My name is Doug and I chose UPS as the company to research this semester. I wanted to start off by briefly looking at UPS’s overall attitude that way we can see the reason behind these strategies that I will discuss. UPS is localized despite having over 4,500 locations. Each location is run by a local business owner. UPS provides services for small businesses and is a personable company always looking for ways to solve problems.
Source:
https://www.theupsstore.com/about/difference
Social Media is essential for any company linked to online sales. Presenting your company on any platform is important if you want to reach out or respond to customers. UPS uses all of the following social media platforms: Facebook, Twiiter, LinkedIn, Google+, Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest.
UPS has had much success on Twitter. With over 200 million active subscribers, this social media platform is a must. The fast pace social media medium is perfect for solving multiple delivery issues. UPS could use the strategy I would like to call the “Power of the Hashtag.” For example, if a customer is dealing with delivery issues within the day of the delivery, the customer can tweet, “#UPShelp My package was supposed to arrive three hours ago…Where is my package?” This tweet helps UPS communicate with customers within the matter of seconds.
UPS should take roughly 3 years to focus on increasing retweets, followers and favorites. To achieve this goal, UPS should reach out to more small business as well as everyday consumers to see how many people are using UPS to ship their packages. It might seem like counting tweets maybe tedious, however, UPS strives off of helping others. If this plan is used the right way, then UPS will not only know how to target their different audiences but they will also build stronger connections with the small businesses around them. The more followers, the more people that UPS will be able to reach. Soon, the 4,500 locations will all connect with local businesses which will create larger networking opportunity.
LinkedIn is the another important platform for the UPS company. LinkedIn is a platform that allows UPS to connect with small businesses (which is exactly what they are aiming to do). I would recommend reaching out more to local companies. I would like to see UPS add short videos through out this platform showing small businesses the benefits of working along side The UPS company. Teamwork is what makes The UPS Company valuable. By communicating with more of these companies, they can attract local businesses which can also drive the local economy.
Facebook has been a great hindrance on UPS on the other hand. I see nothing but negative comments that are hurting the brand image. I would strongly suggest non automated message responses when commenting to customer related issues. People seem to be not as valued when they are responding to an automated message (They would rather just get the issue resolved). If UPS still would like to utilize Facebook, I would block the ability to post on their wall (Instead right a personalized message using Facebook messenger). UPS would be better off focusing more on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Mobile App will need improvements on their main menu. I would recommend a search bar at the top of the app. Unless you are subscribed to UPS, you are locked out many feature on their mobile app. I would recommend including free tools that brings more people to use this app. A tool bar at the bottom of the application goes a long was as well. Like Facebook, the navigation in an app is key to making a user friendly app. With the everyday consumer moving to an instant gratification mindset, adding a simple tool bar to the bottom of the page could make a big impact.
UPS should focus on hiring a young app developer. More companies like this could use some younger online experience to reap positive results. UPS should expect to pay $100/hr and should expect to pay roughly $18,000 for applications on Apple and roughly $20,000 for android application renovations. Developers should need 180- 200 hours working to improve these apps.
UPS exceeds in the search engine world. Landing pages are vital when rerouting your customers to a page that will give you detailed information about your search. I typed in on google, “Track a Package.” UPS was not only one of the top three results but in addition, the landing page directed customers directly to the related subject. Customers are easily able to search for their package by typing in their tracking number.
Customer support is the biggest issue I am noticing with UPS. I would recommend spending more attention on online customer support. For each State, UPS should hire 25 social media specialist to interact with customer complaints. Each specialist should be paid $20/hr to resolve all related issues with the company. If customers are going to drive this business, customer service should be one of the most import priorities.
