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UPS vs FedEx: One Experience...Shared with more than a few friends.

Everyday there are examples of the power of blogging to influence customers and prospects. Here's a little post for the very popular Signal vs. Noise blog.

A comparison of some real-world contingency design at two leading shippers.

I had to call FedEx and UPS this week and pick up packages at both locations because I missed the deliveries at my house.

When I called FedEx I got through to someone in about 12 seconds.
When I called UPS I actually called three separate times because I was on hold for over 10 minutes each on the first two calls and hung up. On the third call I had to wait 21 minutes until someone answered.

When I visited FedEx, their location was bright, fairly friendly, carpeted, and overall pleasant. My package was brought to the front desk within seven minutes of giving them my info slip. When I visited UPS, their location was dungeon-like: a windowless steel door marked “CUSTOMER PICKUP” in poorly aligned all-caps, a cracked cement floor, cold florescent lights, a TV in the corner with horrible reception, afterthought plastic chairs, and a woman behind the desk with a matching attitude. I swear it felt like an interrogation room. It took too long for them to bring my package to the desk.

Just one experience, but a lasting one.

Typical customer service type rant right? The kind of thing that circulates among coworkers and friends everyday. What's different here is the ability for others to join the conversation. As of this writing there are 46 comments. This is not surprising when you see that their are over 13,400 subscribers to the blog.

UPS and FedEx can't really worry about those conversations about them that few people hear. This however becomes something else all together. This is why you need to use web services and tools to track and participate in important conversations that are relevant to your business. Step one is hearing the conversation. Step two is responding appropriately. Hint: A C&D letter is like gasoline on the fire. There are better ways. It's perhaps the number one reason to hire a blogging consultant that can help you formulate your responses in a way that's well received in the new world of the blogosphere.

UPS vs FedEx: One experience:

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September 15, 2005 in audio publication, award winning design, award winning magazine, Award winning publications, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, Blogging Tools, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Business Marketing, Business newsletter, Web/Tech, Weblogs | Permalink

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Comments

UPS Chairman Eskew Provides More Reasons to Use FEDEX

As reported earlier on Monday September 12, 2005 I sent an overnight package to Los Angeles.

The package ended up in Shanghai, CHINA! at break neck speed.

On the phone with UPS Customer Service, keywords CUSTOMER SERVICE, I asked if they could contact their operation in Shanghai, China (since it was UPS mistake not knowing the difference between Los Angeles USA and Shanghai, China) and have it expedited to the destination that I PAID to have it sent to.

UPS CUSTOMER SERVICE (oxymoron) informed me that they could not "Just keep tracking it on the UPS Tracking Website and see where it goes!" See where it goes? I said.

UPS CUSTOMER SERVICE replied yes because we have no way of knowing when and where it might go to next if even leave Shanghai, China at all!

I asked, so my overnight to LA that is three days overdue might end up in Fankfurt, Germany? UPS CUSTOMER SERVICE replied that is an option or any where else we serve.

When I replied that this is no way to treat customers they agreed and informed me that they use FEDEX and/or the US Postal Service!

When I asked is the package coming back to me or going to the intended destination another well informed answer from UPS CUSTOMER SERVICE...How do we know!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so UPS EMPLOYEES know not to use UPS then why should anyone else!

As a side note the urgent proposal that I sent out overnight, now lost the client THANK YOU UPS, 3 days later is in Anchorage, Alaska.

My UPS OVERNIGHT package is visting a whole lot of places that I have wanted to travel to.

If this all sounds sureal to you, run a google and a blog search on UPS and UPS sucks, there are literally hundreds if not thousands of people with similar experience with UPS and Chairman ESKEW.

Switch to FEDEX NOW: www.fedex.com

Posted by: Gregory Kelly | Sep 15, 2005 9:04:38 AM

UPS execs should be paying close attention to what just happened in the world of aviation.

Legacy carriers - two of the top four - are going belly up as cheaper pricing rules.

Posted by: Zane Anderson | Sep 18, 2005 9:38:20 PM