subject: Updating Customers With The Status Of Their Shipment [print this page] Customers of courier companies always worry about where their packages are. This has always been, and will always be part of the business of running a courier company. However, the best LTL carriers that are out there takes steps to make sure that people that are shipping with them don't have to worry too much about where their packages are. They do this by promising to provide important status updates at key points in the delivery process. This allows the customers to know that, if something earth shattering happens to their package, they are going to be the first to know about it.
Customers do of course always have the option of tracking their package themselves online. GPS tracking makes it very easy to do. All you have to do is go to a website and input a tracking number to find out exactly where a shipment is in real time. Some can't be bothered to track their package all day long though, but knowing that the courier will update them if something drastic should happen is always a very comforting thought.
One thing that a good courier company should always update their customers about is if something happens which is going to delay their shipment in any way. Now, this isn't referring to little delays that might make a package a few minutes late, as these are unavoidable. But when something more significant happens, like the driver being in a traffic accident, couriers should contact their clients right away to let them know that their shipment has been delayed.
The other time that couriers contact customers directly is usually after a package has been delivered. This is called proof of delivery, and with today's technology, sending the customer an instant proof of delivery is now an option.
Instant proof of delivery is something that is great for courier customers, because it lets them know the minute their package has been delivered so they don't have to worry about it any longer. Instant POD can email them verification minutes after the package is in their clients hands. This will include all the relevant information such as confirmation of delivery and the time that the package was accepted, but can also include information like an electronic signature capture which the drivers can gather with the handheld units that they carry with them. This provides a complete POD in email form much faster than you would receive one through fax or the mail.
