EXE Technologies will supply data-warehouse management and its Exceed electronic fulfillment system. We partner to get the capabilities that our customers need. It provides these services for free, with the hopes that startups will use FedEx as their primary packing and shipping provider. Increasingly, more companies are promoting self-help among their customers by making internal information available to customers via the Internet. USFreightways lets its customers view reports and documents online using document imaging.
Customers can also receive rate quotes and track the status and location of shipments online.
Roadway Express has been able to reach smaller customers with its extranet, which is important to customers because traditional technologies such as electronic data interchange are too costly for small companies to implement, says Dave Pavlich, director of E-commerce technologies at Roadway Express. All this innovation isn't relegated to the roads. Continental Airlines Inc., for instance, is helping its customers help themselves by installing electronic ticket machines at various airports. Travel customers can forgo the ticket agent and purchase tickets without having to wait in long lines. But if you need customer service, we have the technology to care for our customers' needs.