How to choose a courier

How your customers view your business doesn’t stop with your website and product range; their first impressions start on your website and ends with them receiving the goods they ordered. The quality of your courier is as important as the quality of your products.

Customers can be pretty unforgiving when it comes to getting their orders late, or worse still damaged. This means that the way you chose to have your products delivered is essential.

“The importance of choosing the right courier service is often ignored or underestimated by businesses,” says Paul Doble, director and ecommerce expert at DX, an independent logistics and parcel distribution company.

“When a company chooses to partner with a particular courier firm, that business will immediately become an extension of their brand. As a result, any failings on the part of the courier will have a negative impact on the company’s image and reputation.”

There are a number of things you should think about when deciding on a courier service.

1.    Is the price right?

This doesn’t always mean is it the cheapest option. You need to weigh up how important it is that your product is delivered safely and swiftly and getting the deal cheaply. If it is the cheapest possible price, there might be a good reason for this. Somewhere in the mid-range might be the best choice.

Also see if they are willing to offer deals for bulk deliveries and repeat custom.

2.    Have they had good reviews?

A company can tell you whatever it likes when you approach them with business but they can’t hide from reviews. Do some research and see what people have said about the company. Couriers are a regular topic on business forums or you can do a quick check on sites like Trust Pilot which let you search for a company then provide the reviews.

3.    Are they flexible?

If a courier company truly cares about becoming a partner of yours and getting repeat business they will try and understand your needs and match them accordingly.

“A dedicated logistics firm will make an effort to get to grips with the specific needs and principles of the company it is working for,” says Doble.

“As such, business should look for a courier that shows a real interest in their objectives and is then willing to tailor a solution around those requirements. These companies tend to measure their success against their clients’ satisfaction levels, and will always go that extra mile to fulfil their needs.”

4.    Are they international?

If you have a global customer base it might make sense for you to chose a courier service that can look after all of your logistics needs including overseas deliveries. It could make your life a whole lot easier if you only deal with one name.

5.    Is there a tracking ability?

If your goods are travelling far it might be beneficial for you to be able to track where your parcels are. This means if they do happen to be late, you can quickly and easily find out where they are.

Some of the bigger ecommerce sites such as ASOS even give their customers the ability to track their parcels themselves. This might be something to keep in mind as it gives that extra customer service.

6.    Do they have robust customer service

You need to know that when something goes wrong, you can speak to someone quickly and directly. There is nothing worse when you are trying to sort out a pressing problem than being confronted with an email that doesn’t get answered, a customer help line that is never picked up or someone who is unwilling to help you.

7.    Do they wear a uniform

It might depend on your type of business and your customer base but whether or not the delivery team wears a uniform might be an important factor. If the courier service is a direct extension of your brand, is it okay for them to turn up in jeans?

8.    Will they ensure the parcel is delivered?

Parcels being delivered when people are not at home is a huge problem and it can end up costing you extra to sort it out. There are a number of ways this can be combatted and you should see how the courier intends to go about it.

Some couriers will text a person first to make sure they are in, other will ask the customers for alternative delivery options if they are not there. There is also a scheme which allows couriers to leave parcels with neighbours – the Royal Mail does it among others.