Most people know about next-day delivery. But what are the advantages of same-day delivery services?

When you want to send a package to someone, perhaps a friend or relative, or a small business needs to get that part or important document to a customer or supplier. Who do you think of? Chances are it’s Royal Mail or perhaps one of the next-day networks like Yodel or EVRI. More often than not these are perfectly acceptable options. They offer quick and affordable services for sending all sorts of things, typically smaller items but some do offer limited shipping for bulky or ugly goods.

But what goes on behind the scenes?

What happens to your package?

What are the drawbacks of using next day?

Typically once you drop off your item at your local shop or “drop off” location or post office, it will be placed with the rest of those items. Sometimes in sorting bags or just piled in a corner. The chosen carrier will then collect all the items at some point in the evening to be taken back to the local depot or sorting office. Your item will then be just one of the hundreds, if not thousands, of letters and boxes placed into automated sorting machines that route your item to the correct area, ready to be placed into cages, which are then loaded onto trucks to be sent over-night to whichever city your item is destined for.

Once your item arrives in the local sorting facility to its destination it’s fed once again into a sorting machine. Consider for a monument how massive some of these warehouses are and you get a picture of just how complex the operation is.

Finally, your item is sorted and loaded onto a van with potentially hundreds of other packages. The van route will be pre-determined to be most efficient. If all goes well you or the recipient will receive a notification for when your item will arrive and when it has been successfully delivered.

As you can imagine, there are a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong. Modern next-day carriers and overnight services are heavily automated and usually, they do a good job. But the risk for loss and damage, especially to fragile or high-value items exists especially during peak times like Christmas.

As does the risk of miscommunication or missed delivery.

This can all be avoided by using a same-day carrier like us. The advantages of same-day are numerous.

Primarily is the fact that your item is collected from you, and placed onto a dedicated, secure, and tracked vehicle in your presence. Then your consignment is driven directly to its destination. It’s not mixed or co-loaded with other freight that could damage it or pass through multiple sorting facilities. You and the recipient will be kept informed of ETA’s and any delays to ensure a successful delivery at a time slot that suits all parties and doesn’t require the receiver to remain in all day.

If the consignment is fragile, sensitive, legal, very high value or time-critical same-day carriers are the best solution to guarantee the safety and privacy of the freight. Next-day providers have hundreds of drivers and thousands of staff, whilst the vast majority are vetted and trustworthy, a bad actor can always find a way in. The advantage of same-day couriers is they keep the work in-house, using fully vetted and trusted drivers and staff, or proven and trusted subcontractors.

If the freight is large or unusual (ugly) most next-day providers won’t offer a service. Same-day will. Even if it’s palletised, multiple pallets, oversized, super heavy, or dangerous, same-day couriers will have a solution.