Tracking Your Shipping Business
If you are in the business of supplying products to clients, your livelihood depends on your packages arriving at their destination. In order to guarantee the successful delivery of your cargo, shippers provide a package tracking service that allows both the shipper and the client to trace a package's movement and verify its delivery.Client Relations
Prompt delivery of a quality product will create satisfied customers that rely on the product and services your company provides. By using a package tracking option, like the tracking options available through FedEx, you can ensure that your product is heading at the right speed, in the right direction - and preserve the trust your clients have invested.
Tracking Number 101
A tracking number is a numeric code assigned to every package in the shipping system; it uniquely identifies each package as it moves through the shipping channels. It is assigned when transport is arranged - the tracking number appears on the shipper's forms if you use a paper-based method, or is assigned automatically if you arrange for shipment online.
How Do You Access Package Tracking?
Checking the status of your shipment is relatively easy, and can take place as soon as your package enters the system. With FedEx, package tracking is accessible through a variety of methods:
- Telephone. Phone 1.800.GoFedEx 1.800.463.3339 and follow the prompts that direct you to package delivery information. Enter the numeric tracking number assigned to your shipment and the automated system will provide delivery status.
- Online. Access fedex.com and click on the tracking option. It directs you to a page where you can simply enter your tracking number and receive an immediate and detailed status report.
- E-mail. If you have access to e-mail, you can take advantage of the e-mail tracking option available through FedEx.
To use e-mail to track your shipments sent through FedEx Express, do the following:
- Create a new e-mail message. In the "To:" area, type track@fedex.com. (It is not necessary to type anything in the subject line.)
- In the body of the message type the word "airbill" followed by a space, followed by your shipment tracking number. Do not include dashes or spaces in the tracking number.
- Follow the airbill number with a space and the destination country code.
- Follow the country code with a space and the ship date. This can be an approximation as FedEx will search the date you provide and the 4 days before and after it. The date should be entered in month, day, year. The country code is required even if you are tracking a US domestic shipment.
To use e-mail to track your shipments sent through FedEx Ground, do the following:
Enter groundtrack@fedex.com in the Mail To field and leave the subject field empty. In the body of the message, enter the variable name, followed by a space and the variable value. Variables can be in any order, and can be separated by either a comma or a line break (do not put a space after the comma). You can use upper- and lower-case letters in any combination. Be sure to send your request in plain text and not HTML or Rich Text format, which is generally determined by the "Mail Format" option of your e-mail application.
For more information on tracking your FedEx Express or FedEx Ground shipments through e-mail, consult the "Track Shipments" section at fedex.com. If you need help with E-mail Tracking call U.S. Customer Services: 1.800.GoFedEx 1.800.463.3339.
Successful and timely arrival of your product is of paramount importance in maintaining excellent client relations. Using package tracking wisely can help to ensure that your product is "on track" - from pick-up through to delivery.
The information in the Small Business Center is intended for general information purposes only. You should consult a qualified professional before acting or relying on any of the information published here.
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