Thursday, October 3, 2013

UPS catching up to USPS in the mailing games



I am sure you have heard of UPS and USPS. They essentially do the same thing, they deliver mail. However, they do things completely and entirely different. And, these differences have determined their fate within the last  years.I recently read an article on how UPS's modern decision making is helping the company with its on going success. 
                UPS has made decisions within the last couple of years that has positively affected their business and success.  First of all, the company surrounds itself around making things as easy as possible for the customer. They make it a goal to continually integrate technology within their products and to increase the efficiency within their deliveries. There is technology support individuals involved with every aspect of the firm, which allows for ultimate success within the company as a whole.
                Some of the technology involved with shipping with UPS includes one of largest DB2 databases in the world. DB2 is a product that helps track all packages from different customer contact points. The company is consistently adding online tracking and other services. To make it as convenience for the customer as possible, there are UPS apps available and automatic email alerts that notify the customer when their package has been shipped and when it was received.
Obviously, USPS has different goals in mind. They are associated with the government and focus more on day to day mail. Also, It also extremely difficult to contact customer within this company. They also do not have many customer friendly options when it comes to delivering and shipping. And, the way the economy is going; it costs nearly fifty cents to mail a letter. Rumor has it, that Saturday mail in United States will come to hault soon because USPS’s competitors are catching up to them.
                So what does this mean exactly? As a reader, it tells me technology and innovation is a key factor in being successful in the modern day business world. I think it is necessary to consider both technology and innovation within your goals if you want to come out on top. Customer are not as patient as they use to be, they wants things fast, efficient and they want it now. Incorporating technology is not only beneficial to the company and its revenues but it also makes the customer more happy and more in control. As good as UPS seems to be, I do have some personal ideas that I think would be effective within the company.
                One idea pertains to their online tracking system. As customers, we want to know where our package is and we want to know now. I think being able to see images of our package would be an awesome asset to their tracking system. I think customers would also pay more to see this kind of tracking. This is something UPS could add to their app; the ability to see images of delivered packages. Another, alternative for this is giving coordinates of the location of the package.
                Furthermore, I think implementing a strategic plan will really get the attentions of customers everywhere. The strategic plan would be based off “shipping anywhere “or “get it shipped, guaranteed”. It would be a plan that ensures the customers to ship with them because nowhere else gives these guarantees and not every place ships anywhere. The strategic plan should still incorporate new forms of technology and be highly marketed. It would fun and modern to create a brand image with UPS. 
 As UPS continues to use technology within its planning, it will continue to prosper. USPS's prices on average are cheaper, if they start to incorporate more innovative ideas and technology they could reinstate their title in the mailing games.


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