subject: What Is My Reference Number, And How Do I Use It? [print this page] The reference number is an important piece of information that you're going to obtain from your Dallas courier service every time you place an order with them. Of all of the information that they might provide you with, this is the once piece that you never want to lose, as any questions that you might have about your delivery at a later date are all going to rely upon this number. That is because the reference number on a given delivery is the way that a courier company looks up any and all information that is related to that shipment.
Think of the reference number as a unique ID code which identifies where the information about a given shipment is stored in the courier companies database. This is going to be used in a variety of ways. All of your billing information, for instance, will be tied to a given reference number of the shipment that you are being billed for. There are often ways that you can use this number directly as well.
The most common use of the reference number is to track the package. In fact, some companies will actually call the number a tracking number instead of a reference number, but they are in essence the same thing. When you use a tracking number, you typically will enter it either into a text box on a web page or key it into a touch tone phone system. After doing so, you will receive information about the status of your delivery.
Tracking numbers enable you to access the top notch tracking systems that many courier companies now have in place. The kinds of information that you'll be able to access will depend on your particular courier company. Sometimes you will just be able to see the general status of the delivery, but in other situations you may be able to get everything up to and including real time GPS locations of your packages by using the tracking numbers.
The bottom line is that you always need to keep your reference numbers when they are given to you by your courier company. Even if you're not interested in using them to track your packages, they are still useful to have. If there is ever a problem with a delivery, or if one of your customers has a complaint, the easiest way to address that concern with the courier is always going to be through the reference number.
