Postcards were the 'original' Twitter

According to a report by Sky News, twittering is not a new up-to-the-minute technological advance, but a natural extension of an old product - the postcard.

In the days before micro-blogging, text messages and social networking sites, the Edwardians were using the humble postcard to abbreviate their thoughts and opinions to one another.
Introduced in its present form in 1902, the picture postcard, containing an image on one side and room for writing on the other, became an instant hit, according to a study by Lancaster & Manchester Metropolitan universities.

Almost six billion postcards - an average of 200 per person - were sent in Britain between 1901 and 1910, reveals study authors Drs Julia Gillen and Nigel Hall.
The cost per postcard was a ha'penny, instead of the usual penny for a letter and, with up to 10 postal deliveries a day in the big cities, users could write and answer notes quickly and cheaply.

Like Twitter, which restricts users to 140 characters per "tweet", postcard writers only have a limited amount of space to pen a message. So I guess not a lot has changed really! Except the postal service has got slower and more expensive!!!

not just delivered, but delivered with love

We believe that getting the goods delivered on time just isn't enough.

Many organisations promise a next day guaranteed service but how many really keep that promise and include not just getting it there, but getting it there with the right attitude?

We know that the vast majority of our clients (who are serviced by our very own UOE drivers in the their shiny black vans) have been given a first-class service but we have found the courier options we have sometimes employed for some regions to be...lets just say, less than helpful on every occasion.

I guess it comes down to the individual driver and the pressures put upon them by traffic, targets and tickets but why does it seem that so many couriers seem to hate their job or feel delivering the goods to the client is just too much to ask? We do find the odd driver who goes the extra mile (excuse the pun) but more often they just don't seem to be bothered.

About a year ago we began a review of our next day courier service and our search has ended with the selection of a new carrier - UPS. As couriers go, these guys are as passionate about doing it right as we are. Their brand and client retention is build on REAL service not just delivery statistics. Their focus on control of everything UPS ensures the client experience is a positive one. This focus and professionalism opens a host of opportunities for us to be greener, more efficient and most importantly give our clients - wherever they are - the same quality service we expect from one of our own drivers.

We go live with UPS during the second half of September 2009....we cant wait and would love your feedback on the service once it goes live.