COURIERS
Getting your parcel from A–B
Most PAs will have to use the services of a courier on a weekly, if not daily basis. Not surprisingly, courier compa- nies are eager to win your business and as a result, the courier business is fiercely competitive. Not only does this keep prices down it also means that you can take advantage of the many value-added services that courier companies now provide, such as online tracking of parcels (even in real-time), rewards schemes for loyal customers and e-invoicing. Below we list some of the most common serv- ices you might need to look for and who can provide them.
town you are most likely going to need a bike courier. Many companies offering this type of service don’t require you to have an account; as for most PAs this will be a one-off job. Rates are usually reasonable as competi- tion is fierce. For example, www.specialdeliverycouriers.com will deliver in many of the UK’s major cities, within the hour for as little as £4.99. Otherwise, try www.ecourier.co.uk, which says it has an average delivery time of just 20 min- utes in London. At the heart of this service is a clever soft- ware system that allows you to track and monitor your consignment in real-time.
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probably be opting for a same day service. All the major courier companies offer this service including Royal Mail, whose Sameday service is available practically anywhere in the UK. It claims that 98 per cent of collections are within the hour with online tracking. There are three lev- els of service depending on how frequently you need to send this type of mail: On Demand Royal Mail Sameday for an ad-hoc urgent delivery; Scheduled Royal Mail Sameday for regular daily or weekly collections and deliveries; and Multi-drop Royal Mail Sameday for regular collections of large consignments that need to be delivered within a defined area. Visit: www.royalmail.com to find out more.
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you may want to guarantee it reaches them at a certain time. Most courier companies will give you a selection of times. For example, TNT offers three time slots in its TNT Express National Services – 9am, 10am and 12pm – or you can opt for Express, which will see it delivered by close of business. If your next day is a Saturday then you will need to choose its Saturday Service option. If you need a deliv-
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22 » www.executivepa.com » Apr/May 2010
Next day
If you need something to reach someone the next day
Same day
If your delivery is slightly less urgent then you will
Within the hour
If you need to get urgent documents or items across
ery to leave you on a Saturday to get there Monday then you will have to notify TNT of the shipment by noon. For more details visit: www.tnt.com.
several people – so good packing is critical. If you have a large consignment you might want to look at a pallet serv- ice as this means the items will be more secure during transportation. Always remember to check whether the company offers Goods In-Transit insurance. At www.shiply.com you can give details of your consignment and courier companies specialising in fragile goods tran- sit will bid for your business. If you work in the health- care industry or have to transport hazardous good then visit www.medicalcouriers.co.uk, the UK’s only specialist medical courier company.
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credentials up to scratch then try Green Mile Couriers (www.greenmilecouriers.co.uk), all of its vans run on LPG. While Elite Couriers (www.elitecourier.co.uk) claims to be the UK’s first carbon neutral courier company. It tries to neutralise its emissions by supporting alternative energy and tree planting programmes in the UK and 10 per cent of profits are automatically donated to the WWF UK. E
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Green couriers
If you are looking to keep your company’s green
Fragile, outsized items & hazardous goods
On its journey, your parcel is likely to be handled by
claims to be the UK’s first carbon neutral courier company. It tries to neutralise all of its emissions by supporting alternative energy and tree planting programmes in the UK and 10 per cent of the company’s profits are automatically donated to the WWF UK
“Elite Couriers
”
When you need to get that all-important parcel from A to B who can you trust with the task?
CLAIRE MAHONEY
looks at some of the courier services available to PAs
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