UPS adds two new tools to its online toolbox

[March 13th 2001]

UPS has added significant enhancements to UPS OnLine Tools by adding two new tools, enhancing two others, making all six tools available in XML and providing customers with a list of approved service providers who can help with integration.

UPS OnLine Tools are an offering of advanced shipping and logistics applications that allow businesses to seamlessly link their intranets and Internet Web sites with UPS, empowering their customers to calculate shipping costs, select and compare shipping services and track packages from the point of order entry to delivery. More than 60,000 businesses have licensed UPS OnLine Tools since their introduction in April 1999.

The new tools are:

• UPS Signature Tracking allows approved customers to track packages and receive the most complete proof of delivery available. Customers will receive the digitized signature of the person who signed for the delivery, the full delivery address, C.O.D. amount collected (if applicable), and the reference number associated with the delivery - all the elements needed to create an official proof of delivery to present to their customers to expedite payment.

• The new UPS Shipping tool will allow approved customers who ship at least 50 packages a day to enable all their employees to create and print shipping labels from their desktops. Customers can customize the interface and control which services and features are available to specific groups of employees. This tool also makes it possible for businesses to share information such as address books, shipment histories and tracking information across internal systems.

In addition to the two new tools, UPS is offering enhancements to help expand the reach of two existing tools:

• The Rates & Service Selection tool will now provide customers with rates from 35 origin countries to every destination that UPS serves.

• The Time-in-Transit tool will now offer enhanced shipping information on all available services between any two points within the United States.

In conjunction with these enhancements, UPS is offering an XML version of all UPS OnLine Tools. UPS was instrumental in the development of XML protocol standards for the transportation industry through its membership in Rosettanet, a consortium of major information technology, electronic components and semiconductor manufacturing companies working to create and implement industry-wide, open e-business process standards.

"Since their initial launch, we've worked closely with our customers to make UPS OnLine Tools more effective. Offering the tools in an XML standard will make it faster and easier for UPS customers to integrate shipping functionality into their systems, and will provide them with more flexibility and customization," said Tim Geiken, vice president of electronic commerce, UPS. "For instance, users now can add delivery confirmation into an invoice without opening an additional application."

Links
UPS		http://www.ups.com