For any IT company, a key differentiator to your competitors is by the Service Level Agreements that you have with your customers. Due to the nature of your customers business, you could be bound by agreements that mean you need to replace, say a physical server, in two hours if that server goes down. When that happens, it’s extraordinarily important that you have reliable delivery of the hardware you need. This is where same day couriers can really support IT companies in providing amazing customer service.
First – to be clear – a same day courier doesn’t just mean the goods are delivered in the ‘same day’ literally, it’s really talking about a dedicated delivery service whereby the goods only touch the hands of the one courier between collection and delivery. This dedication and directness is what saves you time and, frankly, only costs you a bit more money. But, in the competitive SLA driven IT industry, same day courier can be the service level distinguisher to set you above your competition.
Here are 5 ways a delivery and storage service can help IT companies.
No 1: Close proximity
By having the relevant hardware close to your clients’ location, you know that you can deliver your services within the timeframes of the SLA. If you have tight agreements that you’re trying to fulfil and all your goods are stored in London and your client that you need to visit is in Aberdeen, then it’s going to be very difficult to get hardware delivered within a three hour service level agreement. And that’s before your engineers got time to do the repair! By having access to remote storage around the country and fulfilment backed by a same day courier service means your spare parts can be stored close to where your customers are. Plus, by having remote storage and fulfilment with a same day courier attached, means that the moment your server goes down you can dispatch a courier to the local warehouse and deliver the e.g. new server, to meet your engineer on site.
No 2: Reliability
Increase the probability of first time delivery. An overnight courier service is incredibly effective in the UK with some great quality providers. But the tiny percentage that goes awry can be problematic. If you are bound by a time that your hardware needs to arrive, then the only way of truly guaranteeing it, is to ensure it’s delivered same day.
In addition, at Diamond, we know that the important factor is supporting your service to your customers. So, if anything changes from the point you initially contact us, we can contact our driver direct and update our logistics management platform, to let them know that it needs to go to a different location or the goods need to be changed. Giving you total flexibility.
No 3: Reduce damage and breakage
Hardware is precious, fragile and important. These three elements scream the need for same day delivery. Overnight couriers rely on automation to keep the cost of distribution down. Conveyor belts rule, boxes are loaded and unloaded at speed. There is some amazing packaging for computer based products but if it’s a really expensive bit of kit then the risk of it passing through many hands on the last leg of it’s journey, with time pressures, may not be a price worth paying for a more cost effective delivery. With same day delivery it’s the same driver that picks it up, places it delicately in the back of the van and drives it direct to its destination. There is a huge reduction in damage probability.
No 4: Transparency gives you efficiency
By having 100% transparency via our Despatchlab driver app, this enables you to track the progress of the driver with your delivery in real time. So, when you’ve got an engineer waiting to meet our driver on site, you can maximise his time efficiency by work to a live expected time of arrival. Equally, if you need to give your clients up to date information on their goods for delivery, you can also give them access to the app for live updates.
No 5: 100% proven successful delivery
When it comes to exception management, real time proof of delivery is important. Especially when you’re delivering to big premises. Even if you go to where you’re supposed to, a security guard or a post room or reception can easily misplace an urgent consignment. Giving the driver very specific delivery instructions is key to making sure goods get to where they need to go to, but by having a real live proof of delivery, you know who’s taken receipt of them if the goods can’t be found.
Why use same day delivery?
A same day courier service is really good resource to use when you want to be a cut above your competition. By enabling speedy delivery, by prompt direct dispatching of your goods, by increasing the probability of first time delivery, by reducing damage and breakage, by increasing efficiency and ensuring 100% successful delivery, same day couriers can really help your IT business deliver for your customers.
If you’d like more information on our same day delivery service and understand further how we can support your business, our team can be contacted on 0333 567 5888. Alternatively, email us at sales@diamondlogistics.co.uk or complete our contact form below.
