Anyone who is a part of a courier company understands the challenge severe weather brings to the success of a courier company. A national distribution service such as Naparex faces the challenge of battling all of the elements throughout the year. While a local or regional courier company in the Midwest for example can be prepared for blizzards in the winter and flooding and severe thunderstorms in the summer, Naparex must be prepared for weather conditions across the country at any point in the year.
When customers request direct service during inclement weather it is the expectation that dispatch and the courier will do everything in their power to get the package there quickly and safely. When a threat of a severe storm is in the area dispatchers often have to have their eye on the radar so that they can warn both the drivers and the customer of a delay in service.
While a lot of businesses have the opportunity to shut down during severe inclement weather; like the snow storms that pounded the Midwest and east coast this past winter, a courier company is not one of them. We have to be available for the work that businesses that stay open need done and for the residents who can’t leave their homes.
This sort of work is managed in a few different ways. Naparex relies on websites like the Weather Channel website to alert us hours before we are to expect any serious weather. This way we can try and get our scheduled deliveries finished with early for the day if possible. This also gives dispatch the opportunity to line up drivers that have vehicles available to handle the elements. Most important, dispatch will monitor the road conditions by visiting a number of different state’s websites, this way we can keep the driver’s safe.

When you’re trying to promote your business through local search online, there are several different components that you can combine in order to create the overall most effective strategy. Performance in local search is going to be achieved by combining several different elements.

Building Listings and Links

When you’re trying to get your site to perform better in the local search results, you need to split your work between your own site and other sites. For example, things that you can do on other sites which can help to improve the results of your own pages include:

• Building place listings or citations that include your address, contact information, and phone number in a consistent fashion. For example the business below provides SEO services to businesses in Chicago, and this is their citation:

• Build links back from other sites to your own page. Remember that when building links, even when focussing on local search rather than simple, overall SEO performance, that the quality of the links is more important than sheer quantity
• Build content which helps to showcase the knowledge that your company has. This builds brand trust whether you’re offering a product or a service. Video content is now shared in so many ways through sharing sites, cell phones, and social media sites, that this can be one of your best ways of creating content. Search engines are also putting more emphasis on great content, increasing the importance of video all the time.

Working on Your Site

There also things that you have to concentrate on that more closely involve your own site and this creates the other half of your total marketing plan for local search results.

• Build an email list. Although these have traditionally been used for direct sales for websites, this may be an overused tactic that no longer breeds trust. Instead, think of using it as a tool for building a relationship by communicating with your customers.
• Ensure that all of your contact information is listed completely on your website, including your address and phone number.
• Work on the onsite optimization factors, targeting local keywords. This could account for up to 30% of your site’s performance in the search engines.
• Driving paid traffic to your site. Using pay per click marketing is an important part of the overall toolkit that people use to drive traffic to their site. This can be an easy way to lose money unless you do your research first however, so be sure to take the time to do your homework before delving into PPC.

Since graduating from college this past December and tumbling heals over head into the business world I have found my Blackberry has been a blessing more than a few times! I have begun to depend on my smart phone in a number of different situations and even when I don’t have the solution right at my fingertips I can find a way to get it! That is why it amazes me when I try to discuss the blackberry apps with my co-workers in the courier industry and many look at me with a blank face. “Apps?” They ask. Of course I am referring to applications, which can be found by visiting the Blackberry App World. There are roughly 100,000 applications available for the Blackberry and many have the ability to boost productivity in the courier world. Instead of sending anyone unfamiliar with the apps available to blackberry into a world in which 100,000 exist I thought I would provide the top 5 blackberry applications I find beneficial to those in the courier service industry.

1. “amAze” This application is one of many that are free to download and use. While many can’t fathom the idea of spending the money on a GPS Navigation system or even a monthly fee for GPS on their cell phone the truth of the matter is that everyone at some point in time will be lost. Those in the courier industry are known for the amount they spend traveling and someone who runs a Chicago Courier Service is not going to have the slightest idea of how to navigate through Los Angeles. Enter amAze; it is free, simple and quick. Not to mention it has features such as local search and built-in weather. And as an extra perk, a library of speed traps posted by other users.

2. “WorldMate Live” Another free application! After this winter it is safe to say that no one in any part of the country is immune to being affected by the snow. Sitting in a small airport in Des Moines, IA and every flight is cancelled into the next week? You will sigh with relief when you remember that you downloaded WorldMate Live. Available hotel rooms, flight tracking, itineraries, currency converting and the weather where you are heading or on a bad day..where you are staying, are all available in this application!

3. “Blurts Pro” The pro version will cost you $5.99 but there is a “Blurts” with less features that is free! This is one of my personal favorites and allows all of those Bluetooth users to put them to use while sitting in front of their computer. When a notification comes to your phone you won’t even have to take your eyes from the computer screen; instead the Bluetooth relays the information to your computer where you will have the opportunity to reply to SMS Texts from your computer, be notified of a new e-mail and also have the ability to answer or ignore incoming phone calls all with a few clicks of the mouse!

4. “Visual Voicemail” Free. Someone running a New York Courier Service probably receives several voicemails per hour and many of them are important and must be saved only to find later that that same voicemail has to be listened to again before moving on to the new one. Visual Voicemail allows you to scroll through voicemail messages much the way a person would scroll through text messages. The caller or number is identified and it makes it easy to pick and choose between the voicemails that need to be saved and those that can be deleted; plus it allows access to a specific voicemail in a hurry!

5. “Pandora” Free! While this one may not increase productivity per say it can provide you with an escape during an especially long tough day at work or a long flight. Pandora radio allows you to type in a favorite song or artist and it will create a station that plays only music that is similar to that song or artist. It can play through your blackberry speakers or you can just plug a regular pair of headphones into your blackberry to transform it into an MP3 player of sorts. I especially love this application because it gives me the opportunity to discover new artists and songs.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Blackberry applications that can make your life productive, easier and a little bit fun!

It only makes sense for America, a country whose success has come from its entrepreneurs and their willingness to take action and work hard to reach their goals and dreams. Siamak Taghaddos, co-founder of Grasshopper (a virtual phone system designed for entrepreneurs) strongly believes that National Entrepreneur’s Day should be day recognized on the calendar.

It would be a day in which the country honors entrepreneurs for the hard work they do. It makes sense to me; we honor administrative assistants for the work they do and mothers and fathers for the dedication they have shown. Why not give credit to the entrepreneurs of this country. The courier industry is especially rich in innovative and determined entrepreneurs; surviving in one of the oldest forms of business takes all of the talent an entrepreneur has to offer as the CEO of Naparex, Monte O’Hara, is well aware!

So what are the steps being taken to make March 20th, 2011 the first National Entrepreneur’s Day? An online petition has been started to ask President Obama to agree to create this day. To receive President Obama’s attention to the goal is to gather 1 million signatures for this petition. 1 million signatures sounds like a lot but with the help of social networking website Twitter there is currently “A Twitter Petition to the First Ever President on Twitter”, now the goal doesn’t seem so far out of reach! Business blogs all over the country are picking up this story and including the links in their blog and on their twitter accounts to get this petition through! Many prominent entrepreneurs have already lent their support by signing the petition, including Wordpress’s Matt Mullenwed.

It is a really exciting idea that entrepreneurs all over the country are working together to be recognized by their country for their hard work and dedication!
So if you believe, like we do, that entrepreneurs deserve a day of recognition then visit this website and lend your support!

Every business owner knows that, without good marketing techniques, a business can fail very quickly. For this reason, business owners need to focus on all aspects of the marketing spectrum in order to achieve the highest possible level of success. Today, we’re concentrating on local online marketing; something that many have heard of, but often don’t fully understand. Below, you will find seven helpful tips that can increase your customer base exponentially.

 1.)    It’s all about the web. If you don’t yet have a business website, you need to get one. It doesn’t have to be flashy, loaded down with content, or even storefront integrated, but it does need to be optimized for the search engines and easy to navigate. Your potential customers will be using this to find information about your business, so put yourself in your customer’s shoes and make sure that the information is available.

2.)    Website promotion IS necessary and don’t let anyone tell you different. Sure, a website is inexpensive to maintain, but if you don’t promote it, then it’s still a giant waste of your marketing dollars because it isn’t going to be doing its job. You can use SEO, PPC, social networking, E-Mail, and link building campaigns, but they must be quality. Any good internet marketing company can give you ideas on how to promote your website. Remember, you are trying to get people into your store. People are not impressed with poorly written content or links on pages that they will never see, so keep a focus on quality.

3.)    Getting listed in Google’s Places is one of the best ways to help boost your local business. Many refer to this center to find businesses in their area, read reviews written by real people, and find out general information.

4.)    Launch an E-Mail campaign. Though you do have to set up an opt-in list on your site, once it’s been established, it’s a great way to guarantee repeat business and even new business!

5.)    If you want to reach a wider client base, a great way to do that is with joint promotion. You can discuss this option with another business in your area. Contrary to what you may believe, partnering with a business similar to yours doesn’t mean that you are going to lose business. It means that you are going to increase business. Capitalize on it.

6.)    If you are not yet one of the millions that utilize the social network sites, you’d better get with the picture. The social network sites, like Twitter and Facebook, are great tools that can help you keep your customer base informed. Every new item, amazing sale, contest, joint promotion, and upcoming product should be posted for everyone to see. The best thing about social networking? If someone likes what you have to say, let’s use Facebook as an example, all of their friends will know it because it will show up on their wall. Don’t you want to know why your friends like something? Yeah, it increases business almost effortlessly.

7.)    Keep it up. Once you start bringing in hoards of customers, don’t stop there. You have to maintain that client base and you can’t maintain if you give up your efforts.

With the weight of competition on their backs, Google finds themselves constantly creating new ways to keep their spot at number one. When new features have been exhausted, what do you rely on? How about a more effective and reliable way for your clientele to find what they need.

Over half of the population today relies on what they can find online. Many of us are constantly on the go, in a rush, running late and have no time to spare on slow search engines that provide results that are the complete opposite of what we actually want to know. In an effort to provide more accurate and useful information about local business, Google decided to put an advancement on their, already effective, local businesses search; thus, Google Places was born.

Not only does Google Places allow you to pinpoint the location of a business while also obtaining all relevant information such as: what products/services the business offers, phone numbers, addresses, etc., it also provides in depth details on the extent of the services offered. Knowing exactly where a business is in relevance to where a customer may be allows for effective time management.  Being aware of what areas a business may cater to and the hours of operation allows a customer to become knowledgeable of how convenient a visit to the business may fit into their schedule.

In this busy day and age a person’s needs tend to outweigh their wants. Active individuals demand entities that allow them to execute the most convenient routes in getting what they need. Keeping up with these requests is not only a job for the internet world, but a job for the local business whose primary focus is to satisfy their healthy clientele and market their local business online.

With Google Places, certain features allow a business to engage their customers in the business world. Google Places provides the opportunity for a business to accommodate their customers by supplying them with information on their websites, specials and any events that may be taking place. Another advanced feature permits a business to provide printable coupons to prevent the customer from having to look through a newspaper or voucher book for a good deal.

Any business that is out to build their database of repeat clients is encouraged to get their company on one of the best searches out there as one of the steps in quest to rank if you’re a Chicago SEO comapny. Google Places is a recent upgrade to the once known local business search Google offered and is already a major hit among the business world. Every business must remember: Competition doesn’t sleep. So basically, if you snooze, you lose.

Try this.  Take your smart phone and scan this image with your bar code reader.  This is  called a QR Code.

A local courier service is the same thing as a same day delivery service.  A courier service can be a short distance delivery of an enveloppe or a long distance haul of large parts.  Typically courier companies are a time sensitive delivery business and offer a higher quality sensitive delivery route.

There are several different types of local courier delivery services.  There are motorcycle couriers, bicycle couriers, cars, trucks of all sorts, rail and airplane.

Local courier services range in their service delivery area from a few miles around a city to national couriers services such as Naparex.  A same day delivery company will typically use independent contractors or employee drivers to move the packages.  The contractors are under certain guidelines to ensure a quality and time sensitive delivery.

It is not uncommon for a local courier service to utilize the services of other same day delivery companies.  In many cases, many deliveries require the use of several different existing delivery mechanisms, such as using one courier service in one city, then linked through the Internet to the airlines and communicate a pick up and delivery in another city.  This can be done from one side of the country to the other in 8 hours, from the time of the call to the delivery.

There are many local courier services in the United States.  They range in size from one driver to several hundred, some in the thousands of drivers.  The typical size of the average local courier service in the United States is estimated to be around a $2.5mm business and according the US Census bureau, there are roughly 8,500 local same day delivery services in the United States.

Courier Services such as Naparex use several hundred regional and local couriers around the country to move packages.  Using software to ensure quality, Naparex is the only company to employ sophisticated technology to use most optimized delivery route.  Naparex also owns and operate 8 of their own physical warehouse hubs in 7 states.

It is no surprise that the United States Postal Service finds itself in a growing amount of debt. The ability to write and publish this blog is in itself an example of the technology that is running the postal service into the ground. E-mail, newspapers, magazines, bank statements and bills are all available electronically causing the dramatic decrease of 213 billion pieces handled in 2006 to a projected 166 billion in 2010. Those in charge of the postal service’s sustainability have been working toward one goal: decrease the postal service’s growing debt. One of the solutions the postal service plans to propose to congress is cutting their Saturday delivery, service. Many find the Postal Services proposal to be something that they can accept and understand; but there are many more who find this unacceptable. Most can’t fathom the idea of waiting two consecutive days before receiving anything in the mail.

This leaves a large gap for a courier service like Naparex to fill. The majority of courier companies offer courier service 7 days/week including holidays and many operate 24 hours a day; businesses that are open on Saturday and in need of receiving their mail could be handing this work off to a courier company. There are a number of other services that depend on Saturday mail service; an example would be the popular online movie rental Netflix. Saturday delivery of rentals to their customers would seem a vital aspect to a business that provides what many would consider a “weekend activity”. With the competition Netflix faces they would probably find that the end of Saturday delivery wouldn’t be beneficial to their business and they may find that a courier service would be the best bet to get their rentals where they need to be on a Saturday!

One thing is for certain, the United States Postal Service needs to do something quickly or they will be in too deep to be dug out, but many question if this is the answer.

A courier service is an organized business that provides a unique delivery experience of packages and documents that range in size from an envelope and multiple skids. A courier service is typically much faster delivery time than other methods typically provided by companies such as DHL, FedEx and UPS. The courier service industry is a fairly robust industry in the Western world with over 11,000 courier businesses in United States of America. Courier service industry is one of the oldest industries which has been around since the need to deliver messages over great lengths. In today’s world of international business, a courier service is a pivotal to we used in everyday business. Services such as the fax machine enough of simply complemented the great need of delivery or physical products.

Courier service industry in the United States is a $59 billion industry and the largest player being United Parcel Service delivers more than 1 million packages globally each day. The average courier company in the United States does approximately $2.5 million a year in volume. The courier service industry in the United States is a very fragmented industry that has failed consolidation of several attempts. There are little barriers to entry into this business with very little government intervention compared to other regulated industries.

Most courier companies in the Western world use independent contractors move packages. It is estimated that up to 80% of businesses in the United States use independent contractors were delivered. These independent contractors utilize their own vehicle to make a direct route of delivery and get paid a percentage of the revenue. They are typically responsible for all their own expenses and essentially an independent contractor is running their own business.

Companies that use a courier service range from attorneys two major parts manufacturers. Consumers are beginning to utilize courier services deliveries and white glove delivery is from retailers and e-commerce stores. Courier service industry can move practically any package across the country in the same day and many couriers are beginning to offer national retail distribution.  This industry can also deliver and set up furniture, goods, electronics and other products through a service called white glove delivery.

By utilizing multiple couriers and other cities, integration of technology, and existing infrastructures such as the commercial airline industry, a national network has been created compete with the overnight carriers and offer same-day delivery in the United States.

With the increasing demand of consumers, courier service industry is poised to join the retail and e-commerce industries. Online retailers like Amazon, offering their local express delivery service, have begun to provide same day delivery to their customers.

With increasing technology, courier service business and provide electronic tracking via GPS with electronic signature capture from the point of pickup through the point of delivery from any point in the country. This means that customers and track their packages and real-time and receive real-time delivery and pickup notifications. By utilizing existing wireless technology, existing commercial infrastructures such as the commercial Airlines, and existing courier businesses with independent contractors, this industry and deliver the same quality of service is the major players with their own network.

The courier industry is not immune to criminals creating scams. There have been a number of different scams brought to the attention of  same-day courier service Naparex; but the most common one in the United States belongs to criminals claiming to be a company called United Express Delivery. Naparex recently received a call from a gentleman in Nevada who was trying to find the source of a phone call from a courier company claiming to be a Las Vegas Courier Service.

Usually a targeted individual will receive a call on their cell phone from an operator claiming to work for United Express Delivery. They go on to say that a package needs to be delivered to the individual’s home and will require a signature. Sometimes the company will ask for missing details in the address they have; usually an apartment number or a suite number. They seem specifically interested in when the individual will be home, claiming that they need to know when to bring the package to obtain a signature. In reality these scam artists are phishing for personal information, detailed addresses and even time periods in which they know no one will be at the individual’s residence.

An even more upsetting aspect of this scam is that they set-up security questions with the individuals they are calling. Obviously security questions contain some sort of private information; sometimes the name of a pet which will give the scam artists notice of whether or not the residence will have a pet of some sort as an obstacle. Sometimes the security question will be even more personal; a father’s middle name for example. The bottom line is this is information that one would not want a scam artist to know about.

Though Naparex has no involvement in this scam we think it is important that individuals are aware of this scam and where they can find more information on the topic.

Steps an individual can take to prevent falling prey to this scam are as follows:
1. If you are not expecting a delivery of an item then be sure to ask the caller who the sender is. Verify this with the sender before giving out any information to the caller.
2. If you feel uneasy offering information regarding when you will be home to recieve the delivery offer to pick it up from the location instead.
3. There would be no reason a courier company calling to confirm a delivery would need to set up a security questions; if this is brought up you should be immediately suspicious.

Please visit this website to view the numbers frequented by this scam and individual’s personal experience with these phone calls.

If you feel as though you have been contacted by caller involved in this scam then you will want to report it here.