How do we dispatch for same day courier service in Los Angeles?
A prior blog post from A-1 Courier talked about courier service software. It’s the software that either helps solve a problem or creates one.
What’s different about courier services in Los Angeles, compared to Uber, for example, is that we’re only creating income, if we have the messenger carrying, on average more than one package at a time. Since we do a lot of on-demand courier deliveries, it means we need the best software possible and a really smart group of dispatchers.
Our software begins the process by looking at the pick-up locations and the delivery addresses and then it looks at over 100 items to consider, such as where the driver is heading, what kind of vehicle they’re driving, their average speed, and the quality of their work, and most importantly, what time will the estimated delivery be completed.
After seeing the software suggestions as to what courier should be assigned the delivery, the dispatcher then adds the human element that is critical to success. It’s tempting to go with what artificial intelligence says, but there are always intangibles that need to be considered.
One thing is for sure, we have a rule in our dispatching system that a courier never carries more than two rush deliveries at a time. For example, the courier can have a few regulars on board, but rushes are naturally more important. After that, we have nonstop deliveries that are always taken care of first, on an emergency basis.
A-1 Courier has been at this for over 25 years, and it’s amazing how much technology has changed. Fortunately, it’s made on-time delivery way easier to accomplish, but the dispatcher is always the final decision-maker.
Over the years, we’ve had many dispatchers and their average experience is over 10 years, so with A-1 Courier, you’ll always get serviced by a top-notch pro. Years ago, we used recruiters to find candidates when we needed someone, but we’ve found that the learning curve is steep and it’s always better to seek out your best courier drivers, to interview for any dispatching positions — as they know how picky A-1 Courier is about making sure our customers in Los Angeles, are satisfied with 100% on-time courier delivery.
A great messenger service dispatcher is always concentrating on what needs to be done and what requests might be coming up. They need to be prepared with drivers that can pick up fast in Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Costa Mesa, or Encino and Riverside. We cover all of Southern California and while our software is great and is often like operating a video game, we can never relax until our shift is over.