The Courier Blog

Courier services are now at the heart of businesses all around the world.  The growth in online sales has almost made us take the delivery of our orders for granted, where as in fact there is a lot of hard work and planning goes in to getting a package to the correct destination on time.

Obviously, to get any consignment from origin to destination requires a reliable courier service.  Not all delivery routes are equal.  Some parcels and packages might be a local drop off or even just a quick hop across the city, where as others might literally half to travel half way around the world.

The nature of courier services means that there are many different choices to be made and this can all have a bearing on cost.  For example, is the package going to be insured in case of loss or breakage?  Will the sender be compensated if the delivery does not get there by the time specified?  What if the package gets into the hands of the wrong person (i.e. its delivered to the wrong place).  All these things should be considered when choosing a reliable courier company.

Unfortunately its far too easy, especially its seems in the UK, to go for the option of choosing the cheapest courier company.  This is very often a bad move.  Cheap services do not always (I say not always, as I don’t want to discredit cheap companies that do provide a good service) provide a service that is good value for money.  They are cheap for a reason and thats because they might outsource the jobs or leave them lying around in a warehouse for a long time prior to delivery.

When you choose a courier company you want one that will treat the consignment as if it was their own.  That is they would take good care ensuring it arrives on time, to the correct destination and in one place.

You should also choose a courier company that has the transportation available to handle your consignment.  It is unlikely that a small company is going to be able to ship your item overseas for example without relying on a third party and so it is important that they make you aware of this and who the third party is (if its a large carrier like UPS or DHL then great - but watch out for cheaper services being used).

In summary its not always the best idea to go for the cheapest option (as with anything in life really) as you often end up getting what you pay for.  If in doubt you could contact a Courier Consultant who will have carried out extensive courier benchmarking processes and assessments to create a ready made database of the courier companies that provide the best value for money.

If you need advice regarding your International Courier services then IC Consulting can help. IC Consulting specialise in finding the best deals for both local and international courier shipments and have carried out an intense research and international courier benchmarking process to give you the most informed decision in the market.

If, like me, you regularly use a courier company for either collecting or delivering a parcel you might be interested to know just how your package makes it from collection to delivery.  Most of the time this is pretty straight forward, especially for local and national deliveries.  But stretch your delivery further afield and things might get a little more complicated in terms of the number of depots the package hits and the different types of vehicle used to transport your consignment.

Here are 5 different methods of transport used by Courier Companies:

1. By Foot.  Often forgotten, but in some cases the courier company might hand deliver your package by foot.  This is quite true in terms of the British Royal Mail service.  Delivery by foot is generally only used for smaller consignments or letters.

2.By Push Bike.  Push Bike Couriers are very common place around the larger cities such as London.  They are a very economical way to ‘beat the traffic’ and environmentally friendly as there are no emissions involved.  Again, as with the foot delivery, push bike couriers are generally limited to the size of consignment they can carry.

3. By Van.  If I may be sold bold as to say, the van is the most common form of courier delivery method and something most of us are accustomed to.  If we order something from the internet it usually turns up in a van outside our house.  Van delivery can cope with consignments of many different shapes and sizes and is great for local and national time sensitive deliveries.

4. By Ship.  Taking the word ‘Shipment’ to its most literal sense, consignments that are transported by Ship are generally quite large, bulky items that need to be delivered overseas.  The time it takes to deliver these consignments is usually much longer due to the speed restrictions of the carrier.

5. By Air.  If your consignment is of the size to fit in the hold of an airplane, then air travel is a great way to get time sensitive packages / letters across the globe.  For example, if you have a contract or legal document that needs to get from London to New York on a next day shipment it is destined to end up on one of the next planes out of one of the main London Airports.  Air Travel is typically the transport of choice for International Courier Companies.

As you will have seen, the method of transport is determined by a number of factors.   Firstly, the size of the parcel - is it physically possible to transport it, the destination of the delivery - is it national or does it need to go overseas, and thirdly, is the consignment time sensitive in that it needs to arrive by a certain date or deadline.

Each method of transportation has its merits, but the key thing is that in many cases your consignment will probably travel by more than just one of the five methods above.

You don’t have to go far these days to come across a courier company that offers International services.  What you might not realise though is that the company you are dealing with actually outsources your international shipment for fulfillment.  This can, in turn, increase the cost of the service to you.

What is an International Courier Service?

An International Courier service is a carrier who will deliver you parcels, letters and packages over borders into countries that differ from the origin of the package.  This might mean that standard courier vans or transport isn’t adequate and other methods of transport such as ships or planes have to be used.  In effect an International Courier service is no different to a standard courier service - it just has the capability of reaching destinations further afield.

Typically, the greater the distance your parcel has to travel the more you will be looking to pay, but the first tip to help you save money is to shop around.  Don’t settle on the first courier company you come across, find out how much other companies might charge.  Don’t think that you will automatically get over-charged by using a well known company such as DHL or FedEx.  You might find, that because these companies manage the complete shipment process, that you get a better deal than going to a local company down the road.

The second option to help you save money is to approach an International Courier ‘broker’ service.  Broker services will basically do all the leg work for you.  From a database of approved and reliable courier services the broker will be able to find out the best deal for you, firstly by sitting down and discussing your requirements and secondly by talking to the courier companies on your behalf.   The best thing about a broker service is that they are often free to the consumer, as the courier company will pay the broker a commission if they elect to use their service.

Don’t forget that loyalty nearly always pays and is a great and easy way of reducing your International Courier costs.  You might find that if you offer repeat business to a courier company that your rates start to drop - however on the flip side some companies might tempt you in by offering promotions on a first shipment - or maybe even offer a discount on the third shipment as that will commit you to at least three consignments.

It might seem like a lot of fuss and hassle to just save a bit of money on sending a parcel or package, but if your business is reliant on an international courier service and sends frequent consignments then before you know it you could make a considerable saving.

International Courier services make global delivery seem easy
You might have heard the phrase that the world is becoming a smaller place.  Obviously it isn’t, the world stays the same size, but the methods of transport and delivery that we have in place today makes it very easy to get goods from one side of the globe to the other with minimum fuss.

It’s a service that we can very easily take for granted.  We make a booking for a courier company to collect our packages (either online, on the phone or via a visit to their depot).  The courier then arrives at our doorsteps and the package is taken away.  The next thing we know is that it has been delivered, perhaps tens of thousands of miles away.

Sounds so simple?

There is a good chance that your parcel has undertaken several journeys to get to its destination, using many different methods of transport.

For example, if you live in a rural part of the UK, you parcel might have first been delivered at a local hub and maybe even stored there overnight.  The following day it might have been whisked off to the airport and loaded onto a freight plane.  Depending on the size of the package it might go via sea but most packages can go via air as its quicker and generally more cost effective.

Once the package reaches its destination country there is still a lot of ground to make up.  If the destination is the same place as the airport then it might just end up going to a delivery depot where it goes out for delivery the next day.  However if the destination is further still it might have a long road or rail trip ahead of it, or maybe even another trip by air.

You might be able to see that there is some very particular planning that needs to take place to ensure that the parcel does not miss it’s next pickup, especially if the consignment is on a time sensitive delivery (that is it has to be at its destination by a certain time).

So, the world might seem like its becoming a smaller place, but this is only thanks to companies and individuals that work tirelessly to make it happen!

Excel are a reliable London Courier company based in the Docklands area of the capital and they take pride in their attitude and approach towards customer satisfaction. Excel provide a range of courier services from International Courier to Overnight nationwide delivery.

Courier Companies have become an integral part of both our personal and professional lives. We have become used to hearing that knock on the front door, or the doorbell ringing only to find a courier, parcel in hand waiting for a signature. Very often we take Couriers for granted. They appear, collect parcels, travel to their destination and drop off the consignment to its recipient. But why do we use Couriers?

Couriers are important for any business that offers any sort of delivery service.

For example

- An online e commerce business absolutely relies on a courier to get their products from the warehouse to the customer.

- A high street florist might rely on a courier to get flowers to a house on a specific day.

- A formula one team might need an all-important part for a car before it can go out on the track.

- A builder or joiner might rely on a courier to deliver a part within a certain timescale, in order for them to complete their job.

- A law firm might need a set of documents for signing before a specific deadline.

- Or maybe you just need to send a birthday present to your cousin in New York!

One of the reasons people use a courier company is convenience.

People have their own jobs to do, so it would not make sense for them to drive 200 miles to drop off a parcel. It doesn’t make economical sense. It might also be that their parcel needs to go overseas, so using a Courier company is much more efficient.

As there are now so many courier companies in the UK they are all looking at different ways to make them stand out from the crowd. This is usually done by either price or a claim to provide a service (or part of a service) that another courier company doesn’t provide. This is great for the consumer as it means they often get more value from their courier than the might have done in the past.

There are so many reasons that people use courier companies it’s impossible to list them all. The basic matter of fact is that we call upon courier companies when we need something to be delivered to someone - no matter how critical.

London based Courier, Excel, are the most reliable London Courier company in the capital and they take pride in their attitude and approach towards customer satisfaction. They also offer a wide range of courier solutions including International Courier services.

In tough economic times you might want to consider reviewing your current International Courier supplier to see if you can get a better deal.

One of the most important things to take into account, however, is that you don’t lose out in terms of service when it comes to cutting your costs.

If you talk to a supplier management company you can make life easier when it comes to sourcing your International Courier services.  A supplier management company (such as Nexus) will have already compiled a database on the International Courier service providers and have a breakdown of their costs and quality of service provided.

Whats more is that a supplier management company very often doesn’t charge for their services, but takes a commission from the successful International Courier company so for you, the client, it’s a win - win situation.

If you want to find out more about getting the best deal on your International Courier company call Nexus on 207 940 5000

We take for granted how easy it is to sit in front of our computers, place an order for a product and for it to turn up on our door steps, but in reality there is a lot of work and planning that takes place in order for our online orders to be fulfilled.

Once the order is placed on the web site, the online retailer needs to coordinate the dispatch of the products via a courier company. The courier company needs to be made fully aware of all the details regarding the destination of the consignment.

Sounds simple – right? What you might not realise is that your order has actually been placed with a company on the other side of the world, so to get the goods delivered to your home or business requires co-ordination with different types of transportation methods in order to get it from country to country. For example, if you order a product from the United States of America, the international courier has to

a) Get the product from the warehouse to the airport

b) Get the product transported via air to the destination country

c) Get the product collected on arrival in the destination country and then delivered to it’s final destination. This in itself may mean that the product has to go to one or more depots en-route.

All in all there could be many hours of carefully planned and executed travel just to get, for example, a T-Shirt from the warehouse to your home.

On top of all the transportation planning is the factor of time. With online some retailers you can request that your order is delivered within a specific time scale. For example you may request that the delivery is next day if the order is urgent. This means that the courier has to meet the demands of not only getting it to its destination but within the agreed time scale - no excuses accepted. So if flights are delayed alternatives must be found. If traffic is a problem then a new route must be planned and executed.

It’s very easy to take it for granted in todays age of technology, but there is an incredible amount of planning and work involved in getting a delivery from a warehouse to its destination.

If you are looking for a reliable London Courier company why not try Excel? Excel provide a range of courier services from International Courier to Overnight nationwide delivery.

If you watch television you will have no doubt seen the adverts for price comparison web sites that have a database of the leading service providers.  The aim of these web sites is to get the customer (you) the best deal on the service that you are looking for.  To date we have seen comparison sites for things such as Credit Cards, Car Insurance, Home Insurance and now even Van Insurance.   What people might not realise is that there are broker services out there that can also help you get the best deal on your International Courier service.

A broker service will effectively scour the market for the best deal, looking at all elements of their service history, length of service and products offered to the market.  They will then create a menu of prices so that customers can compare to make the choice on what company is best for them.

Courier broker services aren’t new – they have just been a well-hidden secret for some time but we are now starting to see these types of services being presented to customers via the Internet.

The Internet provides a great platform for convenience.  Rather than having to speak to a broker to get the best deal on your International Courier you can do it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  That means you can even look up the best deals of Christmas day if you really want to.

By collating data from around the International Courier market the broker is in a great position to get you the best deal.  The broker remains independent and does not work for any of the companies he promotes, and in most circumstances you won’t pay for the service provided by the broker as they earn commission once the pass the deal over to the courier company.  It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

So why use a online broker rather than just ringing around?  Firstly, convenience.  By using the Internet based broker to get the best deal you can simply enter your requirements once and you will be presented with a list of prices.  Secondly, the broker knows the market and knows what questions to ask when vetting the courier companies.  A good broker will usually only include the better service providers so you know you are getting the best in terms of quality of service.

Nexus are an independent International Courier solutions company based in the UK. They provide platform that enables you to get the best International Courier deals on the market, getting the right service at the best price.

London Courier companies provide a range of services to help their clients get packages from one destination to another.  Many businesses have a strict requirement to get packages to a destination by a specific time on a specific date and for this reason London Courier companies provide different time sensitive delivery services that are also dependant on cost.

Time Sensitive delivery works on the basis of getting a parcel to its destination before a specific time.  So for example, a law firm might need to get a letter to a client on the same day before 4pm, or an online retailer might need to get a package to a customer by 10am the following day.   Whilst couriers try to be as flexible as possible they tend to have a set menu of services that are most popular with their customers.

Here are 5 different time sensitive delivery services provided by London Couriers:

1.    Same Day Courier.  Need to get something their fast?  A same day service will get your parcel, package or letter to its destination the same working day. There are usually cut off points for this service to ensure that it is realistic in terms of logistics and getting it to the destination within the agreed time.

2.    Overnight Courier by 10am (also known as Next Day) .  Overnight courier services get parcels and packages to their destinations by the next working day.  A 10am service will get the package to its destination before 10am.

3.    Overnight Courier by Noon.  This service will get your parcel to its destination before midday on the following day.

4.    Standard Delivery, often 3-5 days.  If there is no urgency to get the parcel delivered, usually the cheapest option is to go for a standard 3-5 day delivery.  This will get the parcel to its destination with 3-5 working days.

5.    International Next Day Courier.  If you need to get something overseas, and quickly, you can use a next day International Courier service.  It is advised that you weigh up how urgent the delivery is as this can be quite costly.

There are other services available with some courier companies but these tend to be the most commonly used.  Check with your courier company first to see if they provide these services and at what cost.

Excel are the most reliable London Courier company in the capital and they take pride in their attitude and approach towards customer satisfaction. For International Courier services you might want to see what the best package you can get for your money through a broker.

There is no shortage of International Courier companies in the United Kingdom.  Many International Couriers offer the same services and service promises but how much can you rely on their marketing material.  After all, it’s the execution of their promises that really makes a courier company stand out from the crowd.
Due to the sheer volume of International courier companies it can be a difficult task finding the right one for your business.  You shouldn’t forget that by hiring the wrong courier (e.g. one that doesn’t carry out delivery promises) you could potentially create irreparable damage to the perception of your own company.
Here are 5 top tips to help you make the decision on which International Courier Company is best for you.
1.    First and foremost.  What sort of ‘vibe’ do you get from them when they answer the phone.   If you get a friendly ‘how can we help’ attitude then you are on to a winner.  First impressions really do count for such a lot.   Any courier worth their salt will know how to deal with their customers in a polite, friendly and helpful manner.
2.    Web Site.  Does the courier company have a web site?  In this day in age they should all have a presence on the Internet.  What does the web site say about them in terms of its presentation and how they communicate the details of their services.  Do they offer testimonials from existing clients or name some well-known companies that they work for?
3.    Efficiency.  How easy is it to book your consignment with them?  Can it be done online?  It is a simple process or do you need to go through a list of tick boxes, signatures and mountains of paperwork before you can get the consignment collected and out for delivery.
4.    Are they experts in their field?  Lets face it.  Anyone can take a parcel from A to B but how well do they know the International Courier field?  Do they have the knowledge of Customs and Excise and importing and exporting products.  Do they have branches or depots abroad?
5.    Reliability. Probably the most important factor when looking for a good courier company is the companies’ ability to deliver your consignment within the advertised time scales for the service that you purchase.

There are other factors that you may need to consider, and no two courier companies are the same, but if you generally follow these tips you should find yourself a good business partner.  Of course, if you want to to remove the potential head ache of finding the right courier for you then you could consider using an International Courier comparison service or broker – that way all the leg work is done by them and you end up with the best service for your requirements at the best price.

Nexus are an International Courier company. Nexus can help you find the best prices for your International shipments through a database of 30 selected International Courier suppliers, getting you the best International Courier deal with the minimum of fuss.