subject: Purchasing High Quality Courier Service [print this page] A good courier company can help your company stand out from the competition. The problem is, to the untrained eye, every Chicago courier service can look very much the same. You have to know what separates the high quality from the low when it comes to selecting a courier service that is going to actually work as an asset to your company.
Remember that you're always going to have unforeseen demands for courier service. Just when you think you have every last delivery for the month planned out, something unexpected will happen. That means two things. First, you want to find a courier company that you can open an account with so that it is easy and quick for you to request a shipment through them. Second, you want a company that has enough of a fleet, or enough contractors working for them, that you can put in a request for a delivery without having to schedule it too far in advance.
The option of scheduled deliveries is a good one though, especially if you can get a discount when you ship on a schedule. The best courier companies will offer this, but also have the capability to make last minute on request deliveries as mentioned above as well. If speed is sometimes very important to your business, you should also look for a courier that has a dedicated emergency delivery division. That way, you know that they have vehicles on call to come straight to your location to make a pickup if you ever need a delivery made as fast as humanly possible.
Cost is always a factor when hiring a service to help you company. Don't let cost be the only factor when choosing a company, as service and success is also important, but do consider it. The easiest way to make an accurate cost comparison of delivery companies is to request multiple quotes. Have a delivery which is characteristic of the majority of your shipments and request quotes from as many companies as you can, this should give you good cost comparison information.
Finally, look for a company that can prove its track record. You should only work with a company that has a very high historical percentage of deliveries made on time, for example. Also, you should ask your courier for references. Some firsthand accounts of people that have worked with them should be more telling than statistics and marketing material.
