System for courier companies

A courier company makes its living by getting things from A to B.

But the work involved in the actual deliveries can quickly become quite time-consuming.

Customers ring with new jobs.

Trips need to be allocated.

Drivers need addresses and details.

Vehicles need to be available.

Prices need to be recorded.

And once the trip is complete, it needs to be documented and invoiced.

A transport management system can bring together the most important aspects of the work in one place.

What should a system for a courier business be able to do?

A good system for a small courier business doesn’t need to be complicated.

First and foremost, it should make it easy to manage the day’s deliveries.

This may include, amongst other things:

Creating courier trips.

Transport planning.

Dispatch overview.

Drivers.

Vehicles.

Pickup and delivery.

Prices.

Recurring trips.

Documentation.

Invoicing.

The most important thing is that the information is interconnected.

Quick creation of new trips

Courier deliveries can change quickly.

A customer might ring with a job that needs to be collected at short notice.

That’s why it needs to be quick to create a new transport job.

Typical details might include:

Customer.

Collection address.

Delivery address.

Time.

Contact person.

Telephone number.

Driver.

Vehicle.

Price.

Comments.

Once the trip has been created, it must be possible to place it directly into the overall schedule.

Dispatch overview

A good dispatch overview is essential in a courier business.

When a new job comes in, it must be possible to quickly see:

Which trips are already scheduled.

Which drivers are busy.

Which vehicles are in use.

Which jobs are still to be allocated.

This makes it easier to make a quick decision when a customer calls.

The driver must have the right information

Once a trip has been allocated, the driver needs to know what is required.

This may include:

Where the parcel is to be collected.

Where it is to be delivered.

When it must arrive.

Who the driver should contact.

Any specific details about the customer or the goods.

The more information that can be sent directly from the system, the less need there is for extra phone calls and messages.

Multiple vehicles and vehicle types

A courier company may have several types of vehicles.

Some jobs can be handled with a small van.

Others require more space or a specific type of vehicle.

It is therefore important to be able to assign different vehicles and vehicle types to transport jobs.

This makes it easier to choose the right vehicle for the right trip.

Regular customers and recurring trips

Courier companies often have customers with regular routes.

These might include, for example:

Daily pickups.

Regular deliveries.

Weekly routes.

Repeated trips between two addresses.

Instead of creating the same trip manually each time, repeat trips can be used to save time.

From completed trip to documentation

Once a courier trip has been completed, the details often need to be saved.

It may be necessary to be able to document:

When the trip took place.

Who drove it.

Which vehicle was used.

Which customer the trip was for.

What needs to be invoiced.

If this information is already included in the transport order, the subsequent administration becomes easier.

Invoicing courier trips

Many courier trips are invoiced individually or at an agreed rate.

If the price has already been recorded for the trip, it can be reused when invoicing the customer.

This reduces the need to search through emails, text messages or spreadsheets to find the agreed price.

This can save time, particularly in businesses with a high volume of daily jobs.

Excel or a courier system?

A small courier business can easily start out with Excel, a calendar and a telephone.

This often works well with just a few trips.

The challenge arises when the number of jobs increases.

If the same trip has to be recorded in a spreadsheet, sent to the driver via text message and later retrieved again for invoicing, there are soon many manual processes involved.

A transport management system, on the other hand, centralises all the information relating to the trip itself.

Who needs a system?

A system for courier companies can be relevant for both small and larger businesses.

These might include, for example, businesses with:

A single van.

Several drivers.

Regular business customers.

Urgent deliveries.

Regular distribution tasks.

Many small daily trips.

The decisive factor is not the size of the business.

What matters is whether planning and administration are starting to take up too much time.

Boxboxbox for courier companies

Boxboxbox is a transport management system developed for smaller transport companies.

Among other things, it can be used for courier services.

The system brings together trips, drivers, vehicles, dispatch overviews, recurring trips and invoicing.

The aim is to provide the courier company with a single platform to manage its day-to-day operations.

Frequently asked questions

What is a system for courier companies?

It is software that helps a courier company to plan and manage trips, drivers, vehicles, customers and invoicing.

Can small courier companies use a transport management system?

Yes. A simple transport management system can be useful even for companies with just a few vehicles.

Can the system be used for urgent jobs?

Yes. A new trip can be created and allocated when a customer books a new transport job.

Can you set up regular courier trips?

Yes. Recurring trips can be used for customers with regular pickups or deliveries.

Can Boxboxbox be used by courier companies?

Yes. Boxboxbox can be used for, amongst other things, courier services, transport planning, dispatch, drivers, vehicles and invoicing.