Couriers are the heart of our communities – what does this show?

The site is unmistakeable – those big white vans travelling up and down our streets day after day, sometimes several times a day. On other occasions, it is a normal car that stops or slows down outside the house, with someone reaching into the boot or back seat for a cardboard box. Maybe it might just be that same day courier coming to drop off your time critical parcel. The site of a courier is one we are all familiar with and used to seeing – just as common as a postman/woman and perhaps more common than a milk man/woman these days. A recent report released has provided some interesting statistics about the rise of couriers in our local areas. Our latest article will take a closer look at this, and what these figures could suggest.

The explosion of courier services (thanks to the internet and online shopping platforms,) has led to more couriers visiting our streets every day. That is just logic, and you don’t need any report to state the obvious. What is interesting however is that when people were surveyed about this, many regarded couriers and delivery drivers with the same esteem and trust as their daily postman or woman. This has led many to conclude that couriers play a vital role in being at the very heart of our communities, just like other local services such as the post office, local corner shop, or pharmacy.

Many people who were surveyed remarked on how friendly their courier was. This metric was higher in people that regularly had parcels delivered, and thus regularly had the same courier driver delivering to them, A sense of personal rapport was built up in these circumstances. The way many couriers carry out their work leans to this occurring. Nearly 75% of all couriers travel on the same route or within the same areas each day, leading to them getting to know the people they interact with. Over 60% of courier drivers who were asked in this survey stated that they too value the relationship they have with the customer, with nearly every other courier who was asked could say that that they were on first name terms with the parcel recipient. Just 3% said customers were rude to couriers, which is an amazing statistic to come out of the report, and proves how valued couriers are. Nearly half of those surveyed said they were regularly complimented on their service also.

What does this all mean?

A few things, some obvious, some less so.

1) Courier services continue to be in demand and on the rise. This is despite economic uncertainty and navigation of the difficult times we all find ourselves in at the moment.

2) Not every business or area of industry has a good reputation. Whilst courier services and deliveries do not always go to plan 100% of the time, couriers are still highly regarded, trusted and respected, and this should count as the ultimate endorsement.

3) If you think about the fabric of the community (that pharmacy or post office we mentioned earlier,) these are the real and true things that bind people and local areas together. Whilst a courier is not a static shop or establishment that people visit, they do still have an integral role in local areas and the people that reside in them, and for this, they will always be central to any community –  proudly and rightly so!

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