National Courier Service | Same Day Delivery Management Specialist

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Have you ever heard of “final-mile” or “last-mile” delivery? Did you know that companies that specialize in it can significantly reduce delivery times and cost?

Even just a decade ago, single- or same-day delivery was unheard of outside of local businesses. Now it is what consumers expect, and at a minimal cost.

How can final-mile delivery companies guarantee fast and reliable shipping without exorbitant costs? Here’s everything you need to know about how they work, and how they could help your business.

What Is Final-Mile Delivery?

Final-mile delivery is the movement of goods from a warehouse or transportation hub to an individual home or business. This is accomplished by a delivery vehicle, bike messenger, or foot courier. Companies that specialize in this service have grown in popularity. This is due to their efficiency and cost-saving advantages.

Moving goods from a warehouse to a specific address is the most painstaking, time-consuming, and expensive part of the delivery process. In fact, last-mile delivery can account for more than half of the total shipping cost.

Simply put, it is easy and economical to move parcels between locations where other packages are already traveling. Getting a single package to a particular place where nothing else is being delivered demands its own time and cost.

What Are the Challenges for Final-Mile Delivery?

The big challenge for last-mile delivery is simply the courier getting to a specific location. In rural areas, for instance, delivery stops may be far apart. In urban areas, while delivery routes may be shorter, couriers can be delayed by pedestrian or traffic congestion. But there are other challenges beyond logistics.

Growth of Online Ordering

The explosion of online ordering has impacted delivery times. During the COVID pandemic, online shopping and home delivery grew. But the shift from brick-and-mortar to primary online shopping has been happening across industries for some time now.

Businesses are using various avenues for selling goods. This including websites, social media, smartphone apps, and in-person shopping. Companies that use robust omnichannel retailing are edging out their competitors.

A network of communication drives business because it creates a unique buying experience for consumers. In fact, customers are more likely to spend money on products, even in a physical store, if they have engaged with the company online. In short, people like to interact with businesses, view and order products, and do it from the comfort of their own home.

Shifting Customer Expectations

It is easy to see how fast delivery is a huge aspect of this dynamic. Two-day, one-day, and even same-day delivery will continue to be a huge selling point for retailers.

Not only does quick delivery enhance customer satisfaction, but the opposite is true. With so many online alternatives, slow shipping can be the one thing that pushes customers to another business offering similar products. One study showed that more than half of all consumers would switch to a competitor if they offered faster delivery times, even if it was at a higher price.

Also, the variety of types of products available for home delivery continues to grow. Food shipment is ever-increasing. It is possible to order live animals, including fish, online. Many of these need special packaging and handling. Ensuring that they are delivered safely is of growing concern for businesses and the people who purchase these items.

It is easy to see how the sheer growth of online ordering and the customer expectation of efficiency have exacerbated existing inefficiencies in the final phase of delivery.

How Do Final Mile Delivery Companies Address These Challenges?

Last-mile delivery companies specialize in combining delivery speed with reliability. Their expertise helps optimize efficiency and thus save money. There are a few ways they manage to do this.

Route Planning

Meticulous route planning for delivery drivers is one advantage of final-mile delivery. Rather than dealing with large shipments of cargo, these companies focus on coordinating delivery logistics within a specific area. They use advanced technology to quickly dispatch delivery personnel on carefully orchestrated routes.

In many metropolitan areas, these companies have leveraged the growth of the gig economy. Crowdsourcing companies post delivery jobs online that are claimed by independent couriers. This helps keep costs down by eliminating the need for a fleet of vehicles.

Analytics and Communication

Final-mile delivery companies rely on analytics to improve their delivery times. These are used to assess deliveries and improve on problem areas, like bottlenecks in traffic during certain times. This technology allows final-mile companies can mitigate shifting challenges like traffic far beyond the capabilities of standard delivery systems.

Last-mile delivery companies also offer driver tracking and communication with customers. Unlike standard mail delivery, consumers can communicate directly with final-mile delivery personnel through text or an app. This can be useful for last-minute changes to delivery instructions or in assisting a delivery person who is trying to find an obscure location. Notifications and correspondence also have become important as food delivery has increased in popularity.

Extra Services

Final-mile delivery companies often provide specialty services, like bringing large packages into a particular room inside the home. Staying while the customer opens the package to ensure the contents are correct is another common service. These “little extras” can go a long way to improving customer satisfaction.

Final Thoughts on Final-Mile Delivery

Final-mile delivery companies can provide many advantages over traditional delivery networks. Efficiency and reliable delivery of products can make all the difference between customer satisfaction and loss of business.

In short, final-mile companies can help you get more bang for your buck. Being able to offer one- or same-day delivery can boost sales that would offset any increases in shipping costs that you incur.

If you think last-mile delivery can help give you an advantage over your competitors, take a look at the options available in your region. Most companies provide quotes through their website. A reputable last-mile company will be able to tell you what services and speeds they can guarantee, to keep your customers happy and your business growing.


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Completing an annual inventory audit or your warehouse may seem like a daunting task, however, this deep dive into the current financial situation of your business is essential.

It is important that every year the warehouse of every company should undergo an inventory audit.

But exactly what is an inventory audit and how do you carry one out?

In this article, we’ll take a look at the audit procedures for inventory. Read on to find out more.

What Is an Inventory Audit?

An inventory audit is a procedure that compares financial records, inventory records, and involves a physical count of all goods that a company is in possession of.

An inventory audit can be a simple spot check involving a physical comparison of stock and inventory records, or it could be a full audit carried out by a third-party.

There are several types of common audit procedures including cutoff analysis, physical inventory count, ABC analysis, and many more. We’ll take a look at these in detail later.

Should You Hire an External Inventory Audit Specialist?

You don’t have to hire an external auditor or inventory audit specialist to carry out the procedure; however, it does help.

Hiring an external auditor will ensure that the count is carried out by independent and impartial people. By doing this, there is no risk of anyone intentionally misreporting figures.

Why Is It Important to Carry Out an Inventory Audit in Your Warehouse?

Having an effective inventory management system in place will help you to speed up your inventory auditing process. The better your system, the quicker your audits will take meaning less disruption to your business. Audits can be less frequent and less complicated with the right system in place.

Having a system that tracks your stock figures in real-time, rather than a static system such as a spreadsheet of stock figures will mean that your inventory will be more likely to be accurate.

Having the right systems in place will help you with many of the major objectives of your inventory audit. These objectives may include the following.

Calculating Profits

It is essential that you carry out inventory audits to calculate your profits. The accuracy in your companies inventory account will determine your bottom line.

Carrying out regular audits will help you to reduce shrinkage and identify any slow-moving items of stock that may be taking up valuable space.

Accurate Budgeting

You need to have an accurate method of tracking the value of your inventory so that you can budget for the next consignment that you need to buy. An inventory audit can help you to budget with greater accuracy as it will let you know exactly how fast you’re selling through specific lines.

Taking this deep dive into your inventory will also let you know how much safety stock you should hold.

Bring Inefficiency to Account

Carrying out an inventory audit will help you to identify inefficiency. The inventory process can hello you to identify which lines are repeatedly stocking out and causing lost sales. They can also help you to identify inefficiencies relating to the way you store your products.

What Might an Inventory Audit Uncover?

When carrying out an audit, you will bring to light any discrepancies. These can then be adjusted and rectified. It is important that you do this as stock loss needs to be measured as part of your end of year financial record keeping.

You may uncover the following:

  • Damaged or out of date items which cannot be sold
  • Obsolete items that you no longer stock
  • Discrepancies where you have more stock than expected
  • Discrepancies where you have less stock than expected

Once all of these things are brought to light, you should record the discrepancies and stock which need writing off and correct your inventory records.

Let’s look at some of the different procedures that you might use when carrying out an audit.

Cutoff Analysis

A cutoff analysis is where you pause operations during the inventory. This means holding off from receiving stock or shipping items. Usually, during this period, any stock that is received is held in a separate area and not counted.

By not handling stock, you can be sure that nothing goes unaccounted for.

Physical Inventory Count

A physical inventory count is designed to make sure that the stock records that you have on your system match up with the physical stock.

To help track the count automatically, you may use product barcodes and barcode scanners.

You should have a process of double-counting any areas where there are discrepancies. You should also spot check counters by double-counting to ensure accuracy.

ABC Analysis

If you stock items that range in value, you may want to use ABC analysis. This is where you group items of different values and volumes together. For instance, you may group all of your high-value (“A” products), mid-value (“B” products), and low-value (“C” products).

By grouping your products in this way, you’ll make it easier for an auditor to focus on the high-value inventory items.

Reconciling Items

If you find any discrepancies while carrying out your inventory audit, then in addition to reconciling each variance, you may want to do a full audit trail investigation to find out the root cause of the problem.

You may notice that there are certain error-prone SKUs that crop up repeatedly. Identifying these will allow you to keep an eye and tighter control over them in the future.

Carrying Out Your Inventory Audit

Carrying out an inventory audit may be a time-consuming task, however, it is worthwhile. The actual process of counting the stock and comparing it to the records is simple. But carrying out the necessary follow-up investigations into problematic SKUs may require more effort.

If you’re looking for a warehousing solution for your business that is efficient, get in touch today. We’ll provide you with a free quote and let you know how we can meet your needs.


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Last-mile deliveries are a growing need for small business owners across the country. Retail giants like Amazon exponentially increase customer expectations.

But your business can compete. With the right shipping strategy, you can profit in the age of instant gratification.

Check out these 10 hacks to keep the pace of innovation for last-mile deliveries.

10 Strategies for Last-Mile Deliveries

The rush to beat competitors can leave the quality of last-mile delivery services lacking. Here are ten ways to offer a great customer experience when your drivers are scrambling to beat the clock.

10. Update Routes

Siri doesn’t know everything. Always double check delivery routes to make sure you have the most efficient delivery system.

A few minutes off a driver’s route to each stop can make all the difference at the end of the workday.

9. Sort by Destination

Not all packages in your arsenal need to be sorted using the same labels. Separate local deliveries from long-distance deliveries using special bar codes.

The loading process will be much faster when you know exactly where each package gets loaded. Larger logistics companies have complex systems for tracking packages as they come in that you can mimic with a simple ‘local’ and ‘nonlocal’ sorting method.

8. Scan, then Load

This may seem obvious but always scan packages before loading. Repeat delivery routes and customers can make warehousing staff overconfident.

Scan every item even if the same delivery comes in every week. Proper tracking is what sets amateur delivery services apart from the pros.

Share the tracking information with both the driver and customers to keep your delivery system transparent.

7. Get Better Visibility

Tracking packages should be available in real-time when possible. This is the beauty of making sure all packages are scanned.

High delivery visibility means customers know where the driver is and how soon to expect packages to arrive. Major pizza delivery chains like Pizza Hut have mastered this system by allowing you to see your order from the preparation to your front door.

6. Be Available to Chat

Upgrade your visibility by being available to chat with customers. Allow text alerts when possible to communicate with customers with no access to email.

A text alert can supplement the vehicle tracking system or replace it. Avoid text alert systems that don’t allow you to communicate with the driver.

If one-way communication is your only option, include a mobile phone number for the driver in case customers need to connect. Quick notes with last-minute delivery instructions give customers more options in how their product or service is received.

5. Turn Drivers Into Salesmen

The famous fast food phrase “you want fries with that?” can now apply to last-mile deliveries. While a food delivery driver might not actually have fries, soft drinks, chips, and other sides can be made available as an upsell for your business.

Beyond food delivery, consumer packaged goods like paper towels and toilet paper also offer the chance for more sales. Allow drivers to communicate add-on opportunities through text to speed up the transaction.

4. Add Installation

Another way to add revenue to last-mile deliveries is by including white-glove services like product installation. Moving heavy items into the home is also an easy revenue booster.

Be sure to price these items so that they account for the delayed delivery schedule. It might also be beneficial to schedule potential white-glove deliveries as a final stop to ensure all other customers receive items on time.

3. Train the Team

Train your drivers to be professional in residential neighborhoods. Homeowners Associations can help or hurt the delivery process depending on how drivers respect their neighborhoods.

Encourage experienced drivers to share best practices on things like parking, interacting with pets and customer privacy. Drivers should always wear uniforms.

Uniforms both market your business and help build trust with your customers.

2. Focus on Safety

Driver safety can’t be stressed enough. Hold regular safety meetings for drivers especially during peak shipping seasons.

The rush of the holidays combined with the loss of afternoon daylight can be a hotbed for car accidents. Listen to driver comments and complaints about issues they face so you can work towards immediate solutions.

Receiving customer alerts, navigation instructions, and other distractions can create unnecessary anxiety in the delivery team as they drive. These distractions are unavoidable but each can be managed with a solid system for checking communication along the route.

Drivers are the backbone of your business. Make sure they feel safe and supported while out on the road.

1. Get Feedback

They say you can’t please everyone, but every business owner knows that even trying can mean big rewards. Mishaps will happen but responding with next-level customer service sets you apart from competitors.

In a feedback-centered world, customers expect their opinions to be heard. Get ahead of the curve by prompting customers to leave feedback.

Always offer to follow up with an email or phone call to unhappy customers. Never let a driver handle a customer conflict directly.

Require that any driver on the team report customer needs to management so that they can be handled immediately. The positive reviews you receive become a powerful online marketing tool for recruiting new business to your company.

How Fast is Fast?

Customers have a range of expectations in delivery times. It’s important to have a wide range of fulfillment options available for last-mile deliveries.

Same day and one-day deliveries put you on par with major online retailers. The key is understanding the price you need to set to profit on these express services.

For more information on last-mile delivery options, please check out our services.


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You’ve heard the refrain, “consumer behavior is changing”. Many say that it has already changed. In 2016, the Harvard Business Review said that the on-demand economy was alive and well and growing.

The National Technology Readiness Survey confirmed the trend in December 2019. Since 2016, participation in the on-demand economy has almost tripled.

In 2019, 64.8 million consumers purchased on-demand goods or services (24.9 million in 2016) and spent around $110.0 billion (18% up from $92.8 billion in 2018).

Read on to discover what and how to raise your game in this brave new digital world.

What Is the On-Demand Business Model?

Advancing technology has transformed the traditional way of doing business. Customers are demanding a better experience. These are the two main drivers of what has become known as the on-demand economy.

An on-demand business normally shares three things in common. They include

  • a freelancer, or independent worker offering a specific service or product.
  • a consumer who requires a particular service or product immediately, and
  • an online platform that connects the two 

The main sectors affected so far by the on-demand economy are transport, hospitality, finance, temporary or contract employment and media streaming.  Think of businesses such as Uber, Airbnb, and Deliveroo. All three are characteristic of the on-demand business model.

On-demand companies are disruptive. The shift the paradigm that’s been in place for years.  And, as is the case with Uber in many countries in Europe, it is unclear which statutory regulations should be covering their activities 

Online Shopping – Delivery Now

Retail shopping is increasingly becoming involved in the on-demand craze. Established supermarket chains are adding certain on-demand elements to what they offer customers. 

For example, retail giant Walmart has recently created its own network of on-demand delivery drivers from the pool of its own employees. How it works is that some employees deliver orders to customers on their way home from their shift.

Is the On-demand Economy Going to Become the Norm?

If the popularity, speed, and convenience of on-demand products or services are anything to go by, then the on-demand economy is here to stay.

Cutting out the intermediary—formerly known as the middle man—and replacing them with a digital platform, or app that connects the customer with a wide range of service providers is proving popular. 

The cost-savings are one reason. The other reason is that customers and providers alike prefer the autonomy of it all. They like the feeling of control it gives them, and they like the lack of bureaucratic red tape and pink ribbon.

Private lenders, events caterers, plumbers, carpenters, and any other service provider or provider of products you can think of enjoying this vibrant, competitive marketplace.  Customers, for their part. enjoy the attractiveness of being able to purchase something at a competitive price.

Freelancers For Hire

Freelance translators, copywriters, writers, transcribers, computer coders, speechmakers, temporary secretaries, personal trainers, teachers and a host of other professionals all enjoy the type of flexibility that the new on-demand style allows.

Some enjoy this life so much that they have joined the hordes of digital nomads roaming the planet in search of the coffee shop or hostel with the best WiFi.

As providers, they are making a good living, and enjoy being able to care out for themselves the lifestyle they want.

Last-Mile Delivery

The explosion in the number of online shops in recent years has seen a corresponding rise in the number of order fulfillment centers dotted across the landscape.

But what if you’re not an online shop, but need to send something post haste. What is speedy delivery is the deal maker or deal breaker?.  Then courier services will step in to bridge the gap.  Once again, there’s an app for that. ASAP Couriers is a professional courier company that is totally in touch with the on-demand economy.

We realize that as the customer, you need it now. We know that as the provider of the service, you need it delivered now. We also waste no time in getting the job done.

All Sorts of Demands

Getting goods delivered fast is part of keeping the customer satisfied, and keeping the customer loyal.  We know that sometimes, you will have special requirements, such as the need for a refrigerated transport service. We do that too.

Small Businesses Need Flexibility

Small and medium-sized business is the largest growth sector in the economy.  That’s because hardworking people with bright ideas are going out on their own, and getting things done in a dynamic way. As a small business, you cannot always afford to have a set contract with a transport company.

That’s why the on-demand economy is your friend. Because on-demand courier services exist too. ASAP Courier Services is just the kind of company you should call when you need that one-off shipment ultra-fast.

Please contact us on your preferred device, and per your preferred method. We’ll be happy to move forward with you.


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E-commerce is booming. According to Emarketer, the global retail market will exceed $25 trillion in 2019

We live in an age where you can run a business successfully from the comfort of your home office. You can serve customers across the country and even across the globe with just a few strokes of a keyboard. 

Our resources to reach the world also limit our ability to store and deliver our products though. If your business is just you and your computer, you need help moving the product from you to your customers. 

Keep reading to learn about how outsourcing your last-mile delivery will make your business even better. 

What Is Last-Mile Delivery? 

“Last-mile delivery” came from telecommunications companies and not Amazon. Telecommunications engineers referred to the distance from the ISP to the customer’s location, be it a home or office, as the last mile, even if it spanned a few miles or less than a mile.

Nearly all businesses now use the term to refer to the distance between the delivery hub and the customer. So when you order a package, the last mile is not the distance from the warehouse in Portland to your home in Norfolk. It’s the distance from the distribution hub down the road to your front door. 

Last-mile delivery services have one objective: deliver that package to the customer as quickly as possible. That’s their business. They serve both the customer and the business by filling a gap. 

Outsourcing Makes Your Business Better

You can take your business from better to best by outsourcing your door-to-door services. This works especially well if you’re in the in-between stage of being small enough to not hire another individual to do your deliveries but big enough that you can no longer do them yourself.

Here are the ways outsourcing last-mile delivery can benefit you.

You Take Advantage of Technology

You know your business. You understand how to make what you make or do what you do. But you do not always understand the technology that can help streamline your business.

When you outsource the last-mile delivery, you can take advantage of all of the technology that helps your product make its way to your customers’ doorsteps quickly. You do not have to understand how the company moves it quickly or tracks it. You just take advantage of it. 

If you’re looking to outsource any part of your business, then last-mile service makes the most sense. Your customers will notice immediately that you have fast and reliable service.

You can take advantage of all of the apps that last-mile delivery services use as well. Last-mile delivery services can customize an app specifically for your company that mainstreams delivery.  

You Save Money and Time

If you deliver your own products, you understand the cost and time involved with delivery. You have to pay for fuel and car maintenance.

As your business grows, you’ll have to make big decisions. You’ll need to either hire extra workers to produce your product or hire a driver to deliver your products. If you hire a driver, you still carry the liability of a driver using your vehicle, and you still must pay for fuel.

If you outsource your last-mile delivery service, you’ll ultimately save money and time. You can focus on making your product amazing and not think about traffic patterns.

You also don’t have to worry about payroll and delivery deadlines. You don’t have to wonder if a driver is taking care of your car. You can just focus on your product while the delivery service focuses on their specialty.  

You Can Track Your Orders

If you take care of your customers, they’ll stay loyal to your brand. An effective last-mile delivery service will have tracking services for your package. Your customers will be able to see exactly where their package is.

You won’t have to incur the cost for a tracking service since the last-mile delivery service will care for this. You’ll pay for the delivery service, and you’ll make your customers happier. 

Customers care about real-time tracking. Recent studies indicate that 31% of customers care about real-time tracking.  

You’re Insured

A good courier service will have insurance for your packages. They’ll cover it if a package is lost.

This removes your liability once the package leaves your possession. Insurance indicates you can trust the last-mile delivery service.  

You Improve Customer Service

We live in an on-demand world. We can order a pizza and say when we want it done. Because of the commonality of on-demand services, customers are more demanding than ever.

The younger the customer, the more the demand. Studies are showing that approximately 56% of online consumers ages 18-34 years expect same-day delivery. As a result, the majority of consumers are willing to pay extra for same-day service. 

As your business grows, you cannot offer same-day service consistently. You need a last-mile delivery service to ensure that your package arrives when you say it will. 

Improving customer service means increasing the chances of brand loyalty. In short, when you serve your customers well by providing tracking, same-day delivery, and modern delivery technology, your customers will keep coming back and will recommend you. 

Use Outsource as a Resource

Outsourcing is a good thing. It means your business is growing and you’re making wise decisions for your business.

When you outsource, you’ll ultimately save money and time. You’ll also show your customers you care because you’re allowing someone else to make your business even better. 

For all of your last-mile delivery services, contact us


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Parcel delivery is a huge, competitive industry. The total number of parcels distributed around the world each year is 9.84 billion. Finding the best final mile delivery provider to give you a competitive advantage is tough.

Getting final mile delivery can help streamline your business process. Considering this service? Check out these questions to ask your final mile provider.

What is Final Mile Delivery?

Final mile delivery is a specialized aspect of logistics. It involves the shipping of goods from a distribution hub to their final destination. Very often, the final destination is somebody’s home or an office.

The last mile might not be literally a distance of a mile. It might be more. The key is that it is the final part of the package’s journey.

Sometimes a package will have been carried by multiple delivery services. It may have been picked up from source and taken to a hub at which it is consolidated with other packages. It is then delivered to another hub from which the last mile delivery specialist takes it on to the customer.

The phenomenon of last-mile delivery has arisen since on-line and bricks and mortar retailers have partnered with logistics specialists to provide home delivery. E-commerce requires home delivery because these retailers don’t have stores where customers can go to pick up goods. Conventional retailers have responded to e-commerce competition by adopting omnichannel approaches including home delivery.

In this competitive market, the quality of all aspects of service delivery is one of the ways customers discriminate between retailers. A great fulfillment operation can be the difference between success and failure. Customers have stopped making any distinction between channels and instead are interested in great customer experience.

Who is the best final mile carrier for your customers? Here are some questions you should ask?

1. Are You Financially Sound?

It seems like everybody can set themselves up as a final mile delivery provider. You just need a van.

If it’s easy to set up a final mile delivery service of sorts, it’s easy for it to go out of business too. This leaves you and your customers high and dry. 

You should ask for reassurance about the financial resilience of the company. Do they have a track record and what capability do they have to take on your business without over-reaching themselves in the future?

2. What Resources Do You Have?

A key capability you need from a final mile carrier is their capacity to handle demand changes. Can they flex up and down as demand changes? One way of understanding this capacity is to learn about what resources they have.

Resources might include vehicles, distribution centers, and people. Customers value the speed of delivery. Your chosen final mile delivery provider has to be able to meet their expectations at all times.

3. What Makes You Great at Home Delivery?

There are some unique aspects to final mile delivery that are not necessarily part of the skill set of other carriers. What sets your prospective carrier apart from the rest.

One phenomenon that has developed alongside home delivery is expedited delivery. Being quicker than standard delivery is an added value. Can your prospective carrier provide this? 

The unique aspect of final mile carriers is that they meet your customers. That personal contact may be the only human contact the customer receives along the whole customer service journey. How equipped are they to meet or exceed the expectations of your customers?

Contact with customers might be in their homes. Your customers may expect more than a simple delivery drop. Interpersonal skills, courtesy, and respect for someone’s home are all needed.

4. What Visibility Can You Give Me?

Your customers may want to know where their package is at any time. “When will it arrive?”, is a common question. Ask what visibility of the package journey will the carrier be able to give you on the final leg of its journey.

Home delivery has a greater demand for visibility than other deliveries. Customers are not necessarily available at all times to receive a delivery. There’s an element of coordination needed to meet their needs.

Tracking of deliveries, as well as estimated delivery times, helps you and your customer. It’s also important to know if a parcel has been delivered. Your visibility of this helps resolve customer disputes, performance measurement, and supplier management.

5. How Do You Use Technology?

It’s one thing to provide visibility of the parcel journey. It’s another to make use of the information to drive performance improvement. Ask how the carrier uses technology to add value.

Integration with traffic information, routing applications, and demand forecasting are among the ways in which a technology-enabled carrier can reduce costs and improve their service. 

6. What Customer Service Do You Provide?

A final mile delivery provider must take responsibility for the quality of the customer service they provide. Some poorer providers do no more than pick up and drop a parcel. The best ones recognize they deliver your brand as well as the parcel.

Your customer may regard the carrier as the first line of your customer service. How will your carrier respond to the questions and concerns raised by your customer?

Can the final mile delivery provider provide some added services? Furniture deliveries may need unpacking and packaging removing. A new washing machine delivery may mean there’s an old washing machine to remove.

Added value service such as delivery into the customer’s home, unpacking, assembly and removing old goods can make all the difference to your customers. Poor service here can undo all your good marketing, buying, and logistics. It can also be expensive in terms of customer complaints, online reviews, and poor reputation.

7. Is Your Business Sustainable?

Logistics is an important aspect of your business’s impact on the environment. You may have made commitments to your stakeholders about your environmental performance and your customers almost certainly have expectations too.

A final mile carrier is part of your supply chain and so you may want to understand their environmental credentials. How are they working to reduce their carbon footprint? What are they doing about controlling waste, energy use, and improving sustainability?

Ask Questions

It’s important to ask these questions of a prospective carrier. Don’t expect that all carriers will be equally capable. The right final mile delivery partner might be your competitive advantage.

To learn more about last-mile transportation, click here.


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Financial institutions, unlike other businesses, deal with highly sensitive documents and information. This means there’s a lot to consider when choosing a courier service.

When looking for the best way to send your documents, you have to ensure that you have a good delivery system that upholds the nature of your business, while at the same time contributing to your institution’s success and growth.

You and your clients stand a lot to gain from a reliable courier service. The question is, what should you look for when choosing the best bank courier service?

What You Should Consider

Here are some things you should keep in mind when choosing a courier service for your bank or any other financial institution.

1. Reliability

A good banking courier service should be able to be there when needed. You need to make sure you can count on them, and that they can deliver prompt services each time. They should be able to offer you same-day services and special delivery services.

You can also evaluate how they answer their phones, and how long they take to give feedback or any necessary correspondence.

2. Trust

As hard as it is to quantify trust, it’s important that you only work with a courier company that has a good reputation. To know if you can trust them, you can ask about:

  • Their emergency procedures
  • Proof of license and certification
  • Any security policies concerning your institution’s information that they have
  • Their tracking services (if available)

Your courier company of choice should also be able to remain private in your dealing with them. They should maintain a good professional working relationship with your bank at all times.

3. Proof of Delivery (POD)

When hiring a courier service, you need to know if they can confirm and prove the deliveries they make. It’s pointless to ship or send your documents and not know if they got delivered to the right destination.

The company needs to provide written — not verbal — proof. This can also come in handy in case any dispute arises concerning whether or not the delivery was made. They should be able to send you the POD vial e-mail, fax, phone, or website.

4. Security

Bank courier services need to have some form of security because of the nature of their clients. In as much as you do need to transport loan application forms, cheques, and other financial records in an armored vehicle with security guards, you need to be sure that your parcel is safe.

Parcel tracking is one such way of ensuring security. Tracking will help you know the location of the documents during transits. This is especially necessary when sending documents to far-away locations that might take several days to be delivered.

5. Insurance

If you plan to send valuable and sensitive packages via the courier, it will give you peace of mind to know that the delivery company has an insurance cover. This will come in handy if the package is not delivered as it should.

6. Customer Service

The courier service you are working with will be a representation of your company to your clients or partners. Therefore, they need to uphold high customer service standards. If your customers are not happy with their services, the same might reflect on you.

Choose a company that speaks your language when it comes to handling customers.

7. Referrals and Recommendations

You can seek recommendations from another bank that has worked with the courier services you want to hire or have them refer you to one that they have successfully used in the past. Good courier service companies should be able to have a good working relationship with their customers.

You are most likely to get honest answers from other financial institutions directly as compared to looking for the same information online.

8. Consider the Courier Service Cost to Value

Evaluate the company’s cost and fees against the value. While doing this, you need to consider that cheap services may not equate value and vice versa. When deciding on cost, verify that the courier service can be able to meet your needs.

Do not shy away from paying just a little bit more for the best service that will add value to your business.

The aforementioned checklist will help you find a courier company that can deliver what you need from them, as well as help support the growth of your business and maintain your standards as an institution.

Choosing the best courier service might seem challenging but is most certainly worthwhile. The time you take to pick the best is an investment in your company.

Why Financial Institutions Still Use Courier Services

Although the world has adopted different technologies and most companies are going paperless, financial institutions are still faced with quite a challenge; not everyone wants a digital bank. The services of a courier company come in handy in:

  • Delivering mail from post offices
  • Depositing payments
  • Picking up payrolls
  • Transporting items, like a document from one branch to another, from the bank to the client, and to other central facilities
  • Delivering deposits to other branches for transactions
  • Financial transactions
  • Check deposits and more

While it may seem unnecessary, physically moving documents like title deed, vehicle log books, files, and other paperwork is quite important in every financial institution. Such documents are quite sensitive and can only be trusted with a good courier service company.

The Right Courier Service Will Make Your Business Run Smoother

When you work with a good courier service, not only will your business grow, but you will also be able to run it smoothly. You will have no setbacks when it comes to the flow of your documentation and paperwork.

We offer professional courier services both locally and nationwide. Our professional staff is not only well-trained but is also dedicated to on-time delivery always. If you are looking or courier service for your bank, look no further.

Visit our website and check out what we offer. For more information, contact us. We keep our word.


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In 2017, the USPS delivered a whopping 149.5 billion pieces of mail. Even with email and other modes of communication, Americans still send a lot of mail.

The USPS is great for sending mass mailings or when you can wait a few days for your mail to be delivered. But when you need something delivered quickly, dedicated courier services are a better way to go.

They are also perfect when you need something delivered across town, but don’t have time to do it yourself. In fact, a bike delivery courier service in many cases is your best choice. Let’s look at a few reasons why.

1. It’s Fast

Wait, aren’t cars faster than bicycles? Maybe in the suburbs, but that’s not true in the city!

Traffic gridlocks cars and delivery trucks, slowing them down considerably. While vehicles are sitting in traffic, bicycles are whizzing by in the bike lane.

That means that sending your packages by bike courier can actually be the fastest way for them to arrive at their destination. They also don’t have to worry about finding a place to park when they arrive, something that can add a significant amount of time to your delivery.

You’ll also be helping to decrease the amount of gridlock in your city. More packages being delivered on bicycles mean fewer delivery vehicles on the road, helping to ease the city’s congestion.

2. Environmentally-Friendly

Bicycles are also far better for the environment than gas-guzzling delivery trucks. No engine means no combustion which means no fumes and no gases being released into the atmosphere. 

Vehicles are one of the biggest contributors to smog and pollution in the air. This is especially true in congested cities where vehicles sit needlessly idling for hours on end while waiting in traffic.

Fewer delivery vehicles on the road means doing your part to keep the air we all breathe that much cleaner.  

3. Convenience

Because bicycles are so maneuverable, using them for courier services is quite convenient. They can get to your location to pick up your package and have it delivered in no time. 

Would you like to deliver fresh-baked cookies to your ailing friend on the other side of the city? Unfortunately, you don’t have time to go sit in traffic and do it yourself. 

Call us up and we’ll dispatch a bicycle courier to have those baked goods on your friend’s doorstep before they finish cooling. In many cases, it will be even faster than you could deliver them in your car, anyway.

4. Send Anything

You might think that bicycle couriers can only handle letters and small packages. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

Cargo bikes can easily transport large packages as well. Even ones weighing a few hundred pounds! Some cargo bikes are fitted with a small electric motor to help the cyclist with heavy packages and hills. 

Some companies even use bike delivery to send couches and other pieces of furniture!

5. Bikes Are Cheaper

Building and maintaining a bicycle fleet is much less expensive than one of delivery trucks. The bicycles themselves are much cheaper and cost much less to maintain. Plus, they don’t gobble down huge amounts of gasoline (especially with all that stop and go traffic). 

A courier company using bike delivery for part of its services saves money on the overhead. This gives them the ability to keep their prices low and reasonable. Specialized delivery services don’t have to cost an arm and a leg!

6. Bike Delivery Helps Small Businesses Compete

It’s hard for small, local businesses to compete with giants like Amazon or Google when it comes to online shopping. Bike delivery helps close that gap. It’s an inexpensive way for them to offer fast, convenient delivery of their products without having to do it themselves.

Imagine shopping online at your local market. The goods arrive on your doorstep shortly after and you never even had to get dressed. This is great for busy moms or when you’re sick and can’t get to the store. 

7. Employee Health and Fitness

Happy, healthy employees are more productive. Exercise is a key way for people to maintain both physical and mental health. Cycling is a great choice as it doesn’t put the same kind of stress on the body as other types of exercise can do. You literally just sit, pedal a bit, and get your heart pumping like it needs to for good health.

It also helps reduce stress. Imagine the poor delivery truck drivers stressing out as they fight traffic and avoid jaywalkers!

You might be wondering how this benefits you. 

More productive employees mean lower overhead for the delivery company which means they can offer even more reasonable rates. Plus, you can feel good about providing healthy jobs and contributing to a healthier atmosphere in your city.

Try it Out Today!

Still on the fence about bike delivery? Why not give it a shot? Once you see how fast and convenient the service is, you’ll be hooked. 

Not sure that a bike can handle your shipment?

That’s the great thing about contacting a company like ours. We offer all sorts of services to meet any delivery need you have. From bicycles to delivery trucks to airplanes for international shipping, we have what it takes to get your package delivered safe and sound.

Simply contact us and we’ll select the best method for your needs.


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As a responsible business owner, your top priority is the company’s bottom line. For that reason, you’ve determined that your business makes the most of its investments. When it comes to proper inventory management, there’s no exception. 

The good news, though, is that you’ve come to the right place by reading this article. Detailed below are today’s top small business inventory management tips. By following that guidance, you’ll increase your business’s profit margins in no time. 

After all, there are a lot of small businesses around that might be your competition. Consider the following statistic reported by the United States Small Business Administration. It indicates that as of the year 2018, over 99% of businesses throughout the country were small businesses. 

In other words, you need to put in the effort to stay ahead of any local competitors. Keep reading to learn how your inventory management strategies could meet that need. 

Start By Evaluating Your Needs and Available Budget

The first thing to consider is what expectations you actually have for your inventory management. For one thing, sensible workplace design is going to be in your best interest. 

Before you get started rearranging everything, though, take a look at your budget. If you truly want to make the most of your inventory management, you’ll need to make some investments. It’s ideal that you’re willing to spend some money on inventory management software, for example. 

In addition, are there other purchases you need to buy, such as shelving? Any organizational investments are going to be worthwhile. That way, you and your employees know where everything is at all times. 

Get Your Workplace Organized

Speaking of your workplace area, it’s wise to keep it organized as much as possible. Start by taking out any unessential items in the area. There’s no need to keep clutter and trash in the area, for one thing. 

Then, establish a centralized location for your recycling and trash bins. As a result, the trash in your workplace should all filter to those designated bins. 

It’s also a smart move to label and tag everything in your business’s workplace. This is even true of your individual inventory products. 

As mentioned above, be willing to invest in organizational tools like shelves and a label maker, if needed. Don’t cut corners when it comes to ensuring you’re making the most of workplace productivity. The detailed organization is one way to establish a more efficient inventory management system. 

It’s important that you continue to keep your workplace clean and free of clutter in the future, too. For more detailed specifics, check out this article on e-commerce warehousing best practices

Consider Investing in an Inventory Management Software Solution 

It’s no secret that we’re living in the modern Digital Era. It seems as though technology and the Internet reign supreme over our daily lives – including our professional lives.

It’s fortunate, then, that businesses of all industries have learned to take advantage of this digital marketplace. In fact, throughout the world, the business automation market generated over $5 billion in sales in 2016. In other words, it’s time for your small business to get on board. 

That’s why it’s worth taking a look at inventory management software solutions available. These systems help businesses of all sizes track and optimize their inventory processes. This is of particular benefit to those small businesses that ship products to consumers on a regular basis. 

Do your research to see how inventory management software can help you. By investing in such a solution, you’re enhancing accuracy and efficiency in your business’s inventory management. That automated attention to detail, in the long run, is going to be an invaluable asset. 

In addition, inventory management software is going to generate a ton of data for your small business. That way, you can track and measure that analytic data to improve operations over time. It’ll be up to you, though, to make the most of those analytic reports for your small business. 

Only Trust Reputable Shipping Solutions for Your Orders

One of the most significant inventory management strategies is to ensure your shipping process is optimized. Your customers expect their orders to be delivered in a timely and secure manner, after all. That’s why it’s worthwhile to only trust a reputable shipping solution provider.

Eco-Friendly Small Business Inventory Management Tips

These days, small business brands cultivate a positive reputation if they prioritize sustainable practices. For that reason, don’t underestimate the value of investing in eco-friendly inventory management strategies. 

One example is to purchase easy-to-recycle packaging materials. Even small businesses like yours make an impact on the environment when they ship their products on a regular basis. Make that impact a positive one by reducing waste of your packaging materials. 

Plus, a proper inventory management software solution is an eco-friendly strategy. That’s because the alternative is to track everything on pen and paper. By reducing the use of those materials, a high-quality software solution can provide more than one benefit to your business. 

Invest in a Reliable Courrier Service to Ship Your Inventory

At this point in the article, you have a thorough understanding of today’s best small business inventory management tips. There’s no need to cut corners when it comes to improving your business’s operations. You deserve the peace of mind that comes from an organized and profitable business.

That’s why you’ll take the above guidelines seriously. There are a lot of ins and outs to navigate when it comes to proper inventory management practices. For one thing, you need to establish an optimized solution for shipping your products.

In fact, that’s where we can come into play. We’re here to provide clients like you with today’s latest and greatest courier services available. If you need to ship your inventory to customers, look no further for a reliable solution. 

We encourage you to browse through the rest of our website. On it, you’ll find a variety of ways our courier services can help establish your business as a reputable one in your niche market. To start, check out more information about our courier and warehousing services today. 


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9.84 billion parcels were distributed around the world in 2017.

The last mile delivery market is experiencing breakneck growth. A significant reason for this growth spurt is the rising volume of parcels which can be attributed to a high growth rate of the e-commerce business.

As more customers place orders, supply chain companies will need to find ways to fulfill them faster thereby differentiating themselves.

Thus, there is a need for every last mile carrier to pay attention to the trends in the industry and figure out how they can best serve their business.

Keep reading to find out some of the latest trends in last mile delivery.

1. The Gig Economy and Crowdsourcing

The advent of the gig economy (and consequently crowdsourcing) has led to the disruption of many industries and logistics isn’t an exception.

With the gig economy, the focus moves from seeking long term jobs to spying out short term contracts.

Combine this with the increasing desire for convenience from customers and you have inevitable disruption coming from the gig economy and crowdsourcing.

Large scale firms like Amazon and Postmates have taken note and are taking advantage of this workforce. These companies advertise new deliveries on their applications. Drivers can then fulfill that task and earn some money.

These services, however, do have some downsides to them at this nascent stage. They don’t cover as wide an area as traditional delivery does.

In fact, they mostly happen to operate around urban areas. As a result, the gig economy is still inefficient when dealing with final mile delivery.

Despite these challenges, you will only write off this trend at your own peril.

Expect it to play a more significant role in the future as economies of scale for gig economy platforms improve their convenience and geographical areas of operation.

2. Speed Is Now Critical for Any Last Mile Carrier

In previous years, last mile delivery companies that didn’t deliver as fast could somehow still survive.

The main reason for this being that as a whole, the industry had not made fast turnaround times something a customer could expect or rely upon.

Things completely changed when Amazon introduced same day and next day delivery services to the wider market. The company upended the industry by not only offering free shipping but also consistently delivering faster.

Inevitably, customers started to expect other last mile companies to deliver faster. Today, customers are willing to pay a 30% premium for same day delivery service.

Such customer demand is proof that speed will only become more crucial to a last mile company’s success.

3. Evolution of the Postal Service

The changing technological landscape has inevitably led to a sizeable decline in the volume of postal mail. On the other hand, parcel deliveries from e-commerce businesses have seen a significant uptick.

Legacy companies like the United States Postal Service (USPS) have taken notice and are now seeking a piece of the pie.

When a postal company like USPS adds a parcel to home delivery, the cost is incremental since the postman was still going to that same house.

For delivery firms like FedEx and UPS, adding that parcel comes at a higher cost as it is an independent stop.

The result is a resurgence of these legacy postal firms as customers use them for their last mile deliveries.

As their costs reduce, even more, customers will want to add more categories of products to the postal service delivery.

4. In House Delivery

Last mile logistics is the most expensive part of the distribution business. In a bid to reduce these costs, more companies are now bringing a portion of their last mile delivery services in-house.

Amazon, for example, now operates its own fleet of delivery planes in addition to those it uses from third-party delivery companies.

In this connection, some last mile delivery firms have taken the unusual approach of working in cooperation with their competitors.

Instead of competing, these cooperation deals seek to pool transportation assets so that it can be cheaper for every firm to deliver.

5. Warehouses in the City

Same day delivery offers a customer instant gratification that is hard for them to overlook the next time they place an order.

As more customers ask for same day delivery, businesses have noticed the benefits that come with offering this service.

To enable fast turnaround times and consistently deliver that instant gratification, businesses are opening up warehouses in urban areas. Where there are no pre-existing buildings, some are constructing them.

With Amazon having a big lead in offering two-hour deliveries, the trend will be for more firms to invest in urban warehouses to catch up.

6. Delivery Technology

Today’s customers have become used to tracking their order from when it starts shipping to when it arrives at their doorstep.

A secondary application that arises out of this technology is the ability to monitor other factors that affect the quality of a parcel.

If a customer places an order for pharmaceutical drugs, for example, they can add sensors to the package which will relay its real-time temperature throughout the journey.

Companies are also using weather prediction analytics tools so that they can best plan their delivery routes and avoid wastage.

7. Delivery by Autonomous Vehicles

Technology today has advanced enough to help businesses begin creating ways around factors limiting the supply chain like the cost of labor and its availability.

Using self-driving cars and delivery drones, logistics companies can eliminate the need to employ drivers in their fleet. In addition, they can be able to guarantee 24-hour delivery no matter the location.

However, tests are ongoing to smoothen delivery by autonomous vehicles; it will take some time to become mainstream.

Regulations need to be created to govern this development but it is safe to say that this is a trend worth watching.

Stay Ahead of the Curve

The last mile delivery industry is living in exciting times. A boom from e-commerce is increasing the total volume of parcels slated for delivery.

As customers grow to expect instant gratification in parcel delivery, every last mile carrier will need to innovate to stay competitive. Therefore, they should study industry trends and see how they can add value to their operations.

Need It Now has over 30 years of experience in the industry and is one of the most reliable firms in local and international deliveries. Click here to get a free quote today.