Customer service can be subjective, depending on the circumstances and the specific area of the country you happen to be located. Unlike a comparison of UPS vs FedEx rates, when you compare UPS to FedEx customer service, you'll find some real and some anecdotal differences.
While the UPS vs FedEx rates battle ensues, UPS claims that its high employee pay and benefits package provides incentive for more consistent and better customer service. UPS recently improved customer service by expanding IT systems. Increasingly, customers are demanding more timely and sophisticated package tracking. In response, UPS developed an advanced tracking information system. Fast, easy, and reliable, the system allows customers to track a package on the Internet without having to use the UPS website. This is one way to compare UPS to FedEx, but not the only way to judge customer service.
FedEx customers, on the other hand, insist that their employees will be motivated to provide the best customer service possible. When you compare UPS to FedEx anecdotally, one FedEx customer noted that after contacting Customer Service about the status of a package, FedEx indicated they could not directly contact their drivers. In contrast, the customer added that UPS would usually make several attempts to deliver a package on the same day if a customer asks for a later delivery time. Clearly, if you're only looking at UPS vs FedEx rates, you're not getting the whole picture.
When you compare UPS to FedEx in terms of solving delivery problems, UPS seems to suffer a bit, which from a customer service standpoint can be unnerving. Some customers have indicated that UPS phone reps are limited to what a web search can uncover. They say that, in some cases, reps will only talk to the shipper, who can perform a "file a trace." This process typically takes a week and by then the package has usually arrived. Other customers report that FedEx reps are more helpful and go beyond simply deferring problems to the shipper. Unlike UPS, FedEx tells their drivers to re-deliver "signature only" packages the same day. As you can see, it is important to go beyond a UPS vs FedEx rates comparison to find a shipping company that is right for you.