Courier Services: The Pros and Cons
It is no doubt that the age of the internet and digital transformation is upon us. With it, comes several networks, services, and industries that are dedicated to making our lives better and more efficient, providing instant gratification and access to more information than ever before, within minutes. A far cry from the days of pagers, landlines, and dial-up-internet.
Among these services, some of the most successful industries that have made our day-to-day lives easier are finance apps that allow instant money transfers and bill payments, instant messaging and video apps that allow us to communicate with our friends and loved ones no matter the distance, and probably one of the most used services of all: courier services.
In this article, we will focus on courier services, their pros, cons, and who needs to hire one. To take a deeper dive into this topic, we recommend you read our blog post on qualities to look for in the best courier service in the Philippines, and since the Holiday season is fast approaching, we also suggest you read our blog post on how to send packages abroad for your holiday gifts. Now, let’s dive in.
What Are Courier Services?
Courier services are companies that collect and deliver packages of all shapes, sizes, and forms, delivering them to a destination selected by their customers and clients and should not be confused with the post office as they are two different entities. The shorter the timeframe of the deliveries, the more efficient the courier is. However, not all couriers are built the same and speed is only one of many factors to consider. There is also the handling, tracking system, and of course, the price you pay for the service that varies from one courier to the next.
Some courier services specialize in lightning speed deliveries that arrive within hours or same-day deliveries, some specialize in international deliveries. Different eCommerce business models and customers alike should find the best couriers that cater to their specific needs.
Pros and Cons Of Couriers
Of course, like all other industries, courier services have their own set of limitations that need to be met. However, they still have some newer, more efficient technological advances and features that a regular post office does not have.
PROS or advantages of Courier Services:
- Speed and efficiency
- You can track your shipment at all times
- A suitable partner for e-commerce businesses of every nature
This is not to say that postal office services are slow, but they simply cannot meet the increasing demands of everybody living in their area. You’ll notice this as postal services tend to estimate delivery by a certain date range, as opposed to couriers who are now efficient enough to give a very specific ETA, down to the minute. Courier services were built to handle shipments at higher volumes and multiple destinations, with less friction in the process.
Unlike the post or other more outdated shipment methods, courier services allow you to track each and every one of your shipments in real-time using websites or phone applications that are accessible to all people, 24/7. This kind of transparency and efficiency is what makes it so popular in the digital age.
It doesn’t matter what your product is. If you can sell it online, you would most likely need to partner up with a courier company to save money and eventually build a long-term partnership.
CONS or disadvantages of Courier Services
- The prices are higher than your neighborhood post
- There are certain items that pose a great risk when being shipped
Don’t get us wrong, most courier services offer reasonable and competitive rates. However, they usually cost more than the post. On sending documents or packages with no specific timelines or urgency, a post may be a cheaper alternative.
Depending on the courier, some think twice when shipping packages with fragile materials like glass or gadgets. This is because there are some mishaps that cannot be avoided no matter how careful they are with handling, especially for international shipments. This is still possible with certain requirements like putting fragile items on wooden crates. However, these will cost you more.
We at MyKartero work under a multi-solution platform, delivering to up to 7,800 barangays in the Philippines and 192 countries all over the world. We are still growing and improving, but the goal is to one day be everybody’s one-stop-shop for all shipments. Book with us today.
