ICT Group Inc.'s alerting service — which uses advanced interactive voice response technology to proactively provide customers with information through the delivery of automated, customized messages — will support APX Logistics Inc.'s recently unveiled Hold for Pickup service.
ICT Group, which provides customer management and business process outsourcing solutions, and APX Logistics, a business-to-consumer package delivery provider, announced the integrated joint marketing initiative yesterday.
The free Hold for Pickup service, which was launched in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service, lets mailers shipping high-value and heavyweight goods give customers the choice of having the USPS hold packages at local post offices for 10 calendar days instead of dropping them off at their home.
Shippers using Hold for Pickup notify each customer of the post office holding the package. If the package is not picked up within three days of arrival, the USPS sends another notice to the customer. Items are held 10 days before being returned to the shipper.
The service is now available in 5,600 of the country's 38,000 post offices. Dell Inc., Austin, TX, is using the service.
ICT Group's alerting service will let customers know first when their order has shipped and, secondly, when their order is ready for pickup at their post office.
ICT, Newtown, PA, and APX, Santa Fe Springs, CA, expect to generate 100,000 alerts monthly, supporting the Dell initiative. The companies said they also are pursuing joint business opportunities with other prospects for similar applications.
Melissa Campanelli covers postal news, CRM and database marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
