People receive a lot of mail and packages daily, especially businesses and shopping enthusiasts. The contents of our mailboxes have always been a surprise until recently.
You might open your mailbox to find a letter from a long-lost friend while some days, it would be filled with junk mail! For many reasons, people find out they need to know the mail they’re receiving before it comes to their mailbox.
Imagine packing for a trip, but you’ll have to wait for the mail to be delivered only to check it and see its trash; annoying. This is where mail and packaging tracking systems come in handy!
Informed Delivery is a new USPS service that You might or might not find value in. The service enables you to preview the front exterior of incoming mail on your computer or phone. You can also track packages and leave delivery instructions for those packages.
The United States Postal Service said this service isn’t created specifically for their consumers. According to FAQs on the post office website, the USPS already creates digital photos of the front of your letter-sized mail, but it is now making those images accessible to consumers before the mail is delivered.
The USPS will send you an email containing up to ten grayscale photos of the address once you have registered for the service and had your address validated.
If you have more than 10 pieces of mail arriving, you can access the online dashboard to view them all. A list of the packages, together with their tracking numbers, will also be provided.
Just how beneficial is this service? In all honesty, not very. The service can notify you of the day a package or piece of mail will arrive if you’re anxiously awaiting its arrival.
It can also be helpful if you have a post box and want to be notified when you have mail there. However, think of how confused you’ll be for the rest of the day when you open your informed delivery dashboard and see you’ve received an unknown letter from the IRS or your bank. Surely, it would have been better if you had been able to read the content of the letter right away.
The system lets you know what mail is coming and how long it takes to arrive. In today’s piece, we shall discuss what you need to know about mail and package tracking, and as usual,
We’ll conclude with a better alternative. Let’s start!
Table of Contents
What is Mail and Package Tracking System?
The mail and Package Tracking system is the process of monitoring the movement of a mail or parcel using its unique tracking code.
This tracking code, also known as a tracking number, is a unique number assigned to each package and is used to track the movement of a parcel between the country or internationally.
Read More About Find the U.S. Post Office Nearest
Knowing the Mail or Package, You Have Before it Arrives
There are different mail carriers in the United States, though they’re tasked with a common thing: ensuring mail and packages are delivered safely to each Mailbox or PO box; the mail carriers differ in some aspects. Like knowing the packages or mails you have before they are delivered by the mail carrier you use.
In this section, we shall look at the type of tracking system offered by some of the top mail carriers in the U.S.
USPS
United States Postal Service(USPS), the executive mailing agency of the US responsible for postal services in the United States and its associated states. It was founded in 1971 and has been working hard to ensure U.S residents have a good mailing experience.
In 2014, they founded a new service called Informed Delivery that allows you to preview the exterior part of your mails on any internet-enabled device and track packages, and leave delivery instructions.
According to USPS, they’ve been taking images of the exterior part of letter-sized mails for a long time. However, the service was available to customers for preview before delivery 8 years back.
Once you sign up for Informed Delivery and verify your address, USPS will send you an email with ten greyscale images of the exterior of any incoming letters. If you’ve more than 10 mails on the way, you can sign into your account and view them all from the Informed delivery dashboard. You also get provided with the list of incoming packages and their tracking numbers.
Is Informed Delivery useful? Yes! If you’re worried about when a particular mail or package will be delivered, the service will let you know when the mail will arrive. Also, if you’re using a Post Office Box, it will save you from the stress of going to the post office only to open and empty a box, as you’ll get informed when you have mail.
On the other hand, since informed delivery doesn’t scan the interior of the mail, if you receive an unusual letter from IRS or some other agencies, you’ll be left anxious till the mail arrives at the mailbox.
What is USPS Informed Delivery?
USPS Informed delivery is a service offered by the United States postal service that allows customers to preview their incoming mail and manage package delivery online.
Those who signed up for the USPS informed delivery could preview their mails and manage their packages via email, USPS app, or online dashboard.
Who can use USPS Informed Delivery?
Individuals can use USPS Informed Delivery to manage their mails and packages. However, the service doesn’t support multiple users. As such, businesses can’t use it.
How to sign up for informed delivery?
You can sign up for Informed Delivery by following these steps:
- Go to the USPS Informed Delivery site and click on the sign.
- Enter your residential address to see if the service is available in your zip code.
- Verify your identity online or request for an invitation code to be sent to your residential address if you choose to do physical verification.
- A confirmation page will be displayed once your identity is verified. From there, you’ll be redirected to your informed delivery dashboard.
Which mail isn’t tracked by Informed Delivery?
One of the drawbacks of USPS-informed delivery is it only sends a preview of letter-sized mails. You won’t get its preview if your mail piece isn’t letter-sized.
Also, unlike PostScan Mail, Informed delivery doesn’t track mail sent via other carriers like DHL, FedEx, and USP. It only tracks mails delivered via USPS.
USP
Founded in 1907, the United States Parcel (USP) is a large shipping, receiving, and supply management brand. They offer a variety of tracking methods for both domestic and international packages. The first step is to obtain a USP tracking number sent to you after purchase in an e-commerce store or when you ship a package to a local store.
Once you got your USP tracking number, you’ve four ways in which you can track your mails and packages:
UPS My Choice
The USP has a free tracking system like Informed Delivery. The USP My Choice is a free tracking service offered by USP, and you can sign up for it online. When you sign into your account, you’ll be able to track mails, get delivery alerts, and track your packages using the UPS delivery map.
There’s also a UPS My Choice premium service that allows you to schedule your package delivery, redirect package delivery to other addresses, or request a confirmed window delivery. These additional features come at a price; however, tracking incoming mail and packages is free using the UPS My Choice Free service.
Also, you can add your phone number during sign-up to receive notifications via email or text message when you’ve incoming packages the next day. You’ll also be notified on the day your package is sent out for delivery and also a notification when your packages are delivered.
If there’s a problem that resulted in a change of delivery date or your package is ready for pick up at a UPS store, you’ll also receive a notification. USP also allows you to customize notifications at the UPS My Choice Preferences Page on the official site. Then check for ‘Delivery Alerts’ under the Alerts option.
However, the USP tracking system doesn’t scan mails. Therefore, you won’t know the content of your mail until it arrives.
FedEx
FedEx is another renowned shipping carrier that was founded in 1971. They also offer a similar service that allows you to manage the delivery of mails and packages named “FedEx Delivery Manager”.
You can sign up for the service online, and it’s free. You can track the mails and packages you send using the app or the online dashboard. Or app, The service allows you to request some actions, such as specifying delivery instructions or requesting FedEx to hold the package at a nearby location so you can pick it up yourself.
If you want to reschedule your delivery to another date or forward the package to another address, you’ll be charged depending on the package.
FedEx can send notifications via your email address, text message, or put through automated phone call. You can customize how and when you want to receive these notifications.
Once a package is addressed to you, you’ll be notified. Also, FedEx will notify you when the package has been delivered, or there is a change in delivery time.
Generally, if your FedEx Delivery manager is on default settings, you’ll receive email alerts a day before your package arrives, when it’s out for delivery, and when it has been dropped off at your address.
These above tracking systems have provided mailers with a way of knowing where their package is before it’s been delivered; however, they’ve their drawbacks. The USPS informed. Delivery is available in most USA zip codes but not all. The USP My Choice service is available nationwide and in 13 other countries, while FedEx’s Delivery Manager is only available in the US as of this time.
The unavailability of these services in some locations can be a hindrance, especially to business people that always want to manage their mails wherever they are. However, Virtual Mail Service providers like PostScan mail have become a solution to this problem as they allow full access to your mail wherever you’re in the world.
PostScan Mail is the Best Solution
USPS, UPS, and FedEx always try their best to offer excellent services to their customers. Their tracking systems let users know when to expect their mails and packages and even reschedule deliveries.
But what if we tell you there’s something better?
PostScan Mail is a virtual mail provider that makes managing mail and packages easier than ever. When you sign up for PostScan Mail, you’ll choose a real street address, and all your mail and packages will be redirected to our secured facility.
Once you receive a mail or package, it will be scanned and sent via email. From there, you choose what we do with your mail; you can request that it be scanned and sent to you as a document; you can also forward it to any address of your choice.
Unlike Informed Delivery, PostScan Virtual mailbox is available for individuals and businesses. We’ve plans that fit personal emails and plans for businesses and even allow multiple users per account. Also, you’ll receive a preview of your mail, irrespective of the carrier it’s sent through.
PSM also allows you to schedule deliveries or forward your mail to any address without filing for a change of address. Without a doubt, PostScan Mail is the best way to know your mail and packages before they arrive.
Why Should You Use PostScan Mail Forwarding Service Instead of USPS Mail Forwarding?
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