Now is a great time to run a courier business, but in this competitive marketplace there is still plenty of room for mistakes to be made.
If you feel like your firm is underperforming but you cannot pinpoint why that might be, here are a few common complications to look out for and fix.
Your software is poorly optimized
If your couriers are not following optimal routes then you will be wasting a lot of time and money getting deliveries out to customers.
The good news is that upgrading to better route dispatch software can remedy this issue immediately. You can even use Google Maps to find the best path along a route with multiple stopping points, and indeed the best courier-specific solutions will harness the power of this platform in combination with some industry-relevant tweaks of their own.
You are falling behind your competitors
Smaller courier companies can struggle to succeed in an over-saturated marketplace with so many major players to contend with. Because of this, you should not even attempt to beat the big boys at their own game, and instead should seek to differentiate your own services by making them more specialized.
If customers can find value in working with you rather than a rival because your solutions are tailored to the particular needs of their industry or niche, you will have a much easier time attracting new clients and keeping existing ones loyal.
You are ignoring the data
It is possible to make the same mistakes over and over if you do not pay attention to what the data tells you about the way your courier business operates. Conversely if you take the time to analyze the figures generated by your organization, you should be able to spot issues, identify inefficiencies and work out what unmet demands exist in the market that you can exploit.
Your customers are not totally satisfied
Courier companies can get a bad reputation relatively easily; all it takes is one missed delivery attempt, one carelessly stowed package, one email query that goes unanswered, and customers can turn against you, taking to social media to voice their ire.
A lot of this comes down to failing to keep customers in the loop while packages are out for delivery. When people have to set aside time to make sure they are available to receive their order, stress and anxiety can be caused if they are uncertain as to when exactly it will arrive.
Making sure that they are up to date by using tracking software that shares courier locations can help to avoid a lot of upset. Likewise nipping any complaints in the bud and placating customers sooner rather than later will not only keep individuals happy, but also show others that your business is responsive and responsible.
You lack the staff to cope with demand
The peaks and troughs that come with the territory of running a courier business can be difficult to predict, and if a sudden, unplanned-for uptick in demand arrives then you may not be able to scale your staff to stay on top of this.
This is not just bad for customers, but will also put undue pressure on existing employees and could lead to intense periods of activity during which tensions run high.
One of the ways to make your courier business more flexible and adaptable is to automate as many core processes as possible, meaning that they do not become a burden on staff when spikes in demand occur. Most importantly of all, stay tuned into the pressures shaping the market so that you are not taken by surprise in the first place.
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