Social media has become an effective component of most shipping companies’ communication mixture. This cross between text messages and e-mail is an effective way of rapidly disseminating information back and forth between customer and company. While ordinary universal package tracking requires the necessity of logging on and checking for e-mail, the same information can be automatically tweeted to a customer account.

This allows real-time updating of critical information about expedited shipments. Rather than being chained to an office computer, the customer is now free to travel about on their daily business and still be fully apprised of what the status is on their most time-sensitive deliveries. Once that information has been transmitted to them through social media, they can update other members of their team and get the wheels of progress rolling. Also, it allows companies to respond to customer service issues with real people instead of an automated call.

At the same time, this instantaneous communication can serve as proof of non-performance if a shipment happens to be late in arriving. Communicating this to a shipping monitor such as PackageFox can start the process going for obtaining FedEx or UPS refunds. All of it happens with nothing more than a few quick touches on your smart phone or computer.

It is seamless integration of new media techniques that allow package shippers to attain greater and greater efficiencies, even as speed limits on the road and in the air remain static. Companies shave valuable minutes off their response time via intelligent use of social media, and scrape a few pennies off the baseline costs by going increasingly paperless. Meanwhile, customers benefit from decreased shipping costs and have faster access to arrival information that translates, in turn, into more rapid utilization of the package that was delivered. No longer does it have to sit inside the door, or on some assistant’s desk for hours, until someone realizes what it is and how urgently it is needed down the hall.