Gaining knowledge about the evolution of courier services in the UK is awesome. In order for the courier services to be as qualitative as possible, the most crucial thing is the team, that provides these courier services in the UK.
Courier service evolution in the UK
This accelerated technology requires even more precise and complex logistics services than before, and the dynamically developing online stores no longer solve their logistics themselves, nor do they entrust the sending of packages to a courier service that only delivers packages.
A fulfillment center or fulfillment service provider refers to a courier service in the UK that takes over the entire logistics process from the owners of the online store and other companies involved in online trade, thereby outsourcing the storage, packaging, and delivery of the sold products.
It’s simply more efficient that way. Both in terms of time and money, as specialists carry out all processes. Such a service takes a huge burden off the operators of online stores, as it is a very complex, in many cases costly, but still unavoidable area and task. However, the development of package logistics did not stop at the slow spread of fulfillment or drop shipping.
Types of courier services in the UK
Simple local, fast courier services in the UK are usually characterized by the following features:
- A small company does not employ more than 100 couriers
- They deliver directly from the sender to the recipient, immediately or with a short deadline
- They primarily undertake local delivery, they rarely deliver to other cities, and even less often abroad.
- They do not offer next-day delivery.
- They carry few goods, mainly envelopes and small parcels, as well as important documents.
In other words, these are mainly small courier companies in the UK, their specialty is fast and accurate delivery. Delivery within the city is usually completed within 2-3 hours (call – pick up – drop off), other cities and nearby foreign cities can be reached within a few hours. Unlike other courier services, they do not maintain their own depot network, and a single courier performs the entire transport from pickup to delivery.
On the one hand, this is an advantage because there is less chance of error, but it is also more expensive because it is inefficient – a courier can take out fewer packages in one direction at a time.
The second group of courier services in the UK consists of domestic parcel delivery services. They work as follows:
- They have their own courier service’s network.
- They usually have a large number of couriers at their disposal (up to hundreds for larger ones)
- They can only offer next-day delivery.
- Envelopes and several smaller parcels are delivered, and there is also more delivery of goods.
- A slower, less reliable, but much cheaper solution.
- The package first enters the center, and from there it continues to the recipient. The pick-up and drop-off are not done by the same courier.
The courier delivery service (both domestic and foreign) actually works like the postal service. They have their own depot network. A single depot can consist of one person, or there can be several personal branches representing the courier service in a given geographical area (e.g. in the UK).
This is necessary because a courier does not take the package from the sender to the recipient, but a courier picks it up and takes it to the center, where it is sorted along with many other packages according to the recipient’s area.
The sorted parcels are transported by a larger wagon (usually at night) to the appropriate depot, and the depot is responsible for delivering them to the recipients (this usually happens the next day).
Why are courier services becoming famous in the UK?
Time is undoubtedly becoming more and more fundamental in everyday life. That’s why we make more and more purchases in online stores, where an essential part of purchasing a given product is its delivery. For this purpose, various types of courier services are provided in such variants as prepaid shipping, cash on delivery, courier with delivery to the indicated address or delivery to a selected parcel locker or collection point.
More and more often, courier companies in the UK cooperate beneficially with stores and sales platforms, thanks to which deliveries are made at extremely favorable prices, which additionally encourages online shopping, especially for large items. Many people then wonder how a courier company works and that such cost-effective services are profitable for a given carrier.
Currently, individual courier brands are competing with each other in providing new amenities for their customers, which they often take advantage of. More and more customers praise the way courier companies operate, including: Because shipping procedures are becoming easier and easier, the courier can collect the parcel directly from us and deliver it to its destination even within 24 hours.
Moreover, thanks to the ability to track parcels, you can check where the parcel is currently and determine the day of its delivery at any time. Parcels transported by reputable courier companies usually arrive intact, do not get lost along the way and are safe, which is appreciated by people using such services.
How does a courier company work in the UK?
Each courier company is a logistics company with an entire network of branches that employ hundreds of employees, including couriers from a given region. In addition, these types of companies are equipped with powerful fleets of vehicles, specialized tools and warehouses where parcels are sorted, stored and transferred for distribution. The most famous courier brands operate dynamically both in the UK and abroad.
The entire transport process carried out by courier companies begins from the moment the service order is received from a given customer. The sender then orders the selected courier company to collect the parcel from the indicated address. He or she then provides his/her and the recipient’s data and information about the package, such as weight, dimensions, or additional services that he chooses. Most often, these include insurance, cash on delivery, hand delivery and many other options.
On this basis, a consignment note is generated, which the sender must place on the properly packed parcel. This document contains a unique code on the basis of which the parcel is registered and verified in order to inform the branch appropriate for a given location and the courier, who will collect the parcel from the sender. After completing this step, the courier delivers the parcel to the appropriate branch.
Multi branch courier services
After the courier delivers the parcel to the branch, designated employees sort and pack the parcels onto shuttle trucks. These, in turn, transport parcels from individual courier branches to the main sorting center for a given region. There, the parcels are automatically sorted by specialized scanning devices, which transfer them to the next appropriate shuttle cars. These then transport the parcels to the appropriate delivery branch.
The parcels sorted in this way are then placed on freight trucks, which transport them, most often at night, to the appropriate delivery branches. Then, in the morning, the parcels are handed over to couriers for delivery in such a way that they can provide the most efficient route logistically. Thanks to such breathtaking logistics, it is possible to deliver the shipment even within one business day from a place hundreds of kilometers away from the delivery address.
The development of Courier Software in the UK
Customers shopping at e-shops most often use the delivery company’s website to track their shipment. On the contrary, mobile applications have not been used much so far, only a quarter of customers track their shipment in the application. Compared to websites, mobile applications have not yet offered them any additional functions.
Only 24% of customers use the mobile application of one of the courier services. The range of services offered in the application has so far practically offered nothing extra to clients, so 8% of clients even prefer to sometimes call the courier company to check the status of the shipment. We expect that interest in the use of applications will increase as their functionality expands.
The ability to track shipments is one of the most awesome factors in choosing a delivery company, 59% of customers state that this is one of the key reasons for choosing a particular courier company.
One of the key tasks for courier companies in the UK is the time flexibility of delivery and the possibility of choosing from all types of courier services (to the address, to the delivery box, and to the delivery point). The client must also be able to easily change the day or method of delivery according to their current needs.
That’s why Courier Software launched last-mile delivery software. In addition to the fact that customers get a simple, quick and convenient overview of the status of their shipment, they also have the option to change the day and method of delivery, which has never been offered before. If the delivery date does not suit the client, they quickly change it in the application. Alternatively, he can change the delivery method and instead of importing to the address, he or she can choose a delivery point or a box of his choice.
The successful future of our entire market is built on the fact that the delivery company delivers the shipment to the client at a time and place that suits him. The customer must therefore be able to easily and quickly change both the place and the date of delivery at any time according to their options and needs. And they need to know that they will quickly resolve these changes with the carrier. This was the main goal for us when developing the Courier Software.
Conclusion
So, we understood the evolution of courier services in the UK. Also, Courier Software offers a number of awesome functionalities, including an overview of delivery points and boxes in the nearest vicinity according to the customer’s choice and an archive of previously delivered shipments, Courier Software always works on expanding the application with new functionalities.
