From the moment that your customers place an order with your business they are going to be ready for their merchandise to arrive. Services like Amazon Prime have definitely made expedited shipping feel like the “standard” option, and businesses that aren’t able to get their products in the hands of their customers just as quickly as humanly possible are always losing business to those that can.
And while the USPS does a reasonable and standup job at making sure that packages, parcels, and pieces of mail processed through their system get to their ultimate destination as quickly as possible, they aren’t always the “fastest game in town”. Especially when you’re talking about businesses that are shipping real volume, either.
Thankfully though, with the help of the UPS Mail Innovations Expedited services – and the entire range of UPS Mail Innovations in general, really – you won’t have to worry about your packages going slow out the gate. Instead you’re going to be able to get your packages and parcels to your customers just as quickly as humanly possible, all without having to charge skyhigh premiums for UPS Mail Innovations Expedited services along the way. Talk about a competitive advantage!
Below we dig a little bit deeper into the ins and outs of UPS Mail Innovations, the expedited services that UPS provides businesses using these mailing solutions, and some other details you’ll want to know about before you start to use this as your default shipping program. Ready to get right into it? Let’s go!
UPS Mail Innovations Expedited 101
UPS Mail Innovations (expedited or otherwise) are specifically designed for small to midsized businesses that move a lot of merchandise in flat or lightweight shipping packages, companies that are looking for a smarter, faster, and less expensive way to get their packages to their customers.
A relatively new service (compared to some of the other traditional business shipping options you can find), most agree that UPS has absolutely hit a homerun with these solutions. Customers are going to be able to get their packages faster, businesses are going to be able to take advantage of a whole range of premium services traditional shipping options do not provide, and everyone comes out a winner.
If, however, you aren’t a small business owner (or a medium-sized business owner) with higher volumes of mail going out on a regular basis the odds are pretty good this isn’t going to be the right fit for you. Luckily, though, a quick phone call to the folks at UPS to ask about the Mail Innovations Expedited services they provide is usually more than enough to clear the air and help you figure out whether or not this is something you’ll want to go with.
If you are already moving a lot of merchandise, are an e-commerce based operation with physical products that are generally pretty lightweight and inexpensive to ship as is, or are expecting a lot of extra demand for your products in the near future it’s not a bad idea to get your UPS Mail Innovations account set up and ready to roll!
Breaking Down the Big Benefits of UPS Mail Innovations
There are a couple of really big benefits to moving forward with UPS Mail Innovations, expedited or otherwise, if you are a small to midsized business owner. The services are a lot more flexible, a lot more adaptable, and (often) a lot less expensive than what you would expect to spend with the USPS directly.
You’ll also get to take advantage of premium shipping options and features not available with traditional shipping programs, super accurate and accountable shipping options for pretty much anything you want to ship through UPS Mail Innovations Expedited, and more.
Let’s dig little bit deeper into the benefits of this shipping program, shall we?
ARTS Login
One of the huge benefits commercial customers are going to enjoy when using this system to move their merchandise from their facilities to the doorstep of their customer is the inclusion of ARTS reporting through the UPS system. You’ll be given login credentials to track your own ARTS reports, giving you insight into shipping patterns, shipping speeds, and shipping solutions that you wouldn’t have had access to otherwise.
You can then use those insights and that information to better inform your customers when they order something from you – improving their expectations while at the same time offering total transparency (two huge credibility boosters that will when you a lot of extra business).
Mail Piece Tracking Included
Fantastic individual mail piece tracking solutions are available through the UPS Mail Innovations Expedited service, too. Those that have a UPS Mail Innovations account are going to be able to track up to 25 individual domestic mail shipments at once with tracking codes, tracking information, and (almost) real time updates provided across the board – 100% free of charge as part of your Mail Innovations account.
That’s a game changer, especially for those that want to be able to track their own logistics to make sure that things are getting to customers ASAP and that there aren’t any “hiccups” in the system that might be otherwise causing unnecessary delays.
Quick Quotes for All Shipping Needs
UPS has done a fantastic job really fleshing out the UPS Mail Innovations Expedited service from day one. A big part of this has been providing really accurate quotes for every shipping option they provide under the umbrella of these services, quotes that you can “take to the bank” rather than quotes you have to worry about being a little light when the final bill comes due.
Commercial customers are going to be able to use these quotes to better project their expenses, to better build out their profit margins, and to guarantee that they are always making the smart move when it comes to shipping their products and not taking it on the chin and losing money when trying to get stuff to customers quickly.
Full Compliance with Financial Mailing Regulations
Commercial customers in the financial industry won’t have to worry about running afoul of any specific regulations or guidelines that may govern how financial mailings are supposed to be sent through the United States postal system when using UPS Mail Innovations Expedited services.
Instead, all qualified pieces of financial mail (including enrollment packets, information kits, membership packages, important financial disclosure documents and prospectuses, proxy notices, and “onboarding” packages alike) are always going to be sent according to financial industry regulations and guidelines so that customers are in full compliance 100% of the time.
Accurate and Accountable Acceptance with Other Providers
Accountability is a huge piece of the puzzle behind the success of the UPS Mail Innovations service, as is the accuracy that this platform is capable of – especially when sending important information related to sensitive topics like insurance and healthcare, for example.
Full CASS certification for all automated flat packages going through the UPS Mail Innovations Expedited service, detailed reports and analytics regarding every aspect of each package that ships through your account, and a bunch of other critical pieces of information pertaining to accuracy and accountability are included as part of your member dashboard, too.
Keep Mailing Costs Under Control
Every single business on the planet wants to make sure that they reduce their overhead and costs just as much as possible without cutting corners.
The last thing you want to do is move to a less expensive shipping solution that inevitably causes more delays, that loses packages during transit, or that delivers things that are in less than picture-perfect condition.
With UPS Mail Innovations Expedited services, though, that’s never going to be a problem!
These services are designed to be as cost-effective as possible without ever cutting corners just to reduce overhead. Commercial clients are going to enjoy the very best and reliable shipping services UPS has to offer, never jeopardizing their reputation (or the relationship companies have with their customer base) by choosing to go in this direction.
Professional, Efficient Mailing Solutions
UPS already has an established mail processing network of 22 individual facilities that help to expedite packages along when sent via UPS Mail Innovations Expedited services – but the network is growing on an almost daily basis.
This means that commercial customers are going to be able to move mountains of direct mail, marketing and advertising pieces, accounting documents, and other important pieces of mail for their business – often times in nonstandardized sizes and formats – with zero headache or hassle whatsoever.
You’ll be able to eliminate a lot of the stress and pressure of trying to get your business mail to the people you are looking to reach without having to spend a pile of money and dealing with slow delivery timelines at the same time.
UPS Mail Innovations Expedited services get your pieces where they are designed to go ASAP without you having to reach deeper into your budget.
Better Security for Important Mail Pieces
The UPS Mail Innovations Expedited services are so safe and so secure that even the government uses the services to move some of their more sensitive pieces of information and enter government mailings.
Every single one of the key individuals and employees throughout the shipping network have full US Postal Services Mail Quality Control certifications. That goes a long way towards “locking down” this network of shipping operations to provide you with the kind of security you deserve.
On top of all of that, those that choose to use UPS Mail Innovations Expedited services will enjoy:
- Bonded delivery driver services
- Vehicles and shipping containers that can be fully sealed and security tagged from start to finish
- Shipping options that take advantage of state-of-the-art surveillance and monitoring equipment
… And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
When you get right down to it, the benefits of using UPS Mail Innovations Expedited services far outweigh any of the other options you’ll find on the market right now.
A Smarter (Global) Mailing System
Let’s not forget, of course, that this mail service can handle packages and parcels (as well as envelopes) that are intended to be sent to domestic addresses and international addresses – but can also process return pieces of mail as well. That’s a lot of flexibility and a lot of adaptability for a mailing system that is still in its relative infancy, at least compared to a far more fleshed out and “legacy” system like the ones a USPS uses today.
Domestic Mail
The domestic mail services available from UPS Mail Innovations Expedited are comparable to what the USPS offers through the First Class Mail system. The speed is very similar, the reliability and consistency is very similar, and even a lot of the “heavy lifting” of actually moving the mail across the country to another address in the US is handled by the USPS, too.
UPS will handle important functions like labeling, sorting qualified pieces, and other bits of logistics that cut down significantly on the costs of shipping your package, your parcel, or your envelope throughout the national network. At the end of the day, you can expect your domestic pieces of UPS Mail Innovations expedited services to show up around 24 to 48 hours after they’ve been started on their journey.
International Mail
International mail solutions are also available from the folks at UPS with the Mail Innovations Expedited services, reducing the overall complexity of doing business on the international scale while handling priority and economy class mail pieces, too. UPS can move packages and parcels to post offices and postal services in more than 200 companies as well, really opening up a world of opportunity that may not have been available with other shipping partners.
Return Services
At the end of the day, if your business depends on a very efficient and very economically sound return solution it’s not a bad idea to lean heavily on all that UPS Mail Innovations has to offer. You’ll be able to speed up your returns, better track your returns, and facilitate these kinds of movements between your company and your customers a whole lot easier, too.
US Global Mail – A Better, Smarter Mailbox for the Modern World
Of course, at the end of the day the UPS Mail Innovations service is really just a means of getting your products into the hands of your customers as quickly as possible. It really can’t help when it comes to managing your modern mailbox.
No, that’s where US Global Mail comes into play! One of the premier virtual mailbox services on the planet (with a 20+ year track record of success in this industry), you’ll get to enjoy a permanent mailing address, better security and safety, and the ability to accept packages from all major shipping companies – including UPS, FedEx, and DHL – when you create an account.
You’ll also be able to forward your mail to any address on the planet at up to 80% off of traditional shipping rates, deposit checks directly into your bank account, and see digital scans of your mail as it arrives so that you know everything that’s in your mailbox the moment that it lands there. For more information about US Global Mail and all they have to offer check out their website today!
