What’s a courier, exactly? The terms messenger and courier are often used interchangeably, and if you are looking for the types of services offered by these professionals, you may be wondering if there is any difference between the two so that you know whether to request messenger services or courier services, depending on your needs. The fact is that just as the two terms are typically used to reflect the same type of services, the actual messenger definition and courier definition are the same.
Messenger and Delivery Services
The two terms are considered synonyms of one another and the only place it gets confusing is that when most people think of messengers, they think of someone that is going to come to a location to pick up a package or document in order to deliver it locally, usually either traveling by foot, bike or public transportation. In contrast, the word courier more often conjures up a vision of a larger package delivery service, such as ones that deliver nationwide. However, a local courier can pick up and deliver packages and documents by foot, bike or public transportation much in the same way as a local messenger.
While the services offered by messengers and couriers are identical, so too are the expectations you as a customer should have when you call a company offering these services. For example, you should expect that any person employed by the company you call to pick up and deliver your items will be professional. This should be the case when the person arrives at your office, home or other location of your choosing to make the pick-up, as well as when the delivery is made at its destination.
You should also expect that the courier or messenger is dependable and reliable. The primary purpose of these types of services is to save you valuable time so you don’t have to stop what you’re doing during your day to make the delivery or pick-up yourself. But once you call to request a pick-up or delivery, you should be able to expect that the task will completed within the agreed upon timeframe. If you are in need of rush delivery and specify so, you should feel confident that your delivery will make it to its destination when it needs to get there.
Another important aspect to consider when you hire a company offering professional messenger or courier services is that the company must be trustworthy. In many cases, you are placing valuable documents or items into the hands of a total stranger and you need to have some peace of mind in knowing that you can trust the person who is picking up and delivering your stuff.
While there are no differences between someone who is called a messenger or a courier, there is a difference in the quality of companies that offer these services. It is best to do a bit of homework before entrusting your documents or packages to a messenger or courier service. Then, once you find a company you are happy with, it’s probably a good idea to stick with that company if you know you can depend on them.
For more information about the messenger and courier services offered by GFD Courier in New York City, call 212-349-3644 or 718-222-7444.
