How to Choose a Same Day Courier Service

Same Day Courier Service Defined

A same day delivery service and courier service provides direct shipping from your door to the recipient's door.  A courier company may delivery anything from a small document that needs a signature to a pallet of mission critical parts.  It is not uncommon for courier services to have delivery vehicles from a person walking the streets, to bikers all the way to a full sized transport truck.  Typically, most courier services in the United States utilize cars through 24ft trucks.

A courier service can ship something next door or around the globe.  Companies like Naparex who offer same day delivery services can ship practically anything inside of the United States within 6 hours.  Shipping from New York City to Los Angeles in 6 hours is not uncommon.

When considering your shipment, consider where you need your products shipped and how quickly you need that shipment to arrive. Typically, if you your shipment is not time sensitive, a courier service isn't for you and you should consider other traditional delivery options such as UPS.

Other considerations are not only time and distance, but also frequency.  Some same day delivery companies operate only on the 'on-demand' model, other's provide routed deliveries and some provide both services.  A national same day delivery company such as Naparex has a delivery networks to facilitate all of these options.  Learn and read more about this company on their courier service blog.

Why Pay a Premium to get it Shipped in the Same Day.

Same Day Delivery Services, known as a Courier Service, provides peace of mind that the shipment will typically arrive in the same day, or in some cases, as fast as possible.

There are many options that provide longer delivery times, which allow a company to generate economies of scale, in turn reducing the price of the shipment.  When delivering direct or within the same day, shipments typically do not go through sorting and therefore delivery systems are now quite as efficient in discovering economies of scale.

Be careful however, when comparing courier services online, the scope of pricing ranges significantly.  Most courier services do not provide their prices online.  In addition, there are many pricing models used by couriers, which complicates pricing.  Companies like Naparex have worked very hard to provide instant pricing for most deliveries online, within seconds.  You can dig even deeper into courier companies and see what the owners are doing everyday on social sites like Couriers of the World or follow some courier companies on Twitter.

However, a courier service is typically not price dependant either.  Very frequently the lowest price options are from companies that have a low on time delivery rate.  When selecting a courier service, discuss their on-time delivery.  Naparex's high standard to delivery ensures on-time delivery rate will never fall below 98% on-time delivery.  This should be considered a minimum level to achieve.

What Type of Services to Choose

The most important factor in determining a level service is the required delivery time.  Since the courier business model is built around the delivery time, this is where you should start.

The next thing to consider is the size of the shipment.  Most courier companies require the shipper to determine the vehicle type, however as a shipper you should not have to do this.  The reason why you need to consider size is to know if your shipment can fit into smaller vehicles, in turn reducing the cost of the shipment to carrier and in turn, reducing your cost.  Be careful, a lot of courier companies do not engage this conversation and simply provide you with the best available vehicle, in turn maximizing their profits.  Ensure you have the best delivery method for your needs, not theirs.

You also need to consider the special handling of your shipment.  Does it require refrigeration, special handling, hazmat or TSA certification?  Ensure your carrier is able and qualified to carry your shipment.

Liability Insurance is another one.  What happens if the carrier loses or destroys your package?  What are the implications to you or your client?  Many carriers have low liability insurance, or none at all.  Ensure your carrier maintains a minimum of $1 million liability and their agents are all covered as well.  While a courier company may have liability, they may use an agent who is not covered.

Finally, you need to consider where your shipment is going.  Is it going across town or across the country?  Many service providers claim they can get products across the country.  Once you place the order, they'll contact different agents, other courier services in the destination city.  The challenge here is they do not have a network established and typically have little trust or authority with the recipient courier.  If your package is going out of town, ensure the courier service provider has an established network to the recipient.

To learn more about Courier Service or Same Day Delivery, visit the Same Day Delivery Blog.  Learn about Courier Software by clicking the link.