Interview questions for a courier company

So sounds like you’re open to the idea of hiring a courier for your next delivery. That’s great – we’re sure you’ll enjoy the experience. But where do you start? What do you ask? How do you tell if one courier company is better than another?

Today, we’re going to talk about some of the things you should ask your courier service provider when you’re ‘interviewing’ them. This way, your decision will come into a little bit clearer focus as you go through the process. While we all generally do the same thing, we don’t all specifically offer the same services or specialties, so it’s important you know which company will fit best with you. Let’s jump right in!

What makes you better than your competitors?

A classic, but important question to ask! A company that has a reputation, a story and track record shouldn’t have any issue answering this question easily. For some companies – it’ll be the scope of services offered. For others, it’ll be guarantees, service or perhaps even pricing. Whatever answers they give, listen to your gut. 

Do you guarantee deliveries?

There are a lot of companies out there that’ll only provide you with a general window of when something will be delivered. While that’s fine for many kinds of deliveries, that’s not the case in others. Time-sensitive deliveries should all have guarantees from those services that they’ll be on time. Whether it’s sam-day or routine; a company’s word is their bond and you’ll want to make sure you select a company that stands behind theirs. 

What’s the size of your fleet?

To most, this is the kind of question that falls into the ‘who cares’ category, but it shouldn’t. Long story, short – the larger the fleet – the higher the odds your goods will get to where they need to get to when they need to get there. If the truck that was supposed to deliver your medical supplies breaks down out of nowhere – can your package be scooped up into another truck? How can companies be on time if they only have a small margin for error (only a few delivery trucks out there)? Companies can tell you a lot of things, but the size of their fleet can tell you a lot of things about the company. 

What kinds of technology do you use?

One of the primary advantages of using courier services is the degree of control you’re awarded through technology. Quite literally, you can have your package at your fingertips at all times. And to be sure – technology isn’t about what a company offers so much as what it says about the company – which is that they care enough about your experience to take on expense to make their service better for you. 

How do you train your couriers?

You’d be stunned if you knew how many unqualified drivers there are in our world. Imagine leaving medical supplies in the hands of someone not trained in HIPPA, who doesn’t know what they’re handling or how to handle it? You wouldn’t feel good about that, would you? Not everything is as simple as tossing a package in the back of a truck and driving it somewhere. It’s a responsibility and an obligation and in certain scenarios, timeliness, punctuality and professionalism can mean a lot more than whether you’re happy your package go there on time or not. 

Second, just like we said above; not only will it paint a clearer picture of what companies do well, but it will also give you a window into just how seriously they take customer service. Yeah, the price might be high, but in most cases, that can be a good thing. Go with the companies that care always. 

If you’re looking for a courier service in the Tampa Bay, FL area, give us a call today and we’ll be happy to give you a full run-down of what we offer and how we might be of help. Until then, we hope these tips help and good luck in your search!

Common package delivery issues

Just like any business, you’re more than likely to experience some sort of issue when it comes to the delivery of your packages at some point in your life. While some of those companies with big, national names bring with them a sense of comfort and familiarity, not all of them always live up to the billing. 

Today, we’re going to talk about some of the most common issues we hear about from our customer when it comes to some of their experiences with larger providers, and some of the ways courier services like ours mitigate these risks. Let’s jump right in!

Delayed order

It’s always important to plan when you order something – particularly if the parcel is important. But sometimes, life can throw you a curveball. When the unexpected occurs and time sensitive delivery deadlines aren’t met, it can cause an awful lot of trouble for you or your business. 

Courier services depend on being on time and making sure things get exactly where they need to be. In many cases, there are courier companies that specialize in certain areas like say, high-value deliveries or medical delivery. Many times, you’ll find that same-day services are available as well, which means you can get what you need almost as soon as you need it.

Damaged orders

There’s nothing worse than anxiously waiting for a package to arrive only for it to show up damaged. Not only is this damaging, but it’s a huge waste of money – not only for you, but also the vendor who sent you the package. You won’t get what you want, they’ll have to refund you and everyone’s walking away unhappy. And let’s make no mistake about it – calling the company to explain the situation, provide proof of damage and then having to wait for a replacement is an experience no one enjoys going through. 

With courier services, our drivers are accountable for their packages being delivered responsibly. Not only are they extensively trained, but you’ll also have lots of control from afar, as you’ll be able to track and monitor the progress of your package -so you’ll know exactly where it is from point A to point B. 

Inaccurate tracking

We’re big believers that you should know where your package will be and when. When it comes to bigger companies, you’re usually dealing with a ‘loosely’ accurate delivery timetable; which could mean it’ll be there ‘around’ a certain time. To put it mildly, there are many instances where that’s not good enough. 

We mentioned it above, but with courier services, you’ll get to track your package in real time. Not just a checkbox of the latest sorting center it passed through; but actual, real-time, “your package is sitting at the light at the corner or Williams and Riverdale St” tracking. It’ll help you better plan when to be available to receive your delivery and even more important, it’ll give you the peace of mind knowing where your package is at all times – especially when that delivery is valuable. 

Here at Affordable Courier, we’re happy to help you with any of your delivery needs. To learn more about our services, give us a call today and we’ll be happy to provide you with a free consultation. Good luck!