The ultimate paper chase 

Based in Woodbury, N.Y., Titleserv, Inc. is a leading provider of title insurance, appraisal and settlement services nationwide. The company primarily focuses on closing residential loans and works directly with banks and law firms to ensure that closings are completed quickly and accurately.

In this extremely competitive industry, Titleserv's product quality, technology and timely service make it stand out from its competitors. Because deadlines are always tight, having a reliable shipping partner is essential to keep clients happy.

 Mission critical

Titleserv depends on exact delivery dates for urgent documents like closing instructions, executed documents and payoff checks.

"These are mission-critical documents that simply cannot be delayed. If a check arrives late, not only do we have to pay the extra interest charges, but we also have to apologize to the bank and the borrower," says David Eisenberg, Chief Information Officer at Titleserv, Inc.

Since deadlines are always looming, Titleserv needed a shipping partner offering dependable next day service and able to accommodate late pick ups and drop offs for last-minute shipments.

The company also wanted to cut down on time spent preparing shipments and processing bills. With more than 1,000 packages and documents going in and out the door every week, Titleserv had to dedicate a full-time employee to preparing and organizing shipments.

Closing early and often

Titleserv has teamed up with UPS to handle its critical shipments. These documents are so time-sensitive that more than 90 percent are sent via UPS Next Day Air®.

UPS offers the flexibility and technology to help Titleserv work with customers all over the country, around the clock. UPS makes Titleserv the last pick up of the day, at 7:30 p.m., so its urgent documents can get out the door and on a plane just in time.

What's more, if Titleserv has a late night and needs to send something out after the pick up time, it can use one of UPS's many access points, including drop boxes, customer counters and UPS Store® locations. In fact, UPS has more than 125,000 access points in the U.S., more than any other delivery company.

UPS technology solutions have helped Titleserv operate more efficiently and reduce employee staff time spent on shipping. UPS QuantumView® allows both the company and the clients to track shipments on their desktops, in real time. Plus, it is integrated into Titleserv's Web-based software, Titletrak®.

"QuantumView lets us provide clients with direct feeds of their shipment status," says Eisenberg. "This takes work off our hands as well because we don't have to get those 'where's my package' calls. Shipping information is fed electronically to Titletrak which, in turn, feeds it directly to the banks. It all happens seamlessly in real-time."

UPS BillingData® helps Titleserv streamline the billing process. With access to a full shipping report, the company can better manage costs.

"All the notes and information are right there on the report, so it's a lot more convenient and a lot safer. Actual shipping costs are integrated directly into our accounting system. We know what's going in and out the door, who's responsible for it and what the cost is," says Eisenberg.

Returns also are an important piece of the puzzle, so Titleserv includes a UPS return label with many of its shipments. Titleserv's previous shipper included paper waybills for return shipments instead of pre-printed labels, which were inconvenient for the customer to use and difficult to track.

"A lot of paperwork needs to be signed and returned," says Eisenberg. "When we prepare a shipment which needs to be returned to us, we automatically include a return label in the envelope, saving our clients the hassle of recreating their own labels. UPS worked with us to streamline this process so there is no lost revenue or missing labels."

Time, and timing, is money

Within one year of switching to UPS, Titleserv saved approximately 34 percent on shipping costs and improved efficiency with the new technology solutions. Eisenberg estimates that the technology solutions also have saved the time of one full-time employee.

"The technology is a time and cost saver," says Eisenberg. "Instead of having a dedicated employee shipping and weighing documents all day, these things can be fed electronically and processed automatically. Now that employee is doing other valuable work for our company and we have more control and accuracy than ever before."

The new solutions have not only streamlined workflow and eliminated routine, but also reduced errors. After implementing UPS QuantumView, Titleserv found that a client was billing the company inaccurately for unrelated shipping costs. Titleserv identified and requested a refund for the erroneous charges, which totaled approximately $19,000. Before using QuantumView, Titleserv did not have the visibility to catch these kinds of mistakes amid the enormous volume.

"It's opened a world of efficiencies and helped us meet our clients' demands," says Eisenberg. "UPS does what it takes to help our business run smoothly."