If you’re on the hunt for a local courier delivery service, don’t become overwhelmed and settle for the first one you find! They’re handling valuable documents or products for your business.
You need to choose a courier service that provides quality service and is worthy of your trust. Read on for our list of qualities that make a courier stand out from the rest!
Reliability
Reliability is one of the most important qualities of a courier delivery service. You don’t want to deal with the extra headache of retrieving lost packages or replacing damaged ones.
A good way to determine whether a company is reliable is to check that they’re licensed to operate in your area, bonded, and insured. You can also look at their online ratings and see what the majority of customers think about the company.
These two simple steps will give you a good idea of whether you can depend on this company to deliver your packages safely.
Another way to ensure that the company will safely deliver your packages is to see if they provide a service guarantee. You want to find a company that will guarantee responsibility for the package until it reaches its final destination.
Experience
A courier service with years of experience and good reviews is a step up from newer companies. This is because established courier services have their logistics coordination smoothed out, have a more extensive network, and are able to troubleshoot issues that occur quickly.
Professionalism
The courier service you choose will become an acting agent of your business, so you want to make sure they present themselves in a professional way. If their employees dress or act unprofessionally, this can reflect badly on your business.
How do the drivers present themselves – do they wear professional-looking uniforms, or are the majority of them in t-shirts and jeans? Do they have identification badges? What do their vehicles look like, and are they in good condition?
Communication
What is their customer service like? When problems or questions do arise, you want to know that you’ll be treated with the same courtesy that you provide for your own clients.
You also want to know that there’s direct, open communication between customer service representatives, drivers, and dispatchers in case any issues arise. Courier services with this level of communication will still be able to deliver your package in a timely manner. Unforeseen interruptions in service like breakdowns, wrong addresses, or traffic accidents won’t be a hindrance.
Lastly, is the technology they use advanced enough to meet these communication and tracking requirements? If the company isn’t up-to-date, this can degrade the amount of communication needed to keep track of unforeseen events and delivery times.
You’ll also need to make sure they’re able to provide a digital proof of delivery once the package is dropped off. We all know how frustrating it can be to wait to see if a package arrived at its destination safely.
Ease of Use
It’s important that when it’s time to send a package, the courier has a simple order system for picking up, tracking, and dropping off. The coordination of logistics shouldn’t be difficult, drawn-out, or confusing on your end.
Many companies provide web interfaces or even apps to make your deliveries.
Pricing
Take a look at a few different courier services to determine their delivery rates. While same-day deliveries are never cheap, the estimate they give you should be priced competitively, and some can even negotiate a fixed or monthly rate if you’re planning on using the service on a regular basis.
Their pricing should be clear on their website without any hidden fees, or a service agent should be able to talk to you for all the details.
Types of Packages
You want to ensure that the courier you choose accepts the packages that you’ll need to send. Most of them have limits on what they process, such as:
- Sensitive documents
- Oversized/freight shipments
- Medical or hazardous products
- Signature required packages
- International packages
- Refrigerated packages
What are their additional fees for these special packages, and does that fit within your budget if you send them frequently? By asking and answering these questions now, you’ll save yourself headaches down the road.
Levels of Service
You want to make sure that the courier service you choose is able to ship your packages in a timely manner. There needs to be enough variety and flexibility in their services so that the majority of your shipping needs can be met without needing to go to separate companies.
Does their website give approximate times when packages will be delivered, or are their terms vague? For instance, does their same day service have a cut-off of 5 pm, or do they also give options to ship within 2 hours?
It’s important that they’re also able to provide scheduled route options that you can count on if you have recurring deliveries.
The Best Local Courier Delivery Service
Choosing the best local courier delivery service requires some initial research, but the payoff is worth it. You want to be able to rely on your courier and know that they’re representing your business in the best light.
By thinking about your business’s service needs, budget, and the typical packages you send, it should now be easier to narrow down which courier delivery service is best for your business.
10-21 Sunrise Delivery is a reliable, experienced, and family-run courier service based in Ottawa. To see how we can meet your delivery needs, contact us here!