New DIADs on Tuesday. HELP!

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gman

Guest
I go back to work after a couple weeks vacation Tuesday. We got the latest DIADS while I was off. Any advice on how to best use them? I know they have a shift key thats supposed to be a bit of a pain. Is it hard to find all the less used functions like multiple deliveries to an apt. office, where to put in over 70s, call tags and the like? I haven't really seen one yet. Me thinks it's going to be a long day fumbleing around. But I'm sure they will give me a 3 minute PCM training course!
 
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pretzel_man

Guest
Gman,

You'll hate it the first day. No one likes the shift key.

The only way they could make the DIAD smaller was to reduce the amount of keys, so they had to dual use the numbers and letters.

After a few days, you'll get used to the shift.

After using it longer, you'll appreciate its smaller size and weight.

Other than the keypad, everything else is the same.

P-Man
 
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rpoz11

Guest
Straight up: THEY SUCK....and they know it!!!!
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pretzel_man

Guest
Rpoz:

And what leads you to that conclusion?

What do you know about the DIAD IV?

Do you know that compared to a DIAD III, its lighter, smaller, more powerful, has 20x the memory, has a better scanner, a color screen, is cheaper, and fails less.....

P-Man
 
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rpoz11

Guest
They are slow, the screen impression goes away after 3 months, the FLIPPER button for the text is a mess, the letters are totally in the wrong places for typing, the stylus falls out after a weeks use, cant clean the surface so it stays dirty always, stupid clip-on bracket makes it more difficult to remove from the "DEAD" holder, the memory slows down after changes, it's too slick and easy to drop!
The DIAD 3 was the BOMB! All they needed to do was implement that money invetsed into these and the DIAD 3 would be inferior.
Once you experience typing with the 4, you will begin to realize that the individual who thought up DIAD 3 was a genius and should be appreciated for the effort and brainstorming he did on it!
So, PRETZEL, what do you know about 4??????
 
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brown1

Guest
Sounds like an I.S. man who knows everything about the specifications of the 4 and nothing about the functionality of it!
 
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swingdriver

Guest
D4 is definately slower. However, i like the fact that it's smaller and lighter. It also scans better. My only complaints are it takes forever sometimes to change screens, and when u want to scan a package sometimes u must push the scan key several times to get it to scan. If these two problems could be elimintated i would really like the new diad. As of now, it's just another change i have to deal with.
 
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pretzel_man

Guest
Rpoz:

Actually, I know plenty about the IV. A lot from specifications, but just as much from talking with Drivers:

Speed - I've used the 4, side by side with the 3. Overall the speed is about the same. Especially with the new version. (this was not the case with the 4's last year.

Clip on bracket - Actually a safety requirement. Yes, a pain, but keeps the DIAD from becoming a flying object in case of an accident.

Toggle (flipper) button - no one likes it.... With EDD however, 25% of typing goes away, so the pain is less.

Stylus - You're right

Dead holder - Its been dead for a while.

Hard to clean - The manufacturer will replace the cover every year.

3 vs. 4 individuals - Actually they are the same people...

Here is what most drivers have told me....

At first, hate the 4.

After a couple of weeks, they're used to it and have no preference between the 3 and 4.

After a couple of months, most (70%) prefer the 4. The majority of the remainder don't have a preference.

P-Man
 
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heweslt20

Guest
I've had the IV for about two weeks now and still don't like it. The # buttons need to be moved 1 row to the right. It's slower than III. Like others said it's slick and I've dropped mine numerous times. The stylus is awkward to take out for signatures. I constantly find myself accidentl hitting the signature key while holding it. Just like PAS another good idea gone bad if you ask me
 
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rpoz11

Guest
Toggle (flipper) button - no one likes it.... With EDD however, 25% of typing goes away, so the pain is less. : Uh No! And if you are using it on a daily basis, the text is a hunt and peck method that is rather slow. Just look at the 3, even the key board you type on here to reply with comes nowhere close to what this has!

3 vs. 4 individuals - Actually they are the same people... Again, I can't agree with you! Just look at the back of it and you'll see it's a different manufacturer! Unless, that company has changed names!

After a couple of months, most (70%) prefer the 4. The majority of the remainder don't have a preference. : Visit a center and you'll get a better result of the feelings for this thing! Company needs to spend some cash to resolve this thing!
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dannyboy

Guest
UPS like many other super large companies has developed a breed of employees that are the super smart. They can develop all sorts of interesting and helpful products and services. And unless they produce new cost savings to the company,at least on paper, they lose their funding or even cuts in personel. They also get to be somewhat arogant to the point that they claim the customer would rather have the information than to recieve the package.

The problems many times lie with the cost of development, promises of great successes, and a finished product that woefully underperforms expectations.

So now they have a partial failure, and of course we dumb ole drivers are just to stupid to understand, to set in our ways, or just dont like change, so that must be the problem.

To enhance technology to speed up the delivery of packages and information is a good thing, and the customer demands both. And we need to position ourselves to fill that need. But to blindly and arogantly push forward with products and services that still need to be fine tuned is wrong.

YEs I am sure the smaller diad is nice, and lighter helps. And not having to type in 25% of a lot is still 75% that you have to type in.

As for the manufacture changing the cover each year, well goody two shoes. Lets see how your wife likes only cleaning her house once a year. I bet it would get cruddy as heck.

So my humble thoughts are these.

Dont force new programs on your employees until they have been tested in the field. And dont skew he results to make the guys at IE look good. LEt them earn the attaboy like we do, with provable results. Dont paint a dream picture to garner empty awards from other IE geeks that dont have a clue. WE want to see real results.

And one day when you come up with a delivery robot, I will allow it to take my job, so you can hire 4 IE guys to keep up the bot. I want to see how that will save the company money. A bot that costs $250,000, four IE guys and techs to keep it up each making 50-75 grand a year, Yeppers, that ought to save the company 500 billion in the first year alone, and garner us a centerfold spot in IE monthly.

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toonertoo

Guest
Our center had 10 whole minutes of training, if you were there......Doubt it will help much, doing it is the only way to learn, Yes tomorrow will be fun, what that will add to our over allow and 10 hr dispatch...., guess we will find out, should be a money making hot week in N ohio!!!
 
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pretzel_man

Guest
RPOZ, Danny:

First, as far as the people, UPS outsources the manufacturing to other companies.

DIAD 1 was built by IIMorrow. (then by Inforite)
DIAD 2 was built by Motorola.
DIAD 3 was built by Motorola.
DIAD 4 was built by Symbol.

The people that design and write the specifications are UPS people. Those are the people I was referring to. The other companies do the building, but the designers have been the same...

As far as talking with drivers, I'm in centers all the time. I talk with drivers all the time. I have a pretty good idea on what they are thinking. Drivers are not shy about telling you their opinion.

I also spend time to explain how and why some things are done... They appreciate that.

As far as forcing technology, this unit has been tested in the field with drivers for over a year. Its changed multiple times because of feedback from those drivers.

I'm not talking about a couple of drivers. 750 used it for a long time and provided input on changes.

It may not be what you want to believe, but its true.

Is the unit perfect? No, but it certainly was not thrown out, nor was it done for political reasons like has been implied.

P-Man
 
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rpoz11

Guest
"DIAD 1 was built by IIMorrow. (then by Inforite)
DIAD 2 was built by Motorola.
DIAD 3 was built by Motorola.
DIAD 4 was built by Symbol."

Motorola is the manufacturer of the telecommunications design and @copywrite.
IIMorrow INC is a subsidiary company owned by UPS that was originally involved in the Aviation technology and designed some electronics.

Symbol Tech, I believe, is the company that designs bar-code technologies;
Although I am unsure if Symbol actually assembles the 4, but I do recall the 3 being asembled in Israel, no?

So where is the current hourly input being used to fix this ridiculous 4?
I am just fed up using it!
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dannyboy

Guest
P Man

I have a brother-in-law that is in IE.

IT is really funny how some people have to justify their jobs at UPS. And to make believe that the information of what time their package was shipped is more important than the actual delivery of the package, shows just how far in a dream world some of the guys are at IE.

As for working with less than perfect equipment, I have done that for the full 31 years I have been at UPS. But never in my life have I had so much BS thrown at me about how these new systems are the newest revolution in the delivery business. I think there is a real possiblity, but the practical is lacking.

Dont get me wrong, I think UPS needs to lead with technology. But when a customer tracks a package and it shows that it landed in California at 3:30 AM this morning, but yet no one there has ever seen the package, and then later on it shows still being at Louisville, that is really hard to explain to even a UPS person, much less a customer.

WE have so much to work out of the system that we currently have, and you want us to embrace yet another half ass job?

I am so tickled that 750 drivers loved your system and gave you feedback. It would be interesting to have a cross section of those drivers post here.

I guess my point is this. IF I have a car that is missing on three cylinders, and I take it to the shop, I expect it to be fixed. What I get in return is still missing on two and no exhaust and the air is broken.

Now explain how I am sposed to be tickled pink by both of these processes.

I wonder what would happen if tomorrow all the drivers went out and delivered the packages like you delivered Diad 4 and PAS?

One more thing, who owns what used to be called UPSCODE? I thought it was the way of the future for us to be able to scan this one little code box and all the information for the whole shipment was in that code. Now it lookes like it is just a cheap zipcode scan for the automated hubs. So what happened and why?


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(Message edited by dannyboy on July 04, 2005)
 
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big_arrow_up

Guest
<font color="ff0000">"IT is really funny how some people have to justify their jobs at UPS. And to make believe that the information of what time their package was shipped is more important than the actual delivery of the package, shows just how far in a dream world some of the guys are at IE.</font><font color="000000">

That seems to be one of the problems that plagues IE and the powers that be at UPS. It's all just a numbers game. They don't care that a customer couldn't track their package because and origin scan was missed. Their only concern is that their particular center/hub didn't get credit for the package. Around here they actually say "The scan is more important than the package". </font>
 
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toonertoo

Guest
All I know about any of the Diads is the first 3 were made in Israel, and the new one in Mexico.

I thought the training session should have been maybe 1/2 hr. Even if 10 minutes was the "plan", on something deemed so important as tracking, maybe it would have been wise, to actually use a package for scanning, one with a COD, and international, a RTS etc, in the "training" so we could all hit the road a little more assured. We will all make it through but why do we have to have the added pressure of not having a clue, exactly what is different, with no hands on training. I think it is ridiculous, but they know we will perform, and that is why.
 
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over9five

Guest
"..had 10 whole minutes of training.."

...and yet they'll give us half an hour for the foolish ERI.
 
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