How to Serve Better and Earn More – 3 Top Tips for Couriers

In the history of courier service, successful delivery companies have always worked hard to improve their operations and spot growth opportunities ahead of the competition. As profitability is no accident, here are three tips to help you achieve that Holy Grail.

How to Say ‘No’ Without Saying ‘No’

In the long history of courier service, it has been accepted that different customers have different expectations; the mark of a good driver’s competence is the ability to manage these different expectations effectively. Surprisingly, despite how easy it may sound, the task is actually challenging in the context of the real world. There are some customers that are more ‘toxic’ than others, making unreasonable demands and being too pushy for patience. And on the other hand, there are also customers that are more laidback and willing to wait and take it easy. The challenge is how to balance things out between the different customer types, and learning to how to say no without compromising your commitments. The secret to saying no without actually saying no is a simple and time-tested management strategy: manage your customers’ expectations. To illustrate, instead of just rejecting a client request, it is better to say something along the lines of, “We cannot do this today, but we can certainly do it tomorrow.” You will be surprised at how willing even the pushiest customers can be to work with your schedule if you’re good. Give them options while staying realistic.

How to Route Profitably

A delivery driver’s routes are the bread and butter of the business, and in the history of courier service, choosing routes wisely can have a significant impact on your profits. Planning your route profitably can be challenging, but there are methods of doing so properly. The bottom line, as always, is efficiency: depending on your location, you must choose routes that are navigable by your delivery vehicle, with full knowledge of options by way of side alleys or back streets that may not be visible on a standard map. If you can, it’s best to conduct an actual onsite survey of the routes in order to determine the shortest distance possible between point A and point B. A GPS-enabled device will certainly come in handy, but nothing beats insider, hands-on knowledge. You should also be able to distinguish between opportunities offered by different vehicles: what can a bike or a motorbike accomplish that a minivan cannot?

How to Properly Perform a Post-Mortem

Of course, by post mortem we mean analysing your company’s performance after accomplishing a delivery job, and logging the relevant data that will enable you to find weaknesses in your operations and further improve your system. In the history of courier service, this kind of self-awareness of one’s operations has been crucial, not only in the continuous growth of an organisation, but also in spotting opportunities that can help jumpstart a company and catapult it into a position ahead of competitors. Keep notes of every customer so you’ll have a history of their business with you, and keep tabs of any complaint or feedback – and take it all seriously.

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