would need their package(s) before the regular delivery time....

Time definite deliveries, not in the future but now with UPS....

the 50.0000 packages not deliverd in colorado this weekend is that where the customers wanted left in bulding?

 

[AssistantSanta]

let your customers know you will be in a certain place at a certain time, say a UPS Store or drop box location.

Arranging to meet the driver during a scheduled pickup/close out should be an option and probably something you can do through calling customer service, however I have a gut feel that customer service will be disallowed from offering it in the near future if UPS decides to keep MyChoice. It undermines UPS' MyChoice project that will allow UPS to charge at both ends(consignors and consignees).

Hold-for-pickup at the UPS Store is already an available option, an option that costs $5/use on UPS MyChoice. Another option is $40/year paid premium membership which doesn't have $5/use fee.

There's also a prioritized delivery option which allows consignees to designate a two-hour delivery window, but it REQUIRES a $40/year membership in addition to $5 per use fee.

UPS My Choice - Features

I think MyChoice was designed for purchased goods where many stores offer free shipping but the customer's only shipping option is UPS. Hold-at-convenient-location is free with FedEx Express and US Mail.