How to ensure you’re getting a reliable delivery service

Whether it’s in construction, or in fact in any industry, it’s imperative that you have a reliable delivery service. You need supplies to do the job, so if your supplies don’t show up, the ramifications can be huge.  

In construction especially, time is very much money. Without the products you need, projects can be delayed and the knock-on effects of that aren’t good, to put it mildly.  

No contractor is going to enjoy having to explain delays. They are especially not going to be happy explaining delays when they’ve ordered something in good faith that it’ll arrive on a certain day at a certain time and it does neither.  

However, these fears can be alleviated if you have a reliable supplier. We like to think that we are one – indeed, our own van delivery success rate is 99.3% - and with 30 years’ experience, we’ve picked a few things up along the way.  

The things we have listed are things that we do ourselves, as we want to make sure that when you order with us, you have everything you need.  

With that in mind, for this article, we are going to highlight some of the things that all reliable suppliers should be offering you. If they aren’t offering you these things as standard, then it may be time to reconsider who your provider is.  

Being able to track your order 

As a general observation, people are curious. They are also especially curious when they order things and want to find out when it’s going to arrive. 

Not only is this because they need the goods in question, but it allows them to adequately prepare for when that delivery will be. A valued delivery provider will try to have your construction goods delivered before 12, but sometimes you need specifics.  

When you can track your order, to the point you can pinpoint an estimated time of arrival, you can prioritise things accordingly depending on your project.  

It allows you to be more time-efficient, as you can rearrange your work schedule to get things done in the meantime. Once you have your goods, you can resume what part of the project you need them for.  

Having the option to be able to track your order though is very important. You’d expect it from Amazon, you’d expect it from Tesco and you should expect it from your construction supplier, too.  

A heads-up that your order is about to be delivered 

Let’s say that you’ve tracked your order and you can see that it is coming at 9am. You’re flat out at work, so you get on with the job and forget that the order is coming, because you’re so preoccupied with the project.  

Then, you get a phone call from the driver. You’re told that your order is 10 minutes away and you’re asked to come out and pick it up.  

In the event you can’t pick it up, you can explain where exactly you want it to go, so it doesn’t get lost, misplaced or damaged. Equally, you can get someone to meet the driver to pick up the goods.  

Above all else, a phone call is just a common courtesy. It keeps you in the loop, allows you to plan more efficiently and if it’s a regular driver, even strike up a relationship with them.  

This is a fundamental part of reliable service as, much like with anything in the world, communication is key.  

Picture proof that your item has been delivered safely 

Using the above as an example, let’s say you’ve asked the driver to leave your goods in a designated area and you’ll collect them later.  

You then check your order and see that a photo has been added, not only showing proof of delivery, but also identifying exactly where it is.  

Few things are more annoying than finding out your item has been delivered, but there is no picture to prove that.  

It’s even more annoying when you then have to take time out of your day to hunt down exactly where it’s been left, with no way of contacting the driver.  

As such, you should always be of the belief that your supplier is taking photos after dropping the goods off, especially in the event no-one can pick them up instantly. 

A signature sign-off for every order 

Lastly, sometimes you just need to know with certainty that the items you’ve ordered have turned up safely.  

We’ve all heard and endured horror stories of companies saying something has been delivered when the reality is something very different entirely. It’s a dispute you don’t need and it’s time wasted.  

As such, one thing you should always hope is that your supplier can provide a signature upon arrival rule with their delivery service.  

This also adds accountability on your end, too. If you can’t sign off for whatever reason, you can see exactly who has. This also helps if you’re trying to hunt down the goods when you do need them.  

Having the option to give a signature also allows you a brief period of time where you can assess whether the order is correct. Sometimes mistakes can happen, so if you can clock it early, that’s a bonus in an otherwise bad situation.  

Making sure you get the very best from your supplier 

We all know the importance of deliveries. Businesses rely on them to get things done, so if they’re having difficulties with their deliveries, then something needs to change.  

If you are not having these four factors in your deliveries, then you should be asking why not. You should especially be asking this in the event your deliveries aren’t reliable.  

The things we’ve listed should be seen as standard for delivery, but as we stated earlier, these are all things that we do ourselves.  

If you would like to get in touch with a member of our team to discuss our delivery options, then you can do so here. Alternatively, if you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to see what else we have, you can see our article home base here.