Best Courier Management Software in 2024

What is Courier Management Software?

In other words, a courier management system is an application program that can assist you in managing all operations of your delivery business.

Smooth delivery is key to courier management software that includes: online vehicle tracking, package labeling, barcode generation, online payment. Moreover, a courier management system is feasible whether your courier service operates within a city, domestic, or internationally.
 

Who needs Courier Management Software?

Courier management software has been designed by courier companies and e-commerce businesses to streamline their operations. They need a perfect delivery system to grow their business and give satisfactory customer service.
 
Courier agencies can use proposed software for multiple purposes like real-time tracking, branch management, parcel pickup & dispatch management, barcode, labeling, and more. On the other hand, online business portals can use the software beyond specified purposes. They can compare the prices of the courier partners, choose the one that suits them best, schedule pickup, etc.

Why do you need Courier Management Software?

Companies choose courier management software to automate various verticals related to a delivery process. They want a single screen showing their shipment, notifying them about pick-up & dispatch within a single click. Further, it lets users track and trace the parcel. Tasks like getting the customer’s signature on the invoice, accepting payment, sending proof of delivery are executed electronically using courier software. Besides this, it helps you to manage all records on the system, thereby, creating a paperless environment.
 
To sum up, courier software is required to exercise control over all aspects of the courier business and maximize their efficiency.

Modules of The Best Courier Management Software

Here are the modules of top courier software that will help you meet the end-to-end needs of your delivery business:

Branch Management

If your courier business has multiple branches, then this module will assist you in managing them all inside out. You can manage freight rate as per different branches, set pickup & delivery center, and decide upon the distance or area each center will cover. In addition to this, you can assign & control branch login rights using courier software.

Employee Management

You can manage each and every member who forms a part of your delivery process using courier software including driver, pickup & delivery person. Moreover, the employee management module lets you assign & manage the access rights of employees as per their designation. Employee expense management is also facilitated by the respective module.

Client Management

The client management module is all about managing that every aspect of the courier business that concerns your customers. It includes ensuring that a client can log in easily to the courier management system to track orders, make payments and check invoices. Besides this, this module facilitates the management of client details, sending notifications via mail or SMS, and updating about package status.

Parcel Management

This module supports the complete management of a parcel from the point it is collected from the sender until the receiver collects it. Capturing details related to the package, labeling it, generating an invoice, preparing other documents, managing parcel route, and more is done with the parcel management module of an online courier management software.

Payment Management

The payment management module allows the manager to keep a tab on the amount received and outstanding from the customer. If you accept online payment, then you can choose various modes via which payment will be collected such as debit card, credit card, Mastercard, Visa, etc. Also, integration with different payment portals- Paytm, PayPal, PayZapp to name a few, is managed under this.

Reporting

Courier software helps you in drafting insightful reports using the data collected. It displays valuable information that helps you in making an informed decision. Variety of reports can be generated to evaluate business performance and analyze the revenue generated. Moreover, you can always customize these reports as per the requirement and save them in different formats such as PDF, Excel, Doc.

Location Management

A courier company targets different locations to collect the package and dispatch the same. The location management module of a courier management system helps you in organizing all those addresses. Moreover, it makes things easier by suggesting to you the zone in which a specific city falls and eventually, providing customers with an exact quote.

Courier Details Management

As the name suggests, this module is used to manage every detail related to a courier. Date, the weight of parcel, sender and receiver's details including name, email, contact number, address, and much more can be diligently recorded and managed using courier service software.

Email/SMS Notification

Email and SMS notification module of courier service software, keeps customers updated about the status of their parcel. It notifies at different stages of the delivery process such as when the package is collected, dispatched, and received. The module is a time saver not only for your staff but customers as well because they don’t have to log in to their account to check the package status.

Bill Management

Bill management module of a courier billing software simplifies the task of generating invoices by automating it. An invoice containing complete transaction details is generated on time. It automates your job of creating a number of manual series orders and invoices. Moreover, it keeps you updated and doesn’t let you miss the unpaid bills.

Features of Courier Management Software

Here are some intuitive features of courier management software that are critical to the needs of your courier business and will aid business growth:

Online Tracking

Online tracking is one of the essential elements of courier tracking software. It allows you and the customer to track the package status online, anytime. Also known as a parcel tracking facility, it will reduce the chance of repeated calls from customers asking for the status of their package.

Barcode Generation

You can generate a unique barcode number for each parcel. This barcode is an individual tracking number, also known as, the Air Way Bill number (AWB). Not only does it help in locating the shipment assigned to the driver but also gets complete information of the parcel in no time such as sender and receiver’s details, the weight of the package, etc.

Customer Web Portal

A customer web portal is like a website specially designed for your customers. They have to just log in to their account and will get direct access to order history and invoice anytime. It also allows them to track orders and receive notifications regarding delivery. Moreover, a web portal is updated in real-time, thereby, rendering world-class service to customers.

Instant Notification

Instant and real-time notification is sent to customers using online courier management software. They are notified via email or SMS when the parcel is dispatched and received. Customers are also notified of the receipt of payment.

Easy POD Entry

An online courier management software will generate Proof of Delivery (POD) automatically. POD information will be received by you as soon as a delivery person press the ‘submit’, or ‘done’ button. Since everything is taking place in real-time, delivery completion notification will reach you instantly.

Rights Management

The rights management feature allows you to assign user login rights to employees as per their designation. For instance, a manager should be entitled to edit, delete or accept any order. However, a delivery person or driver might be allowed only to communicate with people who are part of the process like managers or customers. And similarly, customers will be allowed to track orders, download invoices, etc.

Pickup & Delivery Schedule

Customers will be able to view both the pickup and delivery schedules of the package. They will have entire information including date, time, locations. 

Advantages of Top Courier Software

Tracking of vehicles, efficient management of records, automation of various tasks, a courier tracking software does beyond this. Let’s read further to know more about what good it can do to your delivery business.

Track and Trace

This is the term that is used to get the delivery status of the package-in-transit. However, it is not restricted to tracking the order status. It also involves editing the information related to shipment which includes receiving information from customers, notifying them about changes in prices, updating drivers, and more. With online courier management software, you can complete this whole process within a few clicks which would have taken quite a long time otherwise.

Route Optimization

It is crucial for courier companies to know the best route so that packages reach the recipient on or before time. And a courier software in India helps you in evaluating the best possible path for the parcel, ensuring timely delivery. It helps in creating a smart delivery route by optimizing the same w.r.t availability of driver and traffic status.

Reduce Human Efforts

The software automates most of the operations undertaken in any company. Similarly, courier service software also reduces human effort. It let your employees move from machine-based tasks and focus on essential jobs that need them more. For instance, the software can help in generating insightful reports on various bases, however, analyzing the same is something only a human can do.

Quick Analysis

Speaking of analysis, the best courier management software makes it quick and easy for a person to do the analysis. The software collects data on your behalf and generates customized reports as per your business requirement. Moreover, these are not dull, black & white reports as they are supported by graphs and charts, making it easier to analyze business trends and behavior.

Paperless Processes

Once a courier management software forms part of your business, all paper-filled files and documents will take a backseat. It facilitates easy management of entire data consisting of customer details, package, vehicle, employees, etc. From capturing the data to maintaining its backup, everything is done in a paperless manner.

Things To Be Consider Before Buying This Amazing Software

Consider the following factors to save yourself from investing in a courier management system that’s not suitable for your business needs:

Functions

Why would anyone go for software that misses the features required to manage your business? Therefore, it is best to list down the features you want in a top courier software for the smooth running of your delivery business.

Integration

While buying software, consider how well it can be integrated with your existing business systems. For instance, you might already have an accounting system installed and you want the new software to integrate with it smoothly. 

Scalability

Software that supports scalability will grow with your business and support new processes along with the existing ones. No one has the time and money for making demos and training for software just to find later that it needs to be replaced.

Support

It is crucial to consider support services offered post-implementation of software. Your question list can include, what kind of technical support will be provided such as bug fixes, and upgrading of software. Additionally, you should ask about the turnaround time. Last but not least, you should consider is whether you choose to buy it from a local or outstation vendor. In case if you face any major issue with software, you will get help from a local vendor quickly as compared to one residing outstation. 

Security

Check what the vendor is offering in the name of data security. Your critical information will be at stake if your software doesn’t ensure its safety. Consider factors like IP access control, role-based access, multi-factor authentication under security.