How to recommend a same day courier service

Often you see ‘asks’ or ‘requests’ for a same day courier on twitter or in forums. Then a flurry of tweets that recommend suitable couriers to the person that asked.

Normally the person doesn’t specify the type of courier they require and say “same day courier” because they want the items to get their the same day, then squeak at the cost. I shall address the pricing issue in a moment.

There are a huge range of courier services available, just take a look at some of the ones that we do -

Same day courier

Overnight Courier

Two man delivery teams

High value delivery

Airfreight couriers

Parcel courier

Time critical delivery

Quite a few! So when you are crowd sourcing your courier it helps to be specific about what needs to be moved -

• “I need a courier to collect and deliver a sideboard”
• “I need a courier to collect and deliver office equipment”
• “I need a courier to deliver documents today”

They will all get you the right kind of courier, providing that the person recommending knows what type of courier you actually are.

Also remember, different items need different size vehicles so recommending a courier service that only has transit vans will cost more than a courier service with a mixed fleet or small vans.

Courier pricing, this always gets a sharp intake of breath as people compare the cost of a courier to the cost of posting something by the Royal Mail. If it can go by post and isn’t that urgent and it doesn’t matter if it’s lost or delayed, then sending it by Royal Mail will always be the cheapest option. If you have regular items for mail, you can get a franking machine or smartpost and save a few pence per stamp.

If an item has to be delivered halfway across the country, 5 hours driving and a tank of fuel don’t expect it to cost £20 to  be delivered.

Seriously, think twice before trying to work out what you courier will cost. Get a few quotes for courier services and decide which one best fits your needs, and that may not be the cheapest and it may not be the all singing all dancing version. If you absolutely insist on trying to calculate roughly how much it would be you need to factor in

• Drivers time at at least minimum wage
• Fuel
• Time spent loading and unloading
• How many people are required to complete the delivery
• How long you are prepared to wait for the item to arrive

Then you may get a ball park figure, remember to add in some profit as well, you don’t work for nothing so don’t expect your courier company too!

When calculating the fuel remember that a commercial vehicle is heavier than most domestic vehicles, so the fuel consumption is greater.

Phew! Quite a lot to consider and you only wanted a courier service recommendation didn’t you!

Bear this in mind and next time you see a forum post asking for one or a tweet with someone looking for one, a few questions may be in order to find the right kind of courier service for the person.

Sarah