UPS rolls out On-Call Pickup service additions

Jeff Berman, Group News Editor -- Logistics Management, 8/19/2008

ATLANTA—UPS said this week it has made various changes to its UPS On-Call Pickup service in the United States for air packages.

On-Call Pickup allows UPS customers to have a shipment picked up from a home or office location by scheduling a pickup online or over the phone. It is available for same-day pickup in most parts of the country, according to UPS, and customers can also schedule pickups in advance for the next business day or later in the week.

The company said that the On-Call Pickup service is now available in more than 4,000 ZIP codes, with pickup times extended in nearly 6,000 ZIP codes, representing service improvements for 26 percent of U.S. businesses.

A UPS spokeswoman told LM that offering later On-Call Pickup times for air packages—which went into effect in July—is another way to provide customers with more flexibility, convenience and accessibility to UPS. 

“This service appeals to businesses with late hours and later business deadlines, which is frequently the case in the professional services segments (legal, financial firms) for example,” said the UPS spokeswoman. “With urgent deadlines, customers may need that extra time to work and can’t afford to leave the office. This gives them assurance that they can work late and still get their shipments out in time.”

With the help of UPS’s technology, On-Call Pickup is available for same-day pickup in most parts of the country, noted the spokeswoman. Customers may also schedule a pickup in advance for the next business day or later in the week. The service is available for all UPS services to any location in the U.S.

Other UPS news:

• UPS said earlier this week that it will be the Lead Logistics Provider in Asia for Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Solution Division (ESD), which has expanded into the Asia Pacific region with a new 46,500 square-foot Hong Kong-based distribution center, which is expected to bring enhanced and quicker customer support in the Asia Pacific region for Alcatel-Lucent ESD, according to a UPS statement. Types of services UPS will provide for Alcatel-Lucent ESD include: inbound receiving, storage services, inventory management, pick-and-pack operations, returns management and outbound transportation management.

·        More than 1,700 UPS Freight—the company’s less-than-truckload unit—drivers and dockworkers have inked a contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The contract was ratified by a margin of 94 percent, according to the Teamsters. The organization added that it now represent a total of more than 11,700 UPS Freight workers in 41 states. It added that In April, a new UPS Freight contract covering 9,900 workers was ratified by an 89 percent margin which improves wages, benefits and working conditions. The workers who voted Aug. 16 and 17 were certified after the April ratification vote.