UPS to Deliver Documents Via the Internet

In addition to drivers in brown trucks, United Parcel Service will soon begin using the Internet to deliver documents.

UPS, which has been in the ground-delivery business for 90 years, is counting on its name and reputation for reliability to propel it into electronic delivery. Wednesday, the company announced UPS Document Exchange, a service that delivers without truck, plane or other vehicle.

The service, which will be offered late in the second quarter, is aimed at traditional UPS customers who are reluctant to use the Internet for information exchanges because of concerns about security and safety. The Atlanta-based company is teaming with two small technology firms that offer electronic delivery.

Mark Rhoney, UPS marketing vice president for electronic commerce, said financial, insurance and real estate businesses, law firms and health-care providers will be among the first customers targeted.

Deerfield, Ill.-based NetDox, which uses an encryption and identity-verification method, is helping with UPS OnLine Dossier, which insures each transaction up to $100,000 against losses resulting from the service’s failure. It is designed for the most critical and confidential documents.

Another service, designed for wider use with different levels of security options, will be called UPS OnLine Courier. Developed with Redwood City, Calif.-based Tumbleweed Software, it allows customers to send documents to anyone, regardless of the e-mail software or operating system used at either end.

Both services will offer electronic tracking, which UPS has used for ground and air packages since 1994 on its Web site.

Rhoney said the cost probably will be lower than that for physical delivery.