Back in January, I launched with a rant about the United States Postal Service's package tracking application. Barely a month has gone by, and, wouldn't you know it — another customer experience cock-up.
This time, it's about clarity, or lack thereof. The USPS sends us a package and tells us it's been delivered, but it's awfully ambiguous about where exactly the item is. Quick, look at the screen shot below and make a guess where to go pick up the package:
What is a “parcel locker”? Well, in our area, we have neighborhood mailboxes, not door-to-door delivery. At the cluster of mailboxes, there are a couple of lockers where they put packages that are too big for the regular mail slot. Is that what they mean?
Or, is it a locker at the post office? In which case, which post office? A Google search for post offices in Lenexa, KS, turns up three. Which one is it?
Now, you might sensibly say, Per, why don't you just stop by your mailbox after work and see if it's there? Well, here's where this becomes a problem: The package contains live aquarium shrimp. We want to pick them up as soon as possible. If I wait until after five and I'm wrong, the post office is already closed. I need to know whether to go to the post office before closing time, and the USPS's package tracking doesn't tell me that. This holds true for anyone with a time-sensitive shipment, or something they're just really eager to receive.
How do you fix this?
Simple. If the package is at a locker in the post office to be picked up there*, show the address. Better yet, provide a link to the location on Google maps so I can get directions.
Or, if the package really is in our neighborhood mailbox, just make that clear. This is why I harp on copywriting: A simple clarification could make all the difference. “Your item was delivered to your neighborhood parcel locker at ” (etc.)
* Someone told me the post office doesn't work like that; if they hold a package for you, it's not in a locker. You go to the counter and request it. Therefore, if it's been deposited in a locker, it must be your neighborhood parcel locker. Fine, that makes sense, but why should I as a customer be expected to know that and use a process of elimination to figure it out? Don't make your customers figure things out that you could just make clear in the first place!
