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Welcome to ConnectShip Community News: March 2018 Edition



This is an exciting time to be in the logistics solutions industry – it’s transforming so rapidly! Luckily, we have the advantage of collaborating with a network of partners and carriers to build our go-to-market strategy. In this issue of the ConnectShip Community Newsletter, read about the people and programs we have lined up for 2018 and see how we met service expectations during the 2017 peak season.

Industry Events

REACH Public Webinar: Endicia Global Advantage Program for International Shippers



In our first 2018 REACH webinar, Shea Felix, Senior Global Marketing Manager of Endicia, presented the “Global Advantage Program,” which simplifies international shipping. View the webinar at your convenience below.


New Case Study Available!

Case Study: Bob Jones University
The Christian liberal arts university, Bob Jones University, in Greenville, South Carolina, partnered with us on a case study to describe how our Professional Shipping Station application helped them to provide better efficiency and customer service. Reach out to our business development team at salessupport@connectship.com to find out more about our complete Online Suite of products or to build a case study to highlight your company.
Components and Updates

New LaserShip Component Coming Soon:

We will soon be expanding our regional carrier offering with the new LaserShip Component for shipping in the eastern U.S. The component will provide support for these services and accessorials for business and residential deliveries:

Services:
  • Same Day
  • Routed Delivery
  • Weekend Delivery

Accessorials:
  • Declared Value
  • Signature Required
  • Adult Signature Required

Contact salessupport@connectship.com to order the component


Important Reminders

UPS to Migrate to New Digital Certificate

UPS customers using UPSlink or Electronic Manifest Tool (EMT) to transmit Package Level Detail (PLD) should be aware that UPS will soon begin migrating to the Comodo digital certificate. This migration is in response to industry changes and mandates, and will maintain secure communication between customer shipping systems and UPS.



Upgrade to FedEx v15.x.

We take great care to ensure that our software is updated to remain compliant with carrier requirements and compatibility. On April 30, 2018, support for FSMS v13.x will end. Contact your FedEx representative for information on upgrading to FSMS v15.x before that deadline. On May 1, 2018, we will support FSMS v15.x exclusively as we work to certify FSMS v17.x. We will keep you informed when FSMS v17.x becomes available.

Train to Maintain in 2018


Register for the upcoming September on-site training session today.

We provide both online and onsite opportunities to train on the latest advances of our software. Include ConnectShip training in your business plan! It’s great for your employees and gives your business the edge.
New Marketing Opportunities
Free marketing is when someone has a great experience and recommends a product or company to a friend, or when you take advantage of the many ways we promote our partners: on our website, through case studies, or when we team up for industry events. Paid marketing is when you leverage the great advertising and sponsorship opportunities we’ve created around our website, training classes, webinars, and social media presence. Let your Channel Sales Manager know that you want a presentation about all of these new opportunities.
Peak Shipping By the Numbers
The 2017 Peak Shipping period challenged carriers and shippers alike. Customers want their packages sooner -- rain, snow or shine. Cyber Monday alone jumped 16.6% to $6.6 billion in sales. Here’s how we managed the high volume of packages for our customers:

35 pieces/second - number of pieces processed through the ConnectShip online application on December 18, 2017 (tracked in 10-minute intervals)

109 pieces/second – combined ConnectShip volume in 2017

0% - amount of unplanned downtime at the ConnectShip data center in Seattle during the peak season
Meet the Database Team


Talal Karkutly
Database Analyst Project Lead


Talal joined UPS in 1995 where he worked on UPS online. In 1997, he joined the original iShip team working as a QA Analyst. After that, he worked in support, then software development, and finally database architecture, development, data analysis, and warehousing. In his free time, Talal enjoys watching his sons play premier soccer as well as playing and watching soccer himself, whenever he can. He and his wife enjoy watching operas and tasting many of the fine wines made in Washington state.


Clinton Obene
Tech Database Analyst


Clinton started with ConnectShip in Technical Support in February of 2008. He transitioned to the iShip Database team as a Technical Database Analyst in April of 2014. Clinton has been married for 25 years and has five children (all who are college graduates!) and three grand-children. He and his wife are involved in a local church ministry and volunteer at Tulsa Dream Center.


Milen Petkov
Tech Database Analyst


Milen joined the iShip team in February of 2005 as a Database Administrator. He is married and has two daughters. When he isn’t cooking, canning, and making all kinds of breads, jams, and juices, he enjoys hiking, reading history books, and making improvements around his home.


Valerie Onianwa
Tech Database Analyst


Valerie began her work with ConnectShip in October of 2005. Since her start, she has worked as a QA Analyst and Technical Database Analyst. Valerie is married and has two daughters in high school and a son in Pre-K. Her favorite thing to do is to travel to new places and experience new cultures.


Farewell to a Friend and Welcome to Two New Team Members
It’s always difficult to say goodbye to someone who’s had such a positive impact on your work. Last month we said a fond farewell to Director of Operations, Tim Hooper, who has accepted a position in Customer Program Management at UPS. He joined ConnectShip in 2012 where he developed and managed the strategic partnerships that have enabled our business to grow, all while developing the people he led. We will miss him as we wish him the best of luck in his new position.
Fortunately, we are gaining a Tim as well! Tim Leary joined the team on March 1 as the ConnectShip Director of Operations. Tim will be responsible for sales, marketing, new partnerships, legal, support, and finance. He was the Customer Program Management International Operations Manager at UPS where his focus was on global standardization and support of strategy and growth in each of the global regions of UPS. Tim is based in Newton, MA and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston College.
Another welcome addition to the Business Development team is Heidi Albers, who joined ConnectShip on January 10, 2018 as a Channel Sales Supervisor. She will focus on the development of new VAR relationships and product sales.

Heidi began her career with UPS in 2004 as a seasonal loader at the St Paul, MN hub twilight sort. In 2010, Heidi accepted a position as a Strategic Sales Support Representative. She has held positons as Middle Market Account Executive and Enterprise Account Executive. She was promoted to Healthcare Senior Account Manager in 2016.

Heidi graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the Minnesota School of Business and an MBA from American Public University. Heidi started a UPS Toastmasters club within the Illinois district.