Whether deliveries are a primary function of your business, or you are expanding to include home delivery services, choosing the right courier that offers an appropriate delivery service is vital. Sending every parcel individually, relying on standard delivery services, and only offering basic delivery means that your potential customers could look elsewhere for a more convenient and more beneficial alternative.

Finding a reliable courier

Finding the right courier shouldn’t be hard: Just choose the one that offer the most delivery options, as well as features that are specifically developed for a B2B relationship.  So, what a reliable courier should be offering to its partner (read: you)?

1. Reputation

We can’t deny the fact that reputation is important.  If a courier is known as accurate and dependable, it’s a no-brainer for a business to partner with the company.  Ask around and read reviews online for shortlisting potential partners, and finally choose the best for your business.

2. A range of delivery options

Clients expect delivery options, rather than a single delivery service, and this is especially true of commerce and ecommerce companies. Many people will want to take delivery of items when they are at home, which means weekend or evening deliveries, while some will make time to wait for important deliveries but will require an accurate and dependable delivery service. If your courier can’t offer these services, then it means that you won’t be able to meet the requirements and demands of your potential customers. Couriers like TNT Direct offer a range of delivery options, which means that you can offer a similarly expansive range to your clients.

You may not offer same day or even next day delivery as a standard option, but if your courier can provide this service for an additional charge, then it means that you can provide another choice for customers. Impulse buys and urgent, last minute purchases are those that will be most likely to require these delivery options.

3. Online tracking capability

Online tracking may not directly benefit you, but if you are able to provide it to your customers, then this could reduce calls and emails received from customers that want an update on the status of their delivery. You should, at the very least, receive notification when a parcel has been delivered, so that you know that it has arrived at its intended destination when it was supposed to.

4. Adequate insurance coverage

Always check insurance policies and the level of coverage that you will receive. No matter how careful the courier, and how professional the courier service, there is still a chance of breakage or damage to items during transit. If the courier does not have suitable insurance policies in place, then this means that you could be left out of pocket and with a damaged reputation with your customers.

Takeaway

It is easy to see a courier as being nothing more than a regular expenditure. Saving money on courier services is obviously important, especially for small businesses that are often operating on restricted budgets, but it is more important to find true value, rather than simply opting for the lowest price.

Photo credit: TNT Corporate Communications / Flickr