A courier is a person or company that delivers packages and mail. Couriers are used because they can make deliveries faster, with a guarantee of security and often more reliably than regular postal services. They deliver items using bicycles or motorbikes in cities and vans, trains and aircraft for longer distances. Courier services are most often used by businesses but can be used by individuals as well.

Types of Couriers
  • Courier owner/drivers operate alone on a self-employed basis. They cover regular routes and will build up a regular list of customers. They may also handle overflow work from large courier companies and may themselves use other courier owner/drivers if they have particularly busy periods.
  • Courier companies hire individual couriers to do pick-ups and deliveries for them. They have regular routes and customers, as well as customers who use them on an �as needed� basis. Courier companies that operate under a Just-In-Time or "JIT" inventory hire couriers who can travel at a moment�s notice anywhere in the world.
Why Use a Courier? Courier services pick up and deliver goods, both large and small. They deliver contracts, legal documents and general mail on behalf of businesses, legal agencies, government agencies and individuals and can operate on a local, national or international basis. Some couriers deliver large loads of items on regular runs, especially if the delivery deadline is overnight or next day. Almost everybody in business uses couriers at some point. Some companies use them on a regular basis whilst others use them more occasionally.

Some companies use couriers to take equipment like computers, projectors, and copiers between offices, or to and from hotels or conference centres. Couriers also correct missed or incorrect deliveries when they occur. One of the big advantages of using a courier is speed -- an office can call to have a package picked up and then have it delivered door to door in far less time than posting it would take. There is also the guarantee of delivery as it will be delivered �person-to-person� and signed for which is particularly useful with legal and official documents.

How to Find a Courier The Association of International Couriers and Express Services (AICES) is the main trade association in the UK for courier companies, such as DHL, FedEx, TNT and UPS. The organisation�s main goal is to represent members on regulatory issues, to hold negotiations between the industry and government departments, to improve and maintain professional standards and to work with national and international organisations. AICES can be contacted for courier recommendations or local couriers can also be found in the Yellow Pages.

When choosing a courier, be aware of the following:
  • The courier service should keep all information strictly confidential. They should sign a Code of Ethics.
  • It�s important to ask what form of transport the courier will be using.
  • Courier companies may be willing to negotiate prices or to offer account services for regular customers.
  • The courier company should be open for longer working hours than the average business -- 24/7 would be ideal.
  • Make sure the courier service lists the call-in, pickup, and delivery times on their invoices for accounting purposes and to determine if costs are fair.
  • There should be no hidden fees, such as: charging for multiple runs on a single run with multiple packages; charging for wait time without authorisation (or actual waiting); or incorrectly charging for weight.
  • Find out the percentage of jobs that are delivered on time, to assess whether they are reliable.
  • Real time tracing of delivery via the courier�s website can be useful.
  • Compensation structures for non-delivery/late delivery should be settled in advance.
  • Any courier company needs to be insured to cover the value of the packages they deliver -- ask to see a copy of their policy if you have doubts here.
Using this advice should help to find a reliable courier to meet both occasional and long-term delivery needs.
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