In 1907 the American Messenger Company was started by Jim Casey and Claude Ryan. Over the years, the company grew and expanded its services. In 1930 the American Messenger Company officially changed its name to United Parcel Service. “The company gained notice in 1972 when the US Postal Service named UPS as a competitor. ” (Hoover’s, UPS History). UPS has always centralized their core competencies on the delivery and routing packages. In the early years, UPS just began using vehicles to deliver packages to their customers when the primary method of delivery was by horse and buggy.
Thus, this began a new era of delivering mail started by UPS. Presently, there are new businesses with new demands. These demands are characteristic of both the opportunities and challenges UPS would encounter as it attempted to deliver on its “enabling global commerce” strategy (MIT Sloan. United Parcel Service). In 1993 UPS was delivering over 11. 5 million packages and documents a day. In order to stay competitive, provide good customer service and continue being efficient, UPS had to develop new technology.
This technology consisted of global computers with a global communication system. “The handheld Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD), carried by every UPS driver, was developed to immediately record and upload delivery information to the UPS network” (About UPS “Company Overview”). UPS uses dedicated satellite and more then 500,000 miles of communication lines to link distribution sites in 46 countries. With the evolving industry UPS needed to stay up to date in order to continue providing quality service to both businesses and consumers.
Just by looking at UPS’ web site, you can tell that the company is trying to meet personal and business needs. The first initial thing customers see is the country selection option which shows that UPS puts a lot of emphasis on its global services. It allows people and businesses all over the world to track their packages and gives them a listing of their retail locations and services. Some of the services that UPS offers on their web page are: Consulting, Financial, Insurance, International Trade, Logistics, Mail, Transportation and Freight services to businesses all over the world.
“Our approach to developing and executing a successful supply chain strategy is built on our Demand Responsive Model — a more successful approach in which your supply chain is pulled by customer demand. We can help your company reap financial benefits over the long haul” (Cisco Systems. “United Parcel Service”). Technology will allow UPS to provide better and faster services for their customers. It will help businesses grow and adapt to a changing global marketplace.
Real time information is available for customers, which means UPS customers are able to keep track of their packages online. With technology constantly developing, UPS has come a log way from their old delivery methods and continue keeping up with technology standards. This is why UPS is still considered to be number one in the industry. With new technology, UPS is able to store and save their customers information in their database. By capturing customer data it makes it easier for the customers to communicate with UPS.
This among other features that UPS has developed regarding the maintenance of customer data makes it hard for customers to switch somewhere else. Over the years with new and better services coming out, UPS will be able to target these customers and attract new ones. With the maintenance of customer data, UPS is more efficient in their services. They can easily access the information needed for delivery, which enables quicker and better quality service. The future of UPS will continue to rise in their efficiency.
