Couriers v Parcel services

Thanks.

I'm putting "you don't need to register if you only want to send a parcel" ontop of all of the registration pages too.

Firstly, Parcel services are what everyone normally thinks of. DHL, Citylink, Fedex, Interlink etc etc etc. Things in boxes, within a maximum dimension (usually 120cm x 60cm x 60cm) and within a maximum weight (30kg). On a overnight or 2 day service. Average price £7 for 2 day and £12-£20 for next day delivery. (on Pay as you go, account customers average of £5-£10)

The most important thing about parcel services is that they go through a sorting hub a-kin to heathrow baggage handling, and must be properly boxed and wrapped.

Parcels work on the basis of cheap prices because they process very very large volumes of parcels in very large sorting hubs, with large fleets of vans working out of depots nationwide. They price on the basis usually of a fixed low price per parcel.


Secondly. Couriers are independent courier companies, generally small businesses with fleets of 1 - 50 vans, who do deliveries themselves. ie they pick up your item and then drive it to the destination, no hubs, no sorting, normally not even a change in van or driver.

Many couriers do local/regional work, and to make the national work pay they will frequently have regular routes scheduled to ensure that they can cover most parts of the UK on a weekly/fortnightly basis.

They price based on time and mileage. Normal courier rates start at around £1 a mile (which is very reasonable when you work out that an average estate car costs around 70p a mile to run).

Couriers are good for things that are fragile, or which are larger or heavier than the parcel carriers dimensions or weights. Things like furniture, (not flatpack), Antiques, car engines, jet skis, Doors, Wrought Iron Gates, Quad bikes, cement mixers, sports/gym equipment, windows, etc.

Basically, things that you can't bung in a box and send through a sorting hub.

I hope that clarifies a bit.

Now the challenge - how to get that all into a couple of sentences that I can put on the top of my home page, to get visitors to the right pages & services for them


p.s. Pallets are altogether different as these tend to need a taillift and the weight aspect means that they frequently end up on minimum 7.5 tonne lorries, (mostly larger) and this is a seperate category altogether called "freight". We will be dealing with pallets by simply refering people through to a third party.

There is also a freight parcel category (just to really confuse things) which takes really large boxed items and puts them through a conveyor hub process. This is companies like Nightfreight and the Home Delivery Network. Think of furniture/white good deliveries from Argos and the likes. But we're ignorning this one for now

OK

so, does this do it?
www.boxby.co.uk

MH1 said:

You have forgotten the main reason most people want a courier service, sameday dedicated door to door service. Where speed is more important than the cost.

The parcel explanation is fine, you will always have people who get confused.

Click to expand...

I've changed to include Urgent also.

The thing is with the profile of our typical customer is that cost will outweigh speed. Customers are 95% happier to wait an extra day or two for delivery if it saves them money. They just seem to want it collected promptly so that they know that its on its way.