Why COURIERMATE?
Welcome to Couriermate – A complete system solution for Courier Companies. With new service providers come new technology or at the very least a different booking portal or app to use. And this is case in point. So herewith are my first thoughts on COURIERMATE after using it for the last (almost) month. Where do we go from here? Easy. API integration and custom quotes. Let’s go!
COURIERMATE features we use most
Operations: Quotes, Collections, Deliveries, Debriefing, Parcel Tracking and Load Sheets. // YES indeed, this is the most important bit, for me. We use Couriermate to book new boxed bicycle shipments all across South Africa every single weekday, and it works like a charm.
Dashboard: View Stats On Quotes, Collections, Deliveries, Load Sheets, Documents And Invoices Using Our Custom Graphs. // I haven’t seen a single graph yet because all happens on my custom google spreadsheet the links up with the WooCommerce WordPress website for #bicyclecouriers.
Client Portal: Clients Can Log Into Your Portal To View Their PODs, Capture Deliveries, Collections, Quotes And View Invoices. // yes I use it as a client and it is very quick and easy to load many different new addresses and book collections and get pop-up PDF waybills to save and track.
Website Tracking Plug-In: Clients Can Track Their Shipments Directly From Your Website And View PODs. // YES now this is something I certainly use daily. And one of my requirements was that you must be able to append a waybill number and get a unique URL to be able to send to customers etc. and that is done.
Finance: Invoicing, Credit Notes, Debit Notes, Payments, Statements, Age Analysis and Accounts. // No real need for this from my side as a client user, as we promptly pay all our accounts the moment it is received. All we need to double check is that there are no duplicate waybills ie double billing.
Integration: Couriermate Can Integrate Into Several Courier/Freighting Systems As Well As Any Custom Integration Required. // Now that I have tested the platform and the courier I am happy to proceed and test some integration, public quotes with a markup etc.
COURIERMATE features we can explore
eCommerce Plug-Ins: eCommerce Plug-Ins For Various Different Online Stores. JSON API Integration For Custom Sites. // This is our next step and I can’t wait to have this up and running. API integration is something that not all courier companies provide for ‘smaller’ customers (and by smaller I mean ito of number of shipments, as we do fewer but larger consignments).
Imaging: Scan Various Documents (PODs) Into Your Own Image Store. Barcode Recognition. // Even though we rarely use (like in maybe 5 times per 1000 shipments) scanned POD’s to see who signed for the item; it is available and live and kicking.
Rating: Client Specific Rating with KGs and Service, Area Search Criteria. // haven’t used this feature at all but will certainly test the IT knowledge when we have another client follow-up meet and greet next week at the CPT warehouse and depot with the local CSD team.
Mobile Application: Drivers Can Sign-Off Deliveries / Collections Real-Time. Link And Track Parcels. POD Image Capture And Signature Gets Transposed Onto POD. // I have installed and tested the mobile app but it is intended for drivers to scan parcels in and out.
SMS / Emailing: Functionality To Send SMSes Or Emails To Drivers, Clients And Recipients. Tracking Events/PODs Are Sent Via SMSes Or Emails. // My sms/emails aren’t switched on by default. Because I can see everything on the portal and don’t want more noise 😊
Printing: Printing Of Tracking Labels For Parcel Tracking Using Our CourierMate Plugin. All Documents Are Generated Into PDFs For Easy Printing. // Not required in the #bicyclecouriers environment because we don’t ship all items from a single warehouse wat a label printer. Rather use PDF’s for various bike shops to collect and deliver boxed bicycles.
PARCELPERFECT vs COURIERMATE
Both COURIERMATE and Parcel Perfect are web-based apps. The former, COURIERMATE, is simple and sleek and plain white space, minimalistic with blue buttons. While the latter, Parcel Perfect, could be mistaken for a Widows desktop app that is installed on your PC. With right-click functionality and I just love the left-hand sidebar layout. It is quick and easy to do what you need to do. But for me, for now, for my #bicyclecouriers requirements? I think COURIERMATE is the quicker option – as I can do what I need to do with fewer clicks. And the tracking is easier with the waybill append into a unique URL. Oh and as a sidenote, Parcelperfect is way more expensive than Couriermate as a monthly overhead.
COUIERMATE for the win!
There you have it. Now where can we send your bicycle today?
