UPS has expanded UPS Next Day Air Early, its earliest small-package delivery service, by another 12,680 Zip codes to create an earlier guaranteed-delivery option for customers in locations that previously had only end-of-day guarantees.

The service now reaches 94 percent of Zip codes and 98 percent of businesses in the U.S. with the expansion. The new ZIP codes are primarily in extended areas, which means customers will receive their packages by noon or 2 p.m. UPS expanded the guaranteed service in two phases, the first phase in November 2015 and again last month. Saturday service is also available to certain destinations.

“Already we’ve seen manufacturers, healthcare companies and professional services, such as financial firms, respond to the expansion,” said Alan Gershenhorn, executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “Getting a package by noon or 2 p.m. has proven to be attractive.  For example, businesses use those additional hours to process documents faster, or to turn inventory or lab specimens around quicker.”

In the U.S, the service UPS Next Day Air Early A.M. was renamed UPS Next Day Air Early to note that it is the first available delivery. In Canada, UPS Express Early A.M. was renamed UPS Express Early. UPS was the first to introduce an early a.m. service in 1994.

“This expansion is in response to customers’ needs for urgent and reliable deliveries,” said Gershenhorn. “Healthcare laboratories, for example, want to receive specimens quickly to process patients’ test results faster. Small business and professional service providers, such as accountants, compete on service. We also see consumers who need early deliveries, such as the home health patient who needs something quickly.”