How to Embed a UPS Tracking Number in an Email
By Jeff Grundy
When servicing customers outside your local area, you may receive requests to ship products or documents via UPS. When shipping items or documents with UPS, it is good business etiquette to provide the recipient with the tracking number of the shipment so he or she can determine the current location and status of the package. While you can simply send the tracking number to the customer in an email, inserting a clickable tracking-number link allows the recipient to track the package instantly without having to navigate the UPS site and search for the shipment manually.
UPS Email Notification Service
Open your Web browser and navigate to the UPS website. Click the "My UPS" tab on the home page, and then log in with your username and password.
Position the mouse cursor over the "Shipping" tab, and then click "Create a Shipment" on the drop-down list.
Enter contact and address details for the recipient in the "Where is this shipment going?" section. When entering the receiver's contact information, ensure that you type his or her valid email address in the "E-mail" field.
Select packaging and service options in the "What are you shipping?" and "How would you like to ship?" sections. Enable the "Send E-mail Notifications" option in the "How would you like to ship?" section.
Enter invoice numbers or other reference numbers if needed in the "Would you like to add reference numbers to this shipment?" fields.
Select a billing option for the shipment in the "How would you like to pay?" section.
Enable the "Schedule a UPS On-Call Pickup" option if you don’t ship packages regularly and your location is not on a UPS driver's daily pickup route or schedule.
Click "Next," and then review the shipment details. After ensuring all the shipment details are correct, click the "Ship" button. A new page opens listing the details of the shipment along with the tracking number. UPS sends a notification email with the tracking number to the recipient automatically. If the recipient clicks the tracking link inside the email, the tracking details page for the shipment opens on the UPS website and displays current location and shipment status for the package or letter.
Embedding Tracking Links Manually
Open your preferred email desktop application, or log in to your webmail account.
Click "Compose" or "New" to create a new email message.
Enter the recipient's email address or select him or her from your address book as you normally would. Type "Your Shipment Tracking Number" or something similar in the "Subject" field.
Enter additional text as needed in the "Body" or "Message" box. Press the "Enter" key to create a line break below the text, and then copy and paste the following link code:
http://wwwapps.ups.com/WebTracking/track?track=yes&trackNums=1ZXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Replace the "1ZXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" variable with the actual UPS tracking number for the shipment.
Click send to send the email message. When the recipient clicks the URL link in the message, his or her browser opens and displays the tracking details page for the shipment.
Tips
Virtually all UPS tracking numbers contain 18 digits and start with "1Z."
References
Resources
Writer Bio
Jeff Grundy has been writing computer-related articles and tutorials since 1995. Since that time, Grundy has written many guides to using various applications that are published on numerous how-to and tutorial sites. Born and raised in South Georgia, Grundy holds a Master of Science degree in mathematics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.