Delivery of Goods and Services to the Customer Report

Introduction

The concept of delivery of goods and services to the customers refers to availing of goods in a zone where they will be easily accessible by the customers. In the delivery of goods and services of any nature, time is of essence. Failure to deliver goods at the correct time in the right place may lead to cancellation of the contract orders and imposition of forfeiture (McClain et al, p.45). For these reasons, an efficient means of delivery should be formulated to avert any losses emanating from the delivery process. This paper will look at some of the efficient ways (new or improved ways) of delivering goods and services to potential and new customers; Ways which are safe, reliable, straightforward and hustle-free.

The Delivery Process

Any process involving delivery of finished goods and services should be done with the customers as the primary focus. Customer’s feedback and suggestions should be given priority considerations if high quality and standards are to be achieved. Goods are separated into majorly three categories as found in (Berry et el, pp.53-58), namely; fragile goods, heavy goods and oversized goods. The best way that has proved quiet a successful in the delivery of goods and services is the employment of the courier services. Courier combines the use of land, air and sea modes to reach the clients. Though the system has been docked by a lot of insecurity claims, it still stands out among all the modes of delivery. Taking some cautious steps will see a lot of efficiency in the system as far as delivery of goods and services is concerned. The system has been incorporating the use of the Post Office Box Delivery Address for a good period of time now (Moroney et al., pp.23-24). This idea should stop, and instead customers should be encouraged to use the physical addresses. In case the delivery is to be done to a non-residential recipient, the name of the building or the company needs to be indicated. The common practice of signing the delivery documents upon receipt of the goods should also be kept up.

The courier process can be computerized to make it more efficient in locating and tracing the movement of goods and services. It would be much better if it embraces the e-commerce system for those clients who have access to the internet and can utilize e-banking with their credit cards. To boost the customers trust and erase any doubt, the customers are allowed only to pay after the delivery in exchange for the service or the goods. Improved technological communication ensures that the packages and the specified guidelines are all accounted for to trim down cases of tampering with the goods and a loop-hole in the supply chain security (Mann, pp.12-34). There should also be a means to notify the buyer on the delivery status of the ordered goods and services; probably by phone or e-mail. Further the courier service providers need to have different rates of packages, which should be able to present varied choices to customers. Charges on the packages should be based on urgency, weight, distance and liability (sole or shared risk cost). For international Courier services, opening up branches in every major city will be a great plus to the business, as it will be able to reach the customers at their convenient zones. Networking with big business organizations of related businesses is also vital to this effect, where companies dealing with related products (a raw material suppliers and a process firm). If one has to make it big in this field of delivery of goods and services, trust has to be cultivated well among the participating parties, so that the suppliers will trust courier service providers with their clients’ goods as well as the clients with the goods that they have paid dearly for (Haldi, p.12). There has to be a clear laid down procedure of compensation in case any delivery mess-up occurs. Such regulations to guide compensation process should favor none of the players, but needs be fair to all…That is the only way to ensure that the customers trust the transporter with their goods; it is also a good strategy to avoid plunging the courier business into bankruptcy by covering for the loses that would have instead been shouldered by the clients (Davenport, pp.30-34).

Conclusion

The courier business has undergone several modernization steps; from the days when goods were delivered on horsebacks, to the rails, to the roads and now by air. Among all the ways of goods and service delivery, courier services is the best if given the above improvement steps; especially when handled by knowledgeable, staffs that are aware of the procurement procedures and cross boarder regulations. Research indicates that, if courier service is given a professional touch, then 99% of customers will put it a top priority means of delivering their goods (Chapman, p.43). Every business will need a courier service, in the acquisition of raw materials where the manufacturing firm is the customer, and in the delivery of finished products where the retailers, wholesalers and other small time consumers are the customers. Not even the fragile materials will escape the couriers’ hands.

The competition that exists in this field is so stiff such that a weak or a substandard service company can never survive in this market segment. Businesses opting for the courier service have the big four courier firms to choose from. That is, DHL, FedEx, UPS and USPS. These companies stand a chance of outdoing all the other goods and service delivery service companies if they put in place the recommendations presented in this paper.

Work Cited

1. Berry, Andrew and Phillips, Julian. (1998). Pulling it together. Vol. 45, Risk Management, New York. pp. 53-58.
2. Chapman, C. and Ward, S. (1997). Project Risk Management: Processes, Techniques and Insights. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester.pp.41-45.
3. Davenport, John A. (1997). Loss control technologies. Vol. 44, Risk Management, New York. pp. 30-34.
4. Haldi, John, and Joseph F. Johnston, Jr. (1974). Postal Monopoly: An Assessment of the Private Express Statutes. Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. p.12.
5. Mann, C. L. (2000). Electronic Commerce in Developing Countries: Issues for Domestic Policy and WTO Negotiations. Washington, D.C: Institute for International Economics (IIE). pp.12-35.
6. McClain, J.O., Thomas, L.J., Mazzola, J.B., (1992). Operations Management: Production of Goods and Services. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. pp.45-61.
7. Moroney, Rita L.(1983).History of the U.S. Postal Service, 1775–1982. Washington, D.C.: The Service. pp.23-31.