Choosing a new courier company is no small task and picking the right one can either mean success or failure for your business. By not choosing the right service, your business may suffer, and growth becomes infinitely more difficult.

To prevent that scenario here is the ultimate guide to choosing a new courier service, which will allow you or your business to ship products reliably and efficiently according to your specific needs.

1. Cost-Effectiveness

The cost-effectiveness of the courier company you choose to utilize is arguably the number one factor. Choose a company that offers the cheapest and most reliable shipping for your specific type of item. If you are shipping large and heavy items, compare prices for large and heavy items between different courier companies. If you are shipping a small, light item, compare those prices as well. Different courier companies have different price points for the type of item being shipped, so do your research!

2. Reliability

The reliability of the courier company you choose is neck and neck in terms of importance with cost-effectiveness. If you are not able to deliver parcels quickly and reliably to customers, you will not expand, or grow your business, and will rapidly rack up many unhappy reviews.

Visit sites such as Yelp.com, or TrueReview.com, to find past testimonials from users of specific courier companies and choose the service you deem the most reliable based off said testimonials.

3. Delivery Service Options

Do they facilitate next-day delivery? Do they ship parcels of a specific size? Are there certain areas in which parcels are not able to be delivered? Are certain types of items not able to be shipped while using a certain company? Different courier companies offer different delivery options, so these are questions you must ask before deciding on a service.

The last thing you want to do is begin a relationship with a courier you will not be able to utilize, due to the operational limitations of the said courier company. Again, do your research!

4. Global Presence

A courier company that has a global presence such as FedEx or Hermes indicates the health and efficiency of said courier companies. After all, if they were not high-functioning services with impeccable logistical infrastructures, they would have never grown to gain a global presence.

Courier companies with a global presence can complete larger orders, and quicker deliveries on shorter notice, by having a larger and more capable support system.

5. Money-Back Guarantee Policy

Even the most capable and reputable courier companies undoubtedly make mistakes from time to time, just like anything or anyone else. That said, you must verify the courier company you choose to use offers a money-back guarantee if something goes wrong.

Instances such as parcels being delivered late, or packages arriving damaged occasionally occur, which is why you must check that the service you decide on using has a money-back guarantee. Look into the terms of the guarantee, verify the conditions, and ask questions if you do not understand something.

6. Tracking Systems

Does the courier company you are considering using offer tracking capabilities? What type of capabilities? Tracking deliveries is a huge upside in the eyes of the customer expecting a package.

Giving customers the ability to follow their package throughout the shipping process allows the customer to save time by not having to wait around all day for their package to arrive and provides ease of mind that the package is actually on its way, rather than sitting in some warehouse waiting to be picked up. Transparency is key.

7. Customer Service

Courier companies are a part of the customer service realm, and thus the type of customer service provided on behalf of courier companies proves immensely crucial. When researching couriers to use, look for reviews about interactions between customers and employees of the said courier company.

Were the employees friendly and kind? If something went wrong, did the employee attempt to solve the problem, and if not able to do so notify management? These are important factors when choosing a courier company because it is your customer that is going to be interacting with the courier. You want that interaction to be positive and leave the customer with a sense that they are cared for so that they choose to order products from you in the future.

Hopefully, after reading “The Ultimate Guide on How to Choose a Courier Company”, you are now more confident going forward in the process of choosing a courier service. By keeping just these few things in mind you may be able to grow your business in a way you never saw possible.

Along with all the tips mentioned above, it all goes back to doing adequate research about a courier service before using it. Spend the time researching now, so you don’t have to spend more time, and money later on if things do not go according to plan. For a courier in the Perth area, check out Fasta Couriers.