In business, you often hear the phrase "unique selling point". It seems a simple enough phrase, but in a competitive and even flooded market place, it can be a challenging concept to develop. As a provider of courier services, we very much operate in a flooded, competitive market place. The purpose of this post, is to champion the factors which we believe set us apart from our competitors. Whether these factors are unique selling points could be put to debate, but they are certainly contributing factors in to what makes us the Company that we are.
How The Courier Industry Operates
Before we get in to what makes CK Courier Solutions different, it is necessary that we provide some information on our industry and how it operates in the main. This is not us saying what is the right or wrong way to do things, we are simply pointing out what makes us different to many of our competitors.
The courier industry is one that very much relies on the "gig economy". I.e. self employed workers. The majority of our competitors use self employed individuals to operate their vehicles. Some even go a step further and fully operate on a person in a van basis. I.e., not only do they not employ their drivers, but they don't even own the vehicles that they are driving. In the worst case scenario, they use contractors that they have never even met, sourced through various courier network sites.
This model works well for many courier companies, as it is light on overheads and very tax efficient. However, what this means for the customer or end users, is that the person carrying your goods can be anyone with a van. Or even a car. Sometimes done in the cheapest way possible, on a sold to the lowest bidder basis. As many of the self employed drivers are often earning below minimum wage, they often take additional jobs at the same time. This can lead to delivery delays, mix ups, security issues and even load contamination.
If you were aware that this is how your courier provider operates, would you still fully trust them with your consignments and reputation?
How We Operate
We believe our way is better for both our customers, staff and the wider community. As a company, we genuinely care about providing a positive work environment and customer experience.
Our Employed Team
Our staff are a huge part of what we do and what we have achieved. We passionately believe in providing a positive, balanced work environment.
We are a small, tight knit team. Our staff are carefully selected on their personalities, as much as their skills. They are friendly, engaged and truly care about CK and its customers. Everyone has an important role and we are very much a modern work place. Our team enable us to provide a reliability of service that is second to none.
Our driver team are uniformed and carry company I.D. badges. They are also DBS and driving licence checked. This provides a professional image for us and our customers.
We are based in a community which faces economic challenges and we take great pride in our role as an employer in the local community. All of our staff are fully employed, almost all of them on a guaranteed salary. We are members of the Living Wage Foundation and all of our staff are paid in excess of their recommended UK living wage. We believe that giving our staff a solid, steady income has a positive effect on both them and the local community.
Our Own Fleet
We operate a sizeable, varied fleet. We can service any job in vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. For further information on our vehicles, please visit our fleet page.
The benefits of operating our own fleet are numerous. They include:
Young, well maintained fleet ensuring maximum reliability
Fuel efficient, modern vehicles that are better for the environment
Control of our own fleet means that we can supply customers with accurate information
Full tracking and route information available to customers
Guarantee that customer goods are not cross loaded
Load and data security
Reliability that we will be where you need us, when you need us to be there.
Sustainability and The Community
Sustainability is clearly important. It is not just about the environment, but behaviours and business practices too. The world is rapidly changing and the challenges are growing. We believe it is important that businesses and communities work together to achieve the fair, sustainable society that we all want to be a part of. Having full ownership of each and every part of our business, we are better placed than many to face these challenges in a positive manner. Even though we are a small business, we are already well on the road to meeting the challenges that lie ahead.
As already stated, we take our responsibilities as both a business and employer very seriously. We are proud to do so and these are not just soundbites. Please take the time to read our Social Value Policy and our Environmental Policy for further information.
Summary
The current economic crisis is making even the largest companies/organisations assess if they are getting value for money. We understand that cost is important, but it also needs to be balanced with quality, the environment and sustainability. Sometimes, what appears to be more cost effective, can be more costly in the long run. We don't profess to be the cheapest (we aren't the most expensive either!) but we do profess to be the best. We may charge more than some of our competitors, but our margins are actually usually lower. This is because we value doing things the right way above profit. It is who we are. Here is an old quote provided by one of our customers, but it is one of the best we have ever had and it still rings true today:
There are an awful lot of couriers out there, some good and some not so good, but in my experience, I have not come across another who offer the level of service and professionalism that CK do and it is a pleasure to work alongside them.
Lee Charlesworth
Project/Installations Manager
Dams Furniture