Just like a normal mailing service, the end goal of a courier company is the same. That is to deliver a package from point A (sender) to point B (receiver).
A lot of individual people as well as businesses nowadays tend to use courier services more than normal mailing services due to their convenience and advancement in their services. For example, courier companies now provide a variety of services such as same-day delivery where you can send a parcel from point A to point B within the same day which is not possible with normal mailing services.
Providing such advanced services to the public is not an easy task whatsoever, especially when there are hundreds and thousands of packages of all types to be delivered. We as courier companies have to operate according to strict systems and cannot even allow a tiny bit of room for errors as we handle third-party belongings and sometimes very expensive items that we have to be solely responsible for while delivery.
Therefore, in this article, we decided to take you through the process of how courier companies such as ourselves work so that you have a better understanding of the process your delivery goes through to reach its final destination (not the movie 😉).
The initial booking from the sender
The very first thing that happens in a courier delivery process is the booking of a service. This process is usually done via a phone call or email first initiated by the client (the sender). The courier company and the sender will go back and forth exchanging all the details required by both the parties such as the type of delivery required, the time frame of delivery, and the type of delivery vehicle required until they both come to an agreement and book the service.
The Pickup of the delivery from the client (the sender)
After the client has booked the service, the courier company will then send a delivery vehicle to the client’s location to pick up the goods that need to be delivered. Here at AAWI Enterprise LTD, the goods will be picked up within one hour from the booking as we have well-established partnerships with industry professionals which allows us to have stand-by delivery vehicles in every location in the UK.
Also, the delivery process of every driver is stickily planned in order to provide the best service possible. This means that when an order is placed, not just any driver will arrive to pick up the goods. The driver will be hand-picked by the courier company taking different factors into consideration such as the knowledge of the delivery destination, the ability to deliver goods safely if fragile sort of goods are being transported, etc.
Sorting out delivery goods and warehousing
If you opt-in for a same-day delivery service instead of next day or standard courier service, then your goods are sent to their destination right away as they have to be delivered within a very short time frame. But, if you have chosen next-day delivery or standard courier delivery, then your goods will be taken to the local courier warehouse where the goods will be stored until delivery is due and be sorted from the destination, type, and other relevant factors so that the goods that need a similar type of transport vehicle can be delivered separately as well as goods that need to be delivered to the same area can be delivered all together with one delivery vehicle depending on the size of goods to be delivered.
This allows courier companies to organize their delivery and keep track of each delivery in a much easier manner.
Tracking
Remember when we said that as courier companies, we are solely responsible for your goods while being delivered? Well, that is why we track every single delivery. Tracking each of our deliveries helps us keep track of where each delivery is at any given time. This allows us to help update clients on where their delivery is at any given moment upon request and also helps us ensure the safety and quality of the service we provide as courier companies.
The deliveries are usually tracked with advanced software and delivery vehicle tracking systems (GPS Tracking). Also, every delivery package is assigned with a unique barcode on the label with all the relevant information. This bar code is scanned at every entry and exit point where the data is stored in the system with 100% accuracy.
For example, when the delivery is picked up, the delivery driver will scan the barcode and the system will record itself as the goods are now picked up. This same process will be done along the delivery process and at the time of final drop off at the desired destination as well.
Documentation
Apart from all the tracking, sorting of goods, and all the other things in between, the documentation process is also a very important aspect of a courier company. As a courier company is getting ready to make certain deliveries, they have to have printed documentation ready with all the delivery details which need to be handed out to the drivers and a separate set of documentation that needs to be handed out to clients when pick-up and when a delivery is made.
These documents need to be 100% accurate to avoid any delivery errors. Also, there are certain types of goods that need special permits to transport, these documents also need to be prepared in advance and handed out to the respective authorities and drivers.
It might seem like the documentation process is not that big of a deal, but in reality, it is crucial for a courier company to function properly.
The final delivery
The final step of delivery is the final delivery itself. When a delivery is dropped off at the desired destination, the courier driver will offer another document to the receiver and get his or her signature to confirm that the delivery has been dropped off and is accepted by the receiver. Then the driver will send the confirmation document to the courier company where the information will be updated on the system and confirmation of drop off will be sent to the client (the sender).
Conclusion
There you go, the process in which a courier company works. We hope that now you have a basic idea of how your deliveries are treated and delivered. Also, keep in mind that this is just a basic overview of how things go in a typical courier company, there are much more advanced procedures involved in certain stages of delivery as well.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments section below, we are more than happy to answer them and clarify your doubts.