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Investing in technology to improve your deliveries

September 4, 2010 By

If you have read our blog more than once you will know that we are big fans of using technology in our courier business.
We are early adopters of a lot of common place pieces of technology that drivers use today, and this article by Jo Bourke over at RoadTRansport.com caught our eye.

Citilink are investing in camera’s for their vehicles, in the cargo holding area and in the front of the vehicle. The Cameras will send images directly into the control room of Citilink, and if your delivery is lost they will be able to see exactly where it has gone.

From the article…

The implementation follows a three-month pilot across a number of depots, where as a result of the cameras, there were no losses of parcels, no road accidents, no damage to vans or no recorded health and safety incidents.

Russell Mannix, City Link’s head of security, says: “If a customer tells us that a parcel has not been delivered we can quickly work out what has happened. VanCam will clearly play a significant part in reducing losses and claims.”

In addition, the firm believes the security device will act as a preventative measure against attacks on drivers.

The use of the cameras is enabling the drivers to work more efficiently, more productively and drive safer. If these results are accurate, then this is a business case for all parcel companies adding van cams to their vehicles. It may mean a decrease in business for us (we get a lot of business based on parcel carriers losing or breaking items), but overall it can only be a good thing for the customers.

It’s also mentioned that the investment comes as Citilink have had to prosecute staff for parcel theft. In this scenario I feel that Citilink is partially responsible, they are responsible for what they pay their drivers, their training and how they treat them. Happy, content staff do not steal. We have never had a staff member steal, so we are very fortunate our recruitment policy is working. Staff that are paid enough and treated like adults don’t steal from their employers, and I am hoping that this was a minority for Citilink although the level of investment would indicate otherwise.

Safer driving is always to be welcomed and if part of the VanCam investment produces safer driving, then it’s worthwhile.

On a positive ending, we are looking to trialling some new pieces of kit soon, GPS tracking sensors through fleet management expert Nigel Grainger. If all works out, we’ll be using this instead of Tom Tom fleet which we were planning to upgrade to in October.

We’ll keep you posted about the trial.

Kevin

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Do you trust your courier?

September 2, 2010 By

A New York art courier, James Haggerty, was recently entrusted with a painting worth £800k, and he delivered it to it’s destination, only to find the deal had fell through. So he took it with him when he went to a bar that evening… and the worst happened – he lost it.

He is currently being sued by the paintings owner for the loss of the painting.

Trust is very important when dealing with your courier, you have to trust that they will do as they say and you have to trust that they will deliver your consignments and they know what to do if the consignment is not accepted at the point of delivery.

So how do you know if your courier is trustworthy?

  • How visible are they?
  • How easily contactable are they?
  • Do they have testimonials?
  • Can you contact customers who have used them?
  • Do they communicate effectively with their customers and listen to feed back?
  • Do they have insurance and can you see the documents?

You may have noticed to the right of this post we have a few trucks with names on – LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. You can contact us in a number of ways and join us on these sites as well as emailing or calling us. We are highly visible couriers who are dead easy to contact. That’s not to say your courier isn’t trustworthy because they are not on these sites; the more time and effort a courier puts into their presence online and offline will give you a clear indication of how long they are staying in business, how big their business is and who in their company you can contact.

We are open and transparent, as much as a business can be. We even sell guides to becoming a courier, so our business ‘secrets’ are in the public domain. You can see on sites like LinkedIn who has endorsed our services as well as testimonials on this blog. It’s all there if you do your research.

Ask around on forums, twitter and Facebook and get people to tell you who they use and who they value – often they are different companies.

Now here is the crux of the matter – what research did you do when booking your courier service? How did you select them? How do you know they are trustworthy? or did you just book and hope?

You can cut corners in business, but as the owner of the painting found, couriers are not an area in which to do that. Without research and conversations, you will never know how trustworthy your courier is. That can cost you dearly.

Sarah

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Recorded or Special delivery – what’s the difference

July 7, 2010 By

We are often called by people who don’t need a same day courier but who actually need recorded delivery or special delivery mail services.

Here’s how they work, so you can see which option you need:
Recorded delivery:
When using recorded / signed for delivery you are only covered up to £41, and you can track online whether a signature was obtained on delivery. So if you are sending low value goods then this is a good choice of delivery for you. Also good for sending job applications and other paper documents that need a proof of delivery. Bear in mind though, if the delivery window is tight, and the documents urgent, then a same day courier is what you need rather than recorded delivery.

Special delivery
Special delivery items get there the next day, you are covered up to £2,500 plus you may be entitled to compensation if it is not delivered next day. This service is perfect for sending birthday cards with gift vouchers or tickets in – double check the small print first, as with all small print some items are not covered by this delivery service. If there is no one to sign for the delivery, then the guarantee is no longer valid, and the item will be redelivered at a later date.

Price comparison: – Recorded delivery for 1 kilo package £4 / Special next day delivery £6.70

Claiming if your recorded delivery parcel is not delivered:
08457 740740 call for a claim form, you will need your receipts from the post office. Remember the person you send the item to may not be the person that signs for the item, and the loss of item may take place after the delivery aspect.

Depending on what you are sending, and how you package an item will depend on whether it reaches it’s destination – many poorly packaged items come apart as they go through the mail sorting systems. It’s nice to blame Royal Mail for this, but as the sender it’s your responsibility to see your package is strong enough to survive delivery – if it isn’t strong enough or you item is that fragile, you need a same day courier.

Kevin

Same day courier services

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The difference is in the delivery

June 16, 2010 By

I know it’s our company strapline, but it really is so true.

On Sunday I went to get my eyes tested. I specifically looked for a store that did a one hour service. If I have to go on the road without my glasses my license is no longer valid and I am driving illegally. I needed my bi annual eye test, and knew  that the service I required was the premium service and that I would have to pay extra for the glasses to be made to my prescription, so I went to Vision Express in Basildon.

They fitted me in and then did the testing. I needed new glasses so I chose them and then paid for them. After paying, the one hour premium service I was told would take two hours. Ok, so I took the family for a walk around Basildon.

I went back 2 hours later and got my glasses. They looked ok and I was happy until I tried them on. They didn’t fit over the ears and the lens didn’t look right. I queried the ear fitting and they were adjusted but they didn’t seem quite right. I had also bought a pair of driving glasses and were having them tinted for driving in the summer, so I said I would come back to collect the sunglasses on Tuesday. I also queried the bill, it appears I have been charged an additional £44 for services.

I asked what the services were, it’s only fair I had paid for them and I was told it was for the case. Expensive case and I had no choice, I had to pay it. I left the shop unhappy, the glasses did not feel right and I felt some what disturbed that a generic glasses case is ‘services’ and just added to my bill with no explanation.

When I got home I examined the glasses closer, the workmanship was shoddy and the lens were wonky. I need the glasses for driving, so I had to go back on Monday.

On Monday Vision Express admitted the lens were wonky and that was why they didn’t fit over the ears, slid down my nose etc.  They would replace them. They were happy to blame someone called Adam. They made a few phone calls and said could I come back Tuesday for the new glasses as they were out of stock on one of the lens. I wasn’t happy, this is the one hour premium service that I had bought here -

  • Only it wasn’t one hour, it was two
  • I was only informed of that after I had paid
  • I was now having to come to Basildon to have shoddy workmanship corrected
  • I was now having to come back a third time

Vison Express Basildon is apparently a franchise, well they need to look at their operations manual again – their delivery is appalling. They must be the worst retailers on the high street, they have turned getting glasses from a sprint into a marathon.

Tuesday I went back to the store and they had the glasses, the lens replaced after a 30 minute wait and then asked to come back. I returned 90 mins later to find my new glasses were still wonky, they had a bent bridge, but after waiting 30 minute more I was invited back to the store on Wednesday.

Let’s get this straight, premium service that so far still cannot  deliver after 2 days what I paid for.  What I have received is shoddy glasses, poorly made and asked to take more time off of work to get a pair of glasses that I need to drive. Vision Express must feel somewhat guilty they offered me another pair of glasses to the value of £60 to be made up. How do I know how long it will take me to get a decent second pair? I already have a tinted pair! How many more do I need? And I don’t want to be paying an extra £40 for a case for the ‘glasses to make up for the crap I have had to put up with’

I am not going back to the store until Saturday, you see they now have to get a new frame from Chatham as Thurrock didnt have one the same frame.  Some premium service this is turning out to be. No courier service to deliver the frames between stores, so I have to wait. They also have to wait for me, I am not taking another day off of work just so they can sort out their business practices.

Don’t promise a premium service and then fail to deliver it, the difference is in the delivery.

Kevin

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Do you know what vehicle to book from your courier?

June 8, 2010 By

When  booking your courier service it is essential to know what size vehicle you need for the job.

  • Motorcycle couriers – carry a top box that can take a maximum weight of 8kilos and measures 30 x 20 x 20 cms so is ideal for documents and small packages, and high value but small items
  • Small van couriers can take items between 450-500kgs and their load space is 1.2 x 1.2 x 1 metres
  • Transit vans can take items up to 1000kgs and their load space is 3.0 x 1.7 x 1.6 metres
  • Sprinters / XLB Transits can take up to 900kgs in weight and their load is 4.2 x 1.7 x 1.6 metres

If you don’t know what vehicle, you need to be able to tell the courier the weight and dimensions of the item needing to be delivered.

As you can see from the above dimensions an item that weighs 10kgs but is 40 x 40 x 40 cms has to go by a small van, it’s too big for a motorcyle courier.

The same applies for much larger items if an item is over the dimensions or weight for a transit van or a sprinter, then the next size up is a 7.5 tonne lorry.

Each vehicle has a different cost to you the customer, as each one has different needs. People think a motorcycle courier will be cheaper than a small van courier, but modern motorcycles are highly tuned machines and the drivers highly skilled at driving through traffic – they work at their absolute best when delivering to a deadline, and that is what you pay a premium for.

If a delivery isn’t as rushed, then a small van courier would save you some money (but not a lot).

When booking your courier services you need to know either the vehicle size / capacity that you need or the dimensions of the item being sent.

If you don’t know either, you will get the wrong service with the wrong vehicle if your courier doesn’t ask.

Don’t get overcharged, the devil is in the details, so know them!

Sarah

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