Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Do we need new designations for our parcel services?

A recent Forbes article suggested that our current package designations are too confusing, that the average consumer doesn't know the difference between "First-Class", "Priority" and Express. They all sound fast -- but which one is faster?

The author suggested a simpler designation, which apparently worked in another country. "Got Time?" - First-Class, "Running Late?" for Priority, or "In a Panic?" for Express Mail.

What do you think?

Comment here.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, we definitely need new names, but I find the suggested designations confusing. Just number the options with #1 being the fastest.
Something like: Delivered first. Delivered second. Delivered third. High priority, Medium priority, low priority.

postal clerk said...

Absolutely the different classes of mail is confusing. Why not do as we have done with foreign mail and just have express and priority for package services. Leave parcel post for business mailings and eliminate media mail altogether. That is the MOST abused class of mail and we loose money on it. Get rid of it!

Anonymous said...

Are we really THAT desperate???? To get more people to use our services. All we need to do is DO our jobs and let people know about the services that we do have. I constantly tell people that they can mail to PO boxes because our competitors have told them that they couldn't.

Anonymous said...

What's confusing about our services is the 3 different classes for first class now. At my office we are constantly disagreeing about when to charge the surcharge or when it becomes a parcel. I am confused HOW IN THE HECK CAN I GIVE MY CUSTOMERS THE RIGHT ANSWER. All 3 SSA's charge a different price for the same piece of mail.

Anonymous said...

I agree about the confusion at the counterline. Whoever thought up the shape based pricing obviously never worked a window. Especially a manual office window which the majority of offices still are. And we have the audacity to state we don't have surcharges like our competitors but I now have to look at a template for several minutes trying to figure out if there's an oversized surcharge or a balloon rate surcharge or Dim Weight surcharge or non-machinable rate.

Anonymous said...

No - I don't think we should confuse the public any more than they are. It's our jobs to communicate to the customers our services available. We've made a lot of changes in the last few years already. We don't want to have so many surcharges, etc -like our competitors. Keep it simple.

Anonymous said...

How about FAST, FASTER, & FASTEST.

jasmine krotkov said...

The thing that sets Express mail apart is its guarantee, so call it Guaranteed Express. Priority mail is the workhorse, being what I sell most of over the counter, and Priority Mail is a good name for it. First Class parcels confuse everyone - clerks included - and I think a new name could be useful. Leave the name First Class for letters and flats, and call First Class parcels Small Packets.

Candice Stevens PMR said...

Why not just explain to the customers about the services we have or post a flyer explaining them?
We have a template that shows the oversized dementions, just keep it handy or print one out for customers to take so they will know the exact cost. I explain to customers around how long each should take to arrive based on the different classes of mail. I also offer delivery confirmation with all package sales. I think it would be too confusing to keep changing names.

Anonymous said...

I agree, get rid of media mail. I have a customer who ships things he sells on eBay. Some of the material qualifies as media mail and often ships it that way. But he will always check the price and sometimes it's cheaper mailing first class. That's not right, but there you go.

To our customers...it's confusing because they want something shipped first class and I charge them priority rate. They will say, no I wanted it first class. They don't see them as the same thing. New names, but not a 100 new names, for our products is a good thing. Now we have priority, priority flat rate, priority commercial rate, priority regional A & B....it's just so confusing to our customers.

Anonymous said...

I think that our new pricing should include delivery confirmation with all parcels, instead of it being an extra service. Just like clip & ship cusotmers get now. UPS & FedEx use shipping numbers on every parcel they send so they can track it, one reason why some of my cusotmers will use them. Also, lets stop the pricing differences between online and retail...I know HQ wants to offer cheaper prices to get more customers to go online and stop coming to us...but it's just not fair to customers who don't have internet access.

grannybunny said...

The names are fine, but we need to quit feeding the fiction that Priority is somehow faster than First-Class. If it's light enough to go First-Class, it gets there just as quickly, just cheaper.

Anonymous said...

When my customers ask for something mailed first class, i weigh it and over 13 oz it is still first class as far as they know, I charge them the rate (which is priority) but why tell them and confuse them, at least it isnt parcel post! Sometimes you just cant explain every little detail to them!

Anonymous said...

I think we have too many different names for things now that change every couple of years. I have an old Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) from about 1922 and it was all on one page. Rather than complicating things any more, the USPS needs to go back to the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle for names and pricing and continue our good service.

Anonymous said...

I agree that we need to keep things simple to avoid customer confusion, but I don't think changing the names would accomplish that. When my customers ask "What's the difference" between the services, they usually mean the price difference. I explain the options to them and tell them how long it will take to get there.

Of course, some of my customers have their own names for our services, such as "overnight" for Express Mail, and "slow boat to China" for Parcel Post!! :)

Anonymous said...

I agree w/the person who says the pricing should be the same for everyone. Internet is already robbing us of our 1st class letters. On line shipping should only be for convienence... BUT why should the person who wants to use our services & DOESN'T have a computer have to pay more?? NOT FAIR!! I also agree that ALL of our Pkg service should carry a tracking # @ no additional cost... again, it's not fair to those who don't have internet access. As for all of the "new" names, they're not necessary IF we (as window clerks) are doing our jobs and providing Great Customer Service to EVERYBODY !!

Anonymous said...

Even postal employees are confused, I will give an example sometimes a media mail parcel will be treated like a 1st class or priority, and will make it quicker to its destination if postage and label were made online, but could take longer otherwise

Anonymous said...

Hey .. how about a postcard printed up with what is what & how much & how long it takes to get there - the simpler the better.
We get asked about weight,price, time to get there.
It is so confusing now days.
Best to hand it to a person explaining IN SIMPLE TERMS.
Honestly..is one REALLY quicker than the other ? An Express without signed release to leave if person is't home will take them MORE TIME to recieve because they then have to go & pick it up or have it REDELIVERED...& they paid EXTRA to get it there FAST. Scanning stuff sure takes MORE TIME TOO. Any more BRIGHT IDEAS ?
Now what was the question? :)

Anonymous said...

New designations need to be simple, dignified, and use good English ("got" is not the best). Too many choices now, too many options, and surcharges. Simplicity is why the "If it fits, it ships." Priority Mail campaign has been so successful.

Anonymous said...

I have always liked the question - How soon do you need it there? If they say the fastest - 1st option express, and if they answer soon but doesn't have to be there any particular time - priority. There really isn't much of a price difference on most parcels, I would see no problem with doing away with parcel post or if we kept it use it for business returns only. I really like the idea of having delivery confirmation on all packages. This would eliminate the customers looking for a package that didn't know it didn't automatically come with one.