Please speed my package via reindeer express to the good folks at DAAD in Bonn.

I’ve been a very good boy, working hard to prepare all the required documentation, and I hope they like it!

That’s all, thank you very much.

I used to think (maybe because of movies like Cast Away) that courier companies (like FedEx) operate 24/7/365 anywhere. After all, they operate their own extensive airplane fleets. So, getting urgent documents sent to Germany on a Saturday to arrive Tuesday at latest wouldn’t be a problem…

“I’m sorry sir, you can send it now, but it will only be shipped Monday morning” was the standard reply at the Post Office and PostNet (who outsource to DHL). What? Don’t courier companies fly 100 planes on a Saturday? Not in South Africa, clearly. “Your best bet will probably be FedEx, but I can’t help you with getting in touch with them”.

No sweat my friend, I’ve got the internet, so I’ll manage.

And so I went to FedEx’s website.

I can’t count myself to be an expert in site navigation structure, but Fedex’s sucks. After trying to figure out what and where for a while, I asked Abraham whether he’d used them before. “No ways, they’re way too expensive, and you have to have an account. We just import through them sometimes.” At least it made a little sense that I couldn’t just get some straightforward information on pricing, timeframes and pickup from the site – I’m sort of excluded from their business model. Fine. I (reluctantly) made peace with the fact that I was going to be a little late.

So I went to DHL’s site (I don’t really use couriers, so I forgot about UPS) – Damn, what a change. Immediately, right in my face, was what I wanted.

I selected “Express Services” from the Services dropdown.

I clicked “TimeDefinite” (which was clearly indicated as “The ideal choice for time-critical and express deliveries”)

I chose between “International” and “Local”

Next, I chose “Worldwide Document Express”

Okay, so now I knew which service I wanted to use. Next step? Click “Book a Pick-up”, and fill in the form.

Slick. But that’s not the important part. The navigation was simple, a crucial factor. Choose between 3 options. Refine between another 3 options. Know exactly where you are at all times. Sensible layout, with really effective use of colour. Somehow, it just all made sense. I was impressed.

UPDATE: Because of the rush, I ended up looking up the nearest DHL office, drove there (it was only about 6km from our office), and dropped the envelope off. The guy at the service counter was professional, friendly and knowledgeable (he even knew where Bonn was, and suggested confirming the address formatting and codes - which he promptly did).

Marketing always talks about locking in a customer for life. They've got me...

I feel as though I’ve let the blogging world down. I even feel as though I’ve left myself down. I thought it would be really dramatic if I restart posting with a title like “I’ve been busy: …” and list the crazy amount of stuff I’ve been spending crazy hours on. Somehow though, the prospect of making a dramatic entry has become less and less appetising, maybe because I’ve gotten so used to what I’m doing that it doesn’t seem so remarkable anymore. I WILL post something thoughtful and useful in the next while, I just have to get some things out of the way… Things? I’ve been invited to work on my PhD in Bremen, Germany, with a research group including some of the biggest names in the Knowledge Management world, many of them from Harvard (yes, that Harvard). But first, I’ve got to sort the official stuff out, which is what I’m spending substantial time on. In between, I’ve been training people to use SASPAC, finishing off the online version of the package, written some of the most comprehensive CSS and XHTML I’ve ever done, and worked with incredible source photography for a big site I’m doing. The world is spinning, and I love it.