When it comes to choosing a courier to take care of the last-mile delivery of your products, the possibilities are vast and diverse. But whether you know it or not, there are some crucial pillars that will create a healthy partnership that is sustainable in time.

By now you should probably know the importance of the fulfillment stage for your business.

Your products may be perfect, your customer service incredible, everything may be in the right place, to create an excellent customer experience. But if your products are not getting to your clients in a timely manner, treated with care, and overall creating a positive experience for your clients, your company will probably suffer.

1-  A direct application programming interface integration (API)

Some shippers are able to provide an integration script through an API. This will create a scenario, where every time an order is placed on your system this will go directly into the courier system, making the whole process almost seamless. Since you don’t actually need to export a document including the information with the stops, and send it to your courier, the time saved is significant. 

2- Great communication.

Whatever happens, you need to be able to communicate fast and consistently with your partner. A delivery operation is a live thing and is in constant change. Having the ability to write an email, and get a response within 5-10 minutes or making a phone call and talking to someone who knows you andr business is definitely crucial. 

In general, small family-owned companies are the best for providing such direct and personalized communication. Since they are only dealing with a few clients, they are able to give you the level of attention you need.

3- Trust

Everything needs to be presented upfront, prices, conditions, etc. So that there are no misunderstandings later on. Building a trust foundation with your courier partner is crucial for developing an efficient operation that will allow your business to grow. Most businesses that start to work with a courier are generally looking to expand their business. So working with a delivery partner you can trust and grow with is most important when thinking long-term.

Conclusion

These are in our point of view the three most important pillars to building a healthy partnership with a delivery service. There are other important aspects to take in consideration, such as technology used by the courier, the working days and hours, the background check done to drivers, and more.