There are few things more frustrating than being told your highly anticipated package will be delivered some time between 8am and 6pm. Not knowing when the package will arrive restricts your plans for the day, especially if you really want that new device as soon as possible.
UPS has finally decided to solve this problem by rolling out a real time parcel tracking service that allows customers to see the location of their packages on a map. It won't show the specific route that a UPS driver will be taking to get the parcel to your house, but it will give you a good idea of how far away the parcel may be.
The unfortunate thing about the "Follow My Delivery" service is that it's only available for UPS' more expensive parcel services: UPS Air, and UPS Worldwide Express. The company has said that real time parcel tracking will be coming to other delivery tiers in the future, though the initial roll out is focused on premium services.
To view the tracking information, parcel recipients will have to sign up for a free UPS My Choice account, after which they can view the real-time position of the driver on their smartphone or PC. The My Choice account also gives users the ability to reroute packages to other addresses or UPS Access Points.
It's pretty surprising that many mail companies around the world haven't rolled out something like this, especially considering the internet age we're living in, but hey: it's still good to see UPS modernize their parcel delivery service.