DHL, an express delivery and logistics company, is letting customers using its Global ProView product track their shipments using a mobile phone.

Global ProView, a tool that enables customers of DHL's Time Definite International (TDI) Express services to track all their shipments, will let customers get real-time notifications via SMS text message alert whenever a shipment is delivered, picked up or hits a snag in the delivery chain.

"Text messages are being used in business on a global scale," said Robert Mintz, public relations manager for DHL, Plantation, FL. "DHL has been offering an SMS tracking solution since 2001.

"[Now] ProView provides shipment visibility and event notifications to our customers on the status of their shipments," he said. "Since our customers require this time-sensitive information in the office and on the go, DHL has specific delivery mechanisms targeted to support them."

When customers require updates about specific shipments, say, on whether they have already cleared customs, they can register this shipment and provide a phone number as a contact point.

In this case they automatically receive the event notification through text messages.

Customers can also choose when, how and which notifications are sent and who receives them -- whether that customer is the sender, receiver or third-party payer.

DHL first introduced ProView to the U.S. market in 2006 and has seen high adoption rates.

Following the successful users' acceptance test in the United States and other regions, Global ProView will now be rolled out in most key markets by the end of the year.

Designed to suit the needs of customers with a large number of TDI shipments, ProView is positioned as a service that can help them save significant time.

Instead of following individual shipments through waybills or reference numbers, Global ProView enables customers to monitor all shipments with their account number, which is password- and PIN-protected for security.

Once registered, customers can search, filter and download the shipment information they require with just a few clicks. Shipments can also be grouped into categories based on their current tracking status.

"At DHL, our global SMS tracking service is heavily used especially in Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East and Africa," Mr. Mintz said. "This and the newly updated Global ProView services provide the foundation for delivering tracking events to our customers' cell phones across the globe.

"The mobile portion provides event notifications to customers, so that they can always be aware of the relevant status of their shipments, whether they are in the office or on the move," he said. "Providing this service proactively via ProView is an extension of the existing SMS tracking service."