Have a package to deliver? Are you planning to use standard mail or hire a courier service to deliver your package?
Years ago, the only option we had to deliver a package from point A to point B was standard mail which is a government-owned organization. However, nowadays due to a large number of privatized couriers deliver service companies that have come into the market, we have another option to choose from. While these two delivery services perform the same task, which is to get your packages delivered to the desired destination, they both have some major differences that you must know of before choosing one.
With that said, let’s dive right into these key differences.
1. Speed
If you have been using standard mail for some time now, you might have noticed that it is kind of slow. If you send a package today, it will take at least 24 hours to be delivered even for a shorter distance. You cannot pay extra, you cannot ask them to deliver it faster or do anything like that as they deliver packages on their own time schedule.
On the other hand, a courier service will get your packages delivered to your desired destination faster than by standard mail. There are certain options that you can opt-in for such as same-day delivery where you can pay a bit extra and have the packages delivered to the destination on the same day as pickup.
Therefore, if you have some urgent deliveries to be made, then a courier service is the best option for you. Also, a lot of businesses nowadays use courier services for their speed as they are able to keep their customers happy with fast deliveries.
2. Service variations
Standard mail offers mainly one type of service which is “standard mail“. There are no other delivery service options for you to choose from. This delivery service as we discussed above takes a reasonable time to complete the delivery and will not be able to adapt to your delivery requirements.
Unlike standard mail services, courier services offer a wide range of delivery services such as same-day, next-day, two-man, wait & return, refrigerated deliveries, and many more such services where you are able to opt-in for the service that best suits your requirement.
In any case, where you need some specific delivery service, your best option is to go with a courier service company. Although, if you just need basic delivery services and have no urgent time frame for delivery, standard mail services will get your job done.
3. Flexibility of Service
There may be instances where your plans change suddenly while delivering your packages. In such instances, if you are using standard mail, then you can do nothing about it as standard mail services are non-flexible. If you opt-in for a standard mail delivery service, you cannot change it after. This is because standard mail services are government operated and have to be run on a tight schedule that cannot be changed at any cost.
Courier delivery services on the other hand are extremely flexible services. As they are privately owned, they always try to provide the best service possible to their customers to keep them coming back to obtain their services unlike a government organization. Also, the courier company that you are hiring always has direct contact with the delivery drivers which allows them to adapt to any emergency changes in your delivery.
For example, let’s say that you delivered a package and you immediately need to change the destination of that delivery. With a courier service, you can directly call the courier company and get the destination changed where the courier company will cot act as the delivery driver to sort things out and will get your package delivered to your new destination. This is not possible with standard mail delivery services.
4. Cost
When we talk about the cost aspect of these two types of delivery services, standard mail tends to be a little cheaper for certain deliveries. For example, if you sending envelopes or small packages, then standard mail is the cheapest option for you. Also, keep in mind that although the price is cheaper, you cannot send urgent letters with standard mail, you will have to wait that two to three duration gap to get even your envelopes and small packages delivered via standard mail.
As courier delivery services offer so many facilities that make the life of the sender much simpler, these services are a bit pricy than standard mail. Focus on the words “a bit pricy” here. Nowadays, courier services are able to deliver goods at very competitive price rates where paying a small amount extra to get better service is actually a no-brainer.
Also, if you are a business owner that needs to deliver your goods to customers on a regular basis, you can contact a good courier company and get good discounts or sign a delivery agreement that is favorable to you in terms of delivery costs which you are not able to do with standard mail delivery services.
5. Convenience
Convenience is something that is very important to us these days as for our busy lifestyles. Standard mail services require you to put a little more effort into your deliveries as you have to properly pack your goods being delivered and you will have to go to the post office to hand over your package to be delivered. If you do regular deliveries, this can be a bit of a hassle.
Courier services on the other hand offer you a very hassle-free experience by them picking up your packages from you. There is no need for you to go and hand over the goods to them. Some courier companies also go the extra mile to properly package your goods that need to be delivered so that you won’t have to worry about anything in terms of delivery. When we talk about you don’t have to worry about anything about your deliveries, most courier services also offer delivery tracking facilities where you are able to track the delivery keeping you updated and stress-free as well.
This is one of the reasons why most business owners opt-in to courier services instead of standard mail as it is very convenient and it allows them to focus on other business aspects of things without overly worrying about their deliveries.
There you go, 5 differences between courier service and standard mail delivery service. We now hope that you have all the knowledge necessary to make the right choice for your deliveries. Also, if you are opting in for a courier delivery service, make sure to choose a good reputable courier service company so that you get the best service possible.