Finding a reliable overnight courier service

Today’s culture is very much rooted in the ‘here and now’. People know what they want and they want it immediately. When it comes to shipping their belongings or goods, the same thing holds true. Whether you’re a business looking to provide immaculate service for a client or an individual who just wants to get their iPad a day early – overnight shipping is important and now becoming a staple of doing business.

That being said – choosing who, precisely – will be delivering your package can be a challenge. That’s what we’re here to help explain today. Here is what you should be considering when you’re deciding on which overnight courier service to use. Let’s jump right in!

Capabilities

In general, courier services offer a premium service relative to your standard-issue national mail service. They have capabilities to track parcels, deliver them faster and have vehicles specifically designed to handle special and unique deliveries.

That being said – if they don’t have what you need, they won’t be of much value to you. You need to make sure you do your homework and find the right service for you. Certain couriers do certain things far better than their peers and part of choosing who to go with will entail learning who does what and what fits your specific needs. Courier services are NOT one size fits all.

Insurance

Seems a little silly – but the chances are that if you’re using us – you really care a lot about whatever it is you’re getting delivered. What would happen if it got lost? What if it got damaged? What then

Good, reliable courier services should be insured to the teeth. If they don’t offer insurance or don’t offer a whole suite of protection assurances – then it’s time to go with someone else.

Tracking

Part of delivering great service is a willingness to share in information and provide transparency. At the end of the day – that’s what tracking packages does for you. Especially when it’s something of extreme value, you need to know that you can check in on something when you need to. Any reputable courier service can and should offer this.

Making sure that you’re getting the efficiency you’re paying for should be a minimum requirement for any courier.

Reviews

What people have to say matters and while we get it that online reviews can range from silly to ridiculous, there at least may be some reoccurring trends that you notice that can provide you with valuable insights as to how to work with that business. Again – not every business is for everyone, so learning through people’s bad experiences can be helpful.

While we wouldn’t advise your to base the entirety of your decision on reviews, they can certainly help bring into clearer focus the kinds of things that are important to you.

Cost

Kind of a big one, right? We know you probably know this but low cost doesn’t always mean the best value. Their low costs might be as a result of their cutting corners in certain aspects of their business – corners that profoundly impact the services they offer and the quality of service that they give to clients.

Take in all of these factors and then look for a fair price. Not a lower one.

Following this list should help you find the right courier service for you. If you are interested in using us or have questions about how Affordable Courier can help you, give us a call and we’ll be happy to provide you with a free consultation. Good luck!

How nonprofits benefit from courier services

While everyone knows that businesses like grocery stores and retail are on the cutting edge of the delivery business, there is an industry that benefits from evolving methods of delivery just as much if not more – and that’s non-profits.

From relief supplies to direct mail and advocacy – a non-profit’s ability to communicate is essential to its day-to-day function. They also depend on mail more than just about anyone – as nonprofits make up 10% of mail volume with the USPS alone. Nonprofits are constantly delivering good, provisions and services to the communities they serve. United Way along works with almost 1,800 communities across the country and serves nearly 61 million people *per year.*

A pain point

When delivery isn’t running smoothly – it can be a monstrous pain point for non-profits. Not only to non-profits feel the pressure from donors and those they serve; they also face intense public scrutiny in terms of how they go about their business. With better and more reliable delivery – comes more efficient outreach to existing and potential donors and most importantly – more efficient use of precious, sometimes strained resources. For non-profit- every dollar counts.

Red Tape

Like we just mentioned – nonprofits are low on cash these days. In fact – according to recent reports, as few as 3 in 10 nonprofits have enough in their cash reserves to cover a month of expenses.

With this in mind – nonprofits usually find themselves dealing with complex deliveries that take time and cost a lot of money to deliver accurately. While eligible nonprofits enjoy reduced fees from the Post Office, not all nonprofits qualify and find themselves having to go through a multitude of time-consuming steps just to save a few bucks.

What nonprofits can do when delivery is seamless

When partnering with an affordable courier service, nonprofits can get to the communities they need to reach by focusing more on serving rather than dealing with detailed deliveries and penny-pinching. And speaking of pennies, it also means that the money saved can go to other initiatives in the organization where those resources could be better utilized. Especially when it comes to disaster and emergency relief nonprofits – they can achieve same day delivery and increase their response time when their help is needed the most.

To learn more about how Affordable Courier can help your nonprofit, give us a call today in order to set up a free consultation. We’ll help you spend less time managing delivery and more time delivering your services to the people who matter the most – your constituents. Good luck!