Postal Code Issue Resolved

We recently heard from Delivery Customers and Couriers and Transport companies regarding issues with postal codes on the uShip site. Several Delivery Customers were unable to list their deliveries  accurately because the site refused some postal codes.  As a result, some transport Providers noticed fewer shipment listings going in and out of their areas.

We found that the issue occurred as result of a change that Google made within their postal code search, which our system uses to process addresses to generate maps, etc.  We’ve now updated our system to ensure compatibility with Google; therefore, the issue has been resolved.

You should not experience any other problems with postal codes, but please contact uShip Member Support should you run into any issues. We apologise for any inconvenience that  this may have caused. 

Customers demand Communication from Couriers and Transport Companies

The single issue that customers have cited as being most frustrating with Parcel Deliveries by the main parcel networks during adverse weather conditions is that of poor communication.

Royal Mail tracking system is showing jobs up as delivered when they’re not, and parcel carriers such as DPD are so overwhelmed by the volume of parcels in transit at the moment that their tracking systems are simply showing nothing. 

Although its fair to admit that many circumstances on the road, the delays, road closures, undeliverable parcels and the resulting backlog are beyond the control, or even influence, of the parcel companies.  The issue of poor communication remains one completely within their remit.

When we're talking about Christmas presents people are understandably anxious that their parcels are delivered on time, and the one thing that they value more than anything in times like this is information and communication. 

uShip gets around this problem by giving Customers and transporters a messaging system to discuss all of the details, and the customer selects their courier or transport company then they get full contact details for their transporter so that they can keep in touch with them direct and stay informed of progress.

 

uShip Addressing Transporters' Concerns over Unresponsive, 'Window Shipping' Customers

Two of the biggest concerns we hear from transporters on uShip are about shipping customers who are 1) unresponsive to questions and 2) just “window shipping” with little or no intent to actually ship. We consider these to be low-quality listings, and we’ve been taking a closer look at these over much of the year.  

It’s not uncommon for listing-based sites like ours to use listing fees to reduce spam and low quality listings (eBay as a prime example), but uShip wants to keep listings free.  Instead, we’re addressing these concerns and listing quality by developing some technical solutions behind the scenes (in geek speak, updating algorithms).

As a result of these changes, some of you may have recently noticed large swings in the numbers of active listings as we’ve been testing different algorithms.  While we’ve heard your concerns, this was an expected consequence.  We believe considerable progress has been made in increasing the listing quality on the site -- and our data supports this.  We plan to continue making tweaks to the algorithm to help reduce and eliminate low-quality listings from the marketplace.

So what does this mean for you?  We anticipate transporters will experience 4-5 short- and long-term positives from working with customers with higher-quality listings:

1.       More responsive customers

2.       Higher conversion rate from listings to booked shipments

3.       Higher bid acceptance rates

4.       Overall significantly more shipping volume done on uShip

5.       A better, more time-effective experience for transporters

Fact is, uShip has more new customers wanting to list and ship on our site than ever before.  But we’re putting these measures in place to ensure we maintain a healthy marketplace, one where only the highest quality listings make it in and remain active.  

Please let us know how you think we're doing.  We look forward to your comments.

Pope's visit will cause problems for delivery companies

The Pope is due to visit the UK this coming week, visiting Glasgow on Thursday 16th and London at the weekend.  Due to the very high amount of visitors expected, local road transport police are taking pro-active steps to manage both traffic flows and visitors.

In Glasgow, all major road and motorway access roads into the city will be shut from 2 miles out side of town, with all travellers diverted on public transport.  Similar plans are in place for London which will see virutally all major roads through the city centre closed.  Buses will also be diverted off their normal routes, with coaches being used to bus people in from allocated points.

Here at uShip we remind everyone who has deliveries arranged for this week to pay attention to these plans and forward plan for alternative arrangements particularly for Glasgow where the visit is on a normal working day, rather than at the weekend.  The Couriers and Delivery drivers will be subject to the road closures and diversions exactly the same as any other transport users, and even though your delivery might be extra important, or extra urgent, the courier companies and parcel delivery services will simply not be able to enter the closed areas.

Anyone needing anything due for delivery on Thursday for Glasgow would be well advised to move all delivery plans forward and ensure that all deliveries are moved to the Wednesday or Friday.  Anyone anticipating same day or express deliveries for Thursday should assume that these simply will not be made.  It is also likely that if you are dealing with a business in the centre of Glasgow that their collections will not be possible.

So, plan ahead, and make sure that your collections and deliveries continue to be business as normal this week.