UPS " My Choice"

['Lord Brown's bidding']

Have you guys started using the info notices with the blue stripe yet, advertising UPS "My Choice"? It's a new service being rolled out that, among other things, will allow customers to specify a time (with a two hr window) for their pkg ti be delivered, as well as give permission for pkgs to be released via their signature online (we'd get a note in the board telling us if this was requested).

One thing that saddends me slightly is UPS will now charge a $5 fee to have a package delivered to an alternate address. I always felt this was an advantage over the competition that should have been advertised more.


ups.com/mychoice

 

[yeldarb]

I think they have always charged for an alternate delivery address, just the same as an address correction. Anyone know?

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[DS]

I think they have always charged for an alternate delivery address, just the same as an address correction. Anyone know?

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If you make a delivery attempt and the customers calls with an alternate address,there is no charge as far as I know.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I think they have always charged for an alternate delivery address, just the same as an address correction. Anyone know?

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If you make a delivery attempt and the customers calls with an alternate address,there is no charge as far as I know.

DCR's (Delivery Change Request) are $4 if requested online and $6 if requested through the toll free number. The fee does not apply to Will Call and Return to Sender.

 

[Cementups]

The MyChoice is so the customer can pick a delivery window such as 12:00-2:00. Nothing to do with alternate deliveries.

 

[Catatonic]

The MyChoice is so the customer can pick a delivery window such as 12:00-2:00. Nothing to do with alternate deliveries.

Not quite right.

Go to UPS.com and log in and click on the My Choice banner and sign up.

There are several features as a regular My Choice user and even more as a Premium My Choice user.

 

[UPSGUY72]

The MyChoice is so the customer can pick a delivery window such as 12:00-2:00. Nothing to do with alternate deliveries.

They don't get to pick the time they get told a block of time that the package will be delivered in. This is based off the EDD and if the driver if following EDD it will be around the same time the next day.

The time of delivery is basically a gimmick should have no impact on the driver unless they have an add cut or are running behind or way ahead.

 

[pretzel_man]

They don't get to pick the time they get told a block of time that the package will be delivered in. This is based off the EDD and if the driver if following EDD it will be around the same time the next day.

The time of delivery is basically a gimmick should have no impact on the driver unless they have an add cut or are running behind or way ahead.

Why do you call the estimated delivery time a gimmick?

I agree that it should not affect the driver. You don't even know the estimated delivery time.

They use your history of delivery times to an address and use that information to tell a customer approximately when you are in the area. Its not based on EDD for that day.

This is something customers complain about a lot. Not knowing an approximate window of delivery.

Then, they can pick a two hour block within that approximate time that the delivery historically is made.

Why do you think the delivery time is a gimmick?

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

The delivery time is not a gimmick. At our PCM on Thursday we were shown a promo video talking about MyChoice. It told us how the board will prompt us when the window has almost expired. Also, you cannot deliver the pkg before the window unless it is signed for or the "met customer" option is used. The prompt in the board will be different from the "commit times" prompt. Come to think of it, we also had training in our DIADs that we completed, in addition to seeing the video.

 

[UPSGUY72]

It's a gimmick you can call what ever you want. The customer doesn't pick the time it based on the time that you usually get there or in other words indirectly off your EDD if it set up right. they will get a widow time of delivery either 4 or 2 hour. However UPS tell them when those hours will be. Which will be about the same time you usually get to that house. If they want the 2 hour window it cost $5 each time the 4 hour window is a estimate and is not guaranteed.

IF the customer pick the hours in which the package got delivered it wouldn't be a gimmick. That would never happen because every customer would want there stuff early in the morning or late at night. It would also drastically increase the number of miles you would have to drive each day. Especially driver that have rural routes.

You need to go to the UPs my choice website and read the facts read the quotes highlighted be the red ! mark.

 

[ups1990]

It's a gimmick you can call what ever you want. The customer doesn't pick the time it based on the time that you usually get there or in other words indirectly off your EDD if it set up right. they will get a widow time of delivery either 4 or 2 hour. However UPS tell them when those hours will be. Which will be about the same time you usually get to that house. If they want the 2 hour window it cost $5 each time the 4 hour window is a estimate and is not guaranteed.

IF the customer pick the hours in which the package got delivered it wouldn't be a gimmick. That would never happen because every customer would want there stuff early in the morning or late at night. It would also drastically increase the number of miles you would have to drive each day. Especially driver that have rural routes.

You need to go to the UPs my choice website and read the facts read the quotes highlighted be the red ! mark.

You do have a point UPSGUY. One of the premium categories is having a delivery left with a customer. Don't we do this now? the customer leaves us a note to leave with neighbor or office.

 

[soberups]

Why do you call the estimated delivery time a gimmick?

I agree that it should not affect the driver. You don't even know the estimated delivery time.

They use your history of delivery times to an address and use that information to tell a customer approximately when you are in the area. Its not based on EDD for that day.

This is something customers complain about a lot. Not knowing an approximate window of delivery.

Then, they can pick a two hour block within that approximate time that the delivery historically is made.

Why do you think the delivery time is a gimmick?

Because our entire dispatch system is a gimmick.

"History" has nothing to do with it in this era of corporate-mandated daily elimination of routes. Depending upon the number of routes we are allowed to dispatch and what sort of half-assed add/cuts we get, a "historical" delivery time means nothing.

I have residential stops on my route that I have delivered at 9:30 AM one day and 8:15 at night the next. I run up to 150 miles per day in 3 different counties.... an area that encompasses almost 400 square miles. Depending upon which routes have and have not been eliminated, I might have up to 20 Next Day Air stops to get off by 10:30, 15 or 20 business stops that must be delivered by noon, and on-route pickups that need to be picked up sometime between 2:00 and 5:00.

The "trace" I am expected to follow was written years ago, before our building downsized from 4 centers down to 2 and before PAS/EDD was implemented. The old ZIP code boundaries that this trace was designed around are now obsolete due to the center realignment. My route is basically a Band-Aid "Frankenroute" that is cobbled together from the remnants of other routes that have been permanently eliminated.

Despite all of that, I feel like "my choice" still could work....if my management team is empowered to make dispatch decisions themselves instead of being forced to mindlessly follow some corporate stops-per-car edict. To succeed, My Choice will need management teams that can Keep Their Plan Moving, Get The Big Picture, Expect The Unexpected, Adjust to Changing Conditions and Aim High in Dispatching. Which is why, unfortunately, that the program will fail.

 

[DS]

Get The Big Picture, Expect The Unexpected, Adjust to Changing Conditions and Aim High in Dispatching.

DS likes this

 

[old brown shoe]

Every time the company puts in new features to the service I make more money because it takes longer to do the job. I have areas one day that will get added that get delivered in the am and the next day another route will get it and deliver it at night. How do you go by historic data when areas are on different trucks about four days a week. Sounds like we will need more routes to get the job done, not less.

 

[pretzel_man]

Because our entire dispatch system is a gimmick.

"History" has nothing to do with it in this era of corporate-mandated daily elimination of routes. Depending upon the number of routes we are allowed to dispatch and what sort of half-assed add/cuts we get, a "historical" delivery time means nothing.

I have residential stops on my route that I have delivered at 9:30 AM one day and 8:15 at night the next. I run up to 150 miles per day in 3 different counties.... an area that encompasses almost 400 square miles. Depending upon which routes have and have not been eliminated, I might have up to 20 Next Day Air stops to get off by 10:30, 15 or 20 business stops that must be delivered by noon, and on-route pickups that need to be picked up sometime between 2:00 and 5:00.

The "trace" I am expected to follow was written years ago, before our building downsized from 4 centers down to 2 and before PAS/EDD was implemented. The old ZIP code boundaries that this trace was designed around are now obsolete due to the center realignment. My route is basically a Band-Aid "Frankenroute" that is cobbled together from the remnants of other routes that have been permanently eliminated.

Despite all of that, I feel like "my choice" still could work....if my management team is empowered to make dispatch decisions themselves instead of being forced to mindlessly follow some corporate stops-per-car edict. To succeed, My Choice will need management teams that can Keep Their Plan Moving, Get The Big Picture, Expect The Unexpected, Adjust to Changing Conditions and Aim High in Dispatching. Which is why, unfortunately, that the program will fail.

Of course, your answer had nothing to do with the question I asked, or the original topic.

That being said, there are unfortunately many places with poor traces. Your loop may be one. Collapsing from two centers to one is not a reason for needing to reloop. If your trace is bad today, it was likely bad when there were two centers.

MyChoice may fail, but it won't have to do with the dispatch. They are not related. At least not directly.

The only item close to being dispatch related is the confirmed delivery window. If a customer is offered a morning window, but you would have been there in the evening it will generate more miles and hours.

Of course, that scenario is opposite of what I was responding to. He implied it was a gimmick because we were charging for something we were going to do anyway.

 

[pretzel_man]

Every time the company puts in new features to the service I make more money because it takes longer to do the job. I have areas one day that will get added that get delivered in the am and the next day another route will get it and deliver it at night. How do you go by historic data when areas are on different trucks about four days a week. Sounds like we will need more routes to get the job done, not less.

That's a good question. I don't know how they do it. The info hover said:

"When possible, UPS will provide an estimated delivery time frame. This time is not guaranteed and may vary based on driver's workload, weather and traffic. "

It's not guaranteed and it says "when possible", which makes me think they won't always give one. The center and driver is NOT supposed to do anything special for the estimated window.

I decided to sign up for MyChoice so I could see for myself. I get plenty of UPS deliveries.

 

[menotyou]

That's a good question. I don't know how they do it. The info hover said:

"When possible, UPS will provide an estimated delivery time frame. This time is not guaranteed and may vary based on driver's workload, weather and traffic. "

It's not guaranteed and it says "when possible", which makes me think they won't always give one. The center and driver is NOT supposed to do anything special for the estimated window.

I decided to sign up for MyChoice so I could see for myself. I get plenty of UPS deliveries.

Will you please keep us informed on how's it works for you. What your impression of it's usefulness is, as a customer? I am very interested to see what you think of it. Living so rural, it would be pointless for me to test it. Steve will get here when he gets here. Speaking of which, I need to get more apples and bananas.

 

[old levi's]

Will you please keep us informed on how's it works for you. What your impression of it's usefulness is, as a customer? I am very interested to see what you think of it. Living so rural, it would be pointless for me to test it. Steve will get here when he gets here. Speaking of which, I need to get more apples and bananas.

When Steve gets way out there does he deliver blankets, gunpowder, and a new pair of boots for the winter.

 

[pretzel_man]

Will you please keep us informed on how's it works for you. What your impression of it's usefulness is, as a customer? I am very interested to see what you think of it. Living so rural, it would be pointless for me to test it. Steve will get here when he gets here. Speaking of which, I need to get more apples and bananas.

Sure..... I will certainly test it during the holidays. I'm honestly unsure if it will be beneficial to me as a customer (or not).

 

[menotyou]

When Steve gets way out there does he deliver blankets, gunpowder, and a new pair of boots for the winter.

Definitely boots!! I am not kidding, I have about 30 pairs of just boots. God, do I love me some shoes!!!