Essential in an increasingly interconnected world, Courier Management Systems (CMS) are essential for businesses that ship, book, and deliver products. Helpful for day-to-day operations, developing a robust platform for specific market segments can be a powerful tool in your arsenal and attract key clients with ease.
So, what exactly is courier management and what should I bear in mind when designing and developing one?
What is Courier Management?
CMS platforms take on the logistical issues that can arise with high-volume courier work and allow clients and businesses to book courier actions with ease. A CMS platform is designed to handle the daily rush of booking, validating, and tracking the progress of courier actions while potentially adding helpful ‘value adds’ that can make the platform viable to clients.
This involves a high degree of automation to handle the resource-heavy process of manually booking and assigning couriers. Any platform should be efficient, client-led, and add in fail-safes and steps to ensure that high-value clients are kept in the loop and secure materials are given a high level of oversight.
What variables do I need to consider?
When it comes to developing your system, it is essential to consider all the elements of courier work. These include, but are not limited to:
Key and Edge-Case Actions:
In addition to pick-ups, set downs, and commissioning, it is essential to understand that courier work is a hands-on and highly variable business. Being able to change an order on the fly is essential alongside validating that the rider is able to carry out the task to the best of their ability.
Database Management:
Courier work is high-volume and extremely demanding, making database management an essential part of the process. This should allow for manual entry in addition to automating click-heavy parts of the process.
Geographic location:
As with any development project, it is essential to properly validate the specifics of the market segment you occupy. Does this involve operation in a bust urban area, remote delivery, or being able to scale to accommodate a changing rota of couriers or a ‘hop on – hop off’ system?
Reporting:
Business intelligence is essential for any company and essential when it comes to courier services. This should allow clients to pull out a report on their work over a set period – ideally through a system dashboard – and allow for internal reporting to understand inefficiencies and see areas that can potentially be optimized.
How can I optimise my approach?
If you are considering developing a courier management system it is essential that you partner with a provider or advisor who is able to provide the guidance to ensure that development takes place smoothly and that you are able to factor in all the variables necessary to build a fit-for-purpose product.
Whether you are a business looking for a bespoke solution or an entrepreneur looking for a partner, taking the time to review the market and understand the inherent challenges will make sure you end up with a robust platform that matches your requirements and works when it truly matters most.
