What Is a Courier Service and What Can They Do for Your Business?

29th April 2024, 11:11pm in Shipping Advice by Jake Taylor

Does it really matter who delivers your parcel as long as it arrives safely?

The 2023 Inside Australian Online Shopping Report found that 29% of online shoppers expect deliveries to come faster than before the pandemic. While you can rely on postal services for some express delivery options, it might not be fast enough for your customers.

But courier services offer many other benefits besides same-day and next-day delivery. In this article, we’ll share these other advantages and highlight the various types of couriers available to you and the functions they perform. We’ll even share some expert tips on how to choose the best one for your needs and budget.

Here’s what you need to know.

What Is a Courier?

A courier service is a premium delivery offering aiming to get your parcel to its destination as quickly as possible. While it’s suitable for some personal uses, businesses that sell products online benefit the most from using it.

Some examples of courier services in Australia are StarTrack Express, TNT, Aramex, and CouriersPlease. They specialise in transporting larger items, satchels or boxes, rather than handling envelopes like the postal service.

What Are the Different Types of Couriers?

Not all couriers are alike. You’ll quickly discover the different services available when you research your options. You may want to leverage one company for its express offerings and a different one for its experience shipping parcels overseas. Here are some examples of the businesses you’ll find.

Local Couriers

You’ll discover courier companies that specialise in deliveries in specific regions throughout Australia. For example, Aramex has 29 regional franchises and 900 partners throughout the country with local knowledge of the areas they service.

Meanwhile, Bonds Couriers offer same-day delivery solutions to customers in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. If you need to send a parcel to another location, you can search for local couriers in those regions.

Global Courier Services

Several Australian operators deliver packages overseas. Global organisations such as FedEx and UPS are popular in multiple countries around the world.

DHL eCommerce specialises in logistics for online businesses. Interparcel and DHL eCommerce have a solution for retailers selling small and lightweight products. Interparcel International Bulk Solution lets you consolidate multiple light parcels into one box to send to a DHL eCommerce fulfilment centre. The items are then separated and shipped overseas using the country’s local postal services.

Standard Delivery Courier Services

Most courier services in Australia offer a standard delivery option. It’s ideal for parcels that aren’t urgent. You’ll save money on shipping, but it will take longer to get to the recipient. It can range from three days up to ten, depending on the courier company and the destination.

Same-Day Couriers

As you might have guessed, same-day services mean customers will receive their item on the day they booked the order. However, not all couriers offer this option.

Specific criteria must be met to ensure it can arrive within the timeframe. For example, the pick-up location and destination often must be in the same place. It’s impossible to deliver a parcel coming from Sydney and going to Perth on the same day.

Overnight Deliveries

Next-day or overnight delivery is a popular express shipping option. Companies such as TNT allow you to get a parcel to a customer by 9 am, 10 am, or 12 pm the next day. Some criteria apply to ensure this commitment is met.

StarTrack Express has a National Premium service if you want overnight delivery to major capital cities. For remote locations, it will take up to two working days. When looking for this service, ensure your parcel is eligible based on where it needs to go.

The Benefits of Using Courier Services

The main advantage of courier services is that they offer more flexibility than a postal service. You also gain access to companies with the skills and expertise to deliver parcels throughout the country and worldwide. Here are some other benefits to your business.

Tracking capabilities: Most courier services allow you and your customer to track your item throughout the delivery, providing peace of mind while en route.
Specialised offerings: Many companies offer options for fragile products, oversized and heavy items, and objects requiring transport in temperature-controlled vehicles.
Cost-effective options: There are many options available to ship your packages that are cheap and fast.
International expertise: Businesses such as UPS and FedEx have global reputations you can leverage to enter new markets.
Risk mitigation: You can purchase insurance and transit warranty to protect shipments against damage or loss.
Seasonal support: Many couriers will scale their operations during peak sales periods such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas to meet demand and ensure your parcels arrive on time.

Courier Services Vs. Postal Services

	Couriers	Postal Service
Service Options	Couriers offer same-day, overnight, and other options to get your parcel into customers' hands fast.	Australia Post offers standard and express offerings but does not offer same-day or overnight. They have a next business day guarantee that has terms and conditions.
Tracking Parcels	Many courier companies provide tracking notifications or portals to see where your parcel is.	Tracking isn’t available on all services with Australia Post. You’ll need to confirm when booking your delivery.
Speed of Delivery	If they're near your location, you can get a parcel into your customer's hands on the same day.	Express Post items can be delivered overnight, but terms and conditions apply. For example, it must be processed by a particular time.
Costs	Rates vary from courier to courier. With a multicarrier shipping solution, you can easily compare rates for the services you’re interested in.	Australia Post offers set pricing, but there are programs such as MyPost Business that provide savings the more you use it.

The Functions Courier Services Offer

In addition to getting parcels into your customers' hands fast, couriers offer other functions. Some of them include:

Collecting parcels from your business or warehouse.
Validating delivery information such as phone numbers and addresses.
Providing equipment to load and unload large and heavy products.
Collect signatures to confirm the parcel is delivered.
Keeping records of delivery, including the time it arrived and the name of the recipient who received it.
Providing helpful data such as DIFOT and OTIF that can be used to improve your fulfilment strategy.

When to Use a Courier Service

There are times when using Australia Post is beneficial for your business and other occasions when you should book a courier. While the cost of the delivery is one consideration, these are some of the reasons you should use their services:

You need to get your parcel to your customer as quickly as possible.
You’re shipping fragile items and must ensure they are treated with extra care.
You’re sending products on pallets or in bulk and need additional equipment to transport them.
The items you’re shipping are in non-traditional-shaped boxes, or they vary in size.
You want to keep tabs on your delivery to inform your customer of their status.
You need proof of delivery or other information confirming the arrival of the package.

How to Choose a Courier Service

It might feel overwhelming once you start searching for a courier, as dozens of options are available. While researching, look for these vital details to confirm they’re the perfect choice for your business.

Region

A courier company must deliver to the area your customers are in. Not all operators will service the whole country. Some specialise in capital cities, while others can get your parcel to the smallest town in Australia, Cooladdi.

If international delivery is important to you, confirm the business has a presence in the country you’re shipping to. If they don’t, look to see who they partner with.

Services

You may need couriers that specialise in delivering unique products. It might be fragile items or bulk objects via pallet. Several providers can cater to your unique needs. For example, Hunter Express have multiple pallet services.

Check if your delivery comes with transit warranty for added peace of mind. If you book your order through Interparcel, we cover the first $100. For more expensive items, you can purchase insurance at 2% of the value up to a maximum of $2000.

Delivery Criteria

Some couriers don’t deliver certain products. Before booking, check the prohibited and restricted items to confirm you can ship your parcel. If you continue with the order, it may result in surcharges or fines.

There are also size and weight conditions for certain services. If your parcel exceeds these specifications, you may need to pay extra for the delivery. It’s also vital you choose the correct offering. For example, you shouldn’t use a B2B service if you’re sending a package to a residential address.

Reputation

Choosing a courier service with a reputation for delivering parcels safely and on time is vital. Sometimes, it’s a safe bet to go with names you recognise, such as StarTrack Express, which is backed by Australia Post, or TNT, which has been in operation for over 70 years.

You can find out what customers think about courier companies by reading Google Reviews and comments on social media. It can be beneficial for smaller providers that prioritise customer service.

Costs

Every courier charges a different amount for their services. There are also some differences between an express option with StarTrack and an express service with Aramex. Some factors that can influence the rate are the size and weight of the parcel.

Some courier companies also have surcharges. To manage costs, couriers have passed on fuel and manual handling costs so they can continue providing speedy delivery services. Before submitting an order, look at the additional charges for shipping a parcel.

How to Find the Best Courier for Your Business

Researching couriers and assessing each provider based on coverage, specialities, delivery criteria, reputation, and costs is time-consuming. In most cases, you’ll have to enter customer details every time to get the information you need. But there is a faster way to find the best courier for your business.

Head to our Get A Quote page to easily compare prices from reputable couriers such as StarTrack Express, Aramex, TNT, and more. You can even filter results by service type, speed, and cheapest price.

We also recommend signing up for a free Interparcel account. You can connect your ecommerce platform or marketplace and import all your orders into our Shipping Manager. From there, you can compare delivery prices and process them in minutes. Head to this page to open your free Interparcel account and find the right courier for your ecommerce business.