USPS Tracking and Other Online Systems

It is interesting to see how much we as consumers rely on online tracking systems. An additional feature of the e-Universe we know and love (and probably need), a tracking system allows individuals to see where a product is after an order has been placed for that product. If you have ordered anything from Amazon.com, eBay or any other online vendor, chances are you've utilized a tracking system. (Also, if you happen to own a Mac with Dashboard capabilities, you can see there's a Widget available that allows you to track flights.)

Trackers for packages are available online via the package handler's Web site. The mega mail tycoons - USPS, UPS and DHL - all feature trackers. When a buyer wants to see where a package is, all they need is a tracking number. After inputting the number at USPS, UPS or DHL Web sites, buyers can see from where exactly a product left and take account of how quickly it travels to its final destination.

Now users don't even need the necessary Web sites to track items; users can simply register for TrackMyShipments, a service that allows users to track packages being delivered by multiple carriers at once via e-mail. Instead of having to navigate through different Web sites and copy and paste different tracking numbers, users can work with their deliveries in their e-mail.

But do we really need the tracking feature? For businesses, the answer is a definite yes. Businesses that need to order fragile and oftentimes expensive products have to keep tabs on what's being delivered, making sure the products arrive by crucial deadlines.

Businesses can also take advantage of a service called TrackthePack: Commercial. This service allows businesses to add a tracking option on their own Web sites so that customers need not visit other delivery sites. TrackthePack gives businesses the opportunity to increase traffic to their Web sites because of an added convenience.

Tracking systems, though, are available for the "un-franchised" individual everywhere. Amazon.com orders have a fantastic tracking system, which I use every time I order textbooks or gifts for Christmas. But why can't I just wait until my stuff arrives in the mail? Is it better to check a Web page every few hours than to check a mailbox once a day?

Whether a package can be tracked or not, the product we ordered is out of our control until, frankly, something goes wrong. Things happen - people pilfer packages on trucks, packages get lost or packages sometimes make it to the wrong place.

But I suppose we need that sense of security, that ability of sorts to know of something that we can't see. Although the technology binds us to what it offers, users must remember that tracking systems - like any piece of technology - are flawed, never perfect.