Once you make your services available to the public, promotions and advertising will help you to capture your market. The methods that you choose to use may change based on whether you are working B2B or B2C, but some methods will help to grow your business in any sector. The first of these is creating and maintaining a website that provides detailed information about your pricing and services. Some courier software solutions will allow you to connect your customers to online tracking and other delivery options via your website, improving your reputation for customer service.
A second method that will help you to capture your target market in any sector is advertising in print and online. The type of advertising that will be most effective for your business will depend on your area and business focus. Flyers may be effective in a high-traffic, urban area, while advertising in the Yellow Pages may be more effective if your area is suburban.
Finally, direct contact with local businesses and institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and retirement homes, can further assist with building your reputation and obtaining new customers. If your new contact has a busy lobby, ask them to hang a flyer or make your business card available in that area. Whether these meetings result in long term contracts, single jobs, or simply a new contact, your reputation within the community will be stimulated.
Growing Your Business
As you find your customers and cement your reputation, your company will likely need to expand. New employees may require salaries and health insurance. An office may be necessary for your dispatchers and a lot for new vehicles. Long term contracts and corporate accounts will help you to accommodate these increasing costs.
Communication with current and past customers will have a significant impact on your reputation for customer service. If you hope to obtain long term contracts in your area, an impressive reputation will be necessary. Providing delivery options such as tracking on your website can help with this improved communication and customer service. Courier software systems also offer the ability to send automatic or manual updates to customers via text, email, or fax regarding delivery status.
Your research into competitors likely revealed that punctuality is highly valued by your potential customers. Scheduling pickups and deliveries in the most efficient ways and executing these schedules in a timely matter is one of the most important aspects of a successful courier company. Multiple drivers will help you to fulfill growing demand, but managing these drivers and their schedules may be a challenge. Using a courier management software to schedule your pickups and deliveries will help you to address this challenge. When you experience unexpected delays, these solutions may also be used to send notifications to customers. Ensuring that you are always on time and in contact with your customers will have a significant impact on their loyalty to your business.