Happy Austin Couriers = Happy Austin Customers
As we all drive along Texas highways, you can see that we are in full-blown Springtime. The bluebonnets are spectacular, the pink evening primroses (that I called Buttercups as a kid) are swaying in the wind, Indian Blankets are cheerfully popping up and Thistles look beautiful enough to pick (but don’t you dare!). As the old saying goes, spring has officially sprung, and my, oh my, is she beautiful!
Around our Eagle Express courier services home offices in Dallas and Austin, I don’t need the Texas wildflowers to alert me to the new season. I just need to look at all of the RFPs flying out the door to know that!
Spring is often RFP season, and it makes sense as to why. We are now in the second quarter of the year (although I’m not sure any of us can believe it!), everyone has settled into 2024, and it’s time for businesses to find the best courier service in Dallas, Austin and beyond.
After years of being on the Eagle Express RFP team, I’ve come to a few important conclusions. In case you’re in the market for a new courier or you’re a first-time user of couriers – I want to highlight a few things for you.
1. Ask about delivery on-time rates. This is a great way to weed out the “definitely going to disappoint you” potential companies. Every courier company should be able to quickly state their on-time rates. If they can’t, that means they aren’t carefully tracking delivery windows… and that’s a huge problem for you! A delivery service hinges on time, so if they aren’t monitoring it, you need to close the door on them as an option.
At Eagle Express delivery services in Dallas and Austin, we closely monitor every single delivery. Whether it is a one-time delivery for a small boutique or a daily medical delivery in Austin, we live by the clock. We can give you on-time rates for specific industry clients, on-time rates for routes, on-time rates for 4-hour deliveries, on-time rates for 3-hour deliveries, on-time rates for 2-hour deliveries, on-time rates for 1-hour deliveries and on-time rates for super rush ASAP deliveries in Austin and Dallas.
2. Do they serve the industry you’re in? I was just finishing up a medical industry RFP, and I was wondering to myself how many of the other potential courier companies had the expertise that we do at Eagle Express. We’ve been serving the medical industry since the beginning – 40 years ago! We are acutely aware that the medical industry is wholly different from manufacturing is wholly different from food and beverage. We don’t treat industries the same because they each have their own unique requirements. Be on the lookout for one-size-fits-all companies!
3. What is the company culture? At first look, many companies are initially focused on price and service options. And yes, these are critical pieces! If an RFP requires a daily route with multiple pallets, then the courier company MUST deliver on that need! But once you get past the basics of service options, capacity and cost effectiveness, I highly recommend that you take a good look at company culture. How are the people you interact with? Are the friendly or rude? Are they seemingly counting down until their shift is over or do they seem genuinely happy to serve? Are the couriers humdrum and disheveled? Do people seem miserable?
Asking yourself these questions will save you a lot of potential heartache… and maybe a return trip to the RFP board before 2024 even ends! Here’s the reality – happy couriers make better deliveries. When couriers are treated kindly, fairly and respectfully, they are much more invested in their deliveries. When they are cared for, they show reciprocal care for clients.
This ‘top-down’ happiness trickle is critical and often an unseen part of the RFP process. People often get so bogged down by the tangible items, they forget about the intangible. If you’re in the market for a courier service in Austin Texas, then do your due diligence. Ask about the tangibles… and perceive the intangibles as well. Happy couriers make for happy customers, and my 14 years here at Eagle Express is how I know!