The Top 5 Reasons to Use Our Courier Service to Import and Export Goods

The need for next-day delivery isn’t just a ‘nice to have’ nowadays, it’s a necessity. Whether moving a shipment of high-value goods for a single customer or delivering thousands of parcels to multiple consumers, everyone expects a quick turnaround.

As a gateway for the UK’s smallest and largest courier companies and over 30 of the world’s largest airlines, we help to move millions of parcels all over the world each week. Safe to say, we know this process inside out and have refined it to a tee.

So here are the top 5 reasons why you should choose our courier and express clearance for your import and export needs.

1. It’s quick. Really quick.

Whatever the size of our courier customers, they all have one thing in common: the need for speed. And so everything about our process has been built around this.

Saving time starts before you even get to us, as our facility is closest to the motorway in comparison to other airport couriers and can accommodate lots of different vehicle types. This makes drop offs speedy and simple, as well as saving you money on transportation costs. 

Then as soon as we have the goods for shipping, the real fun begins. 

We can take goods up to 90 minutes before the scheduled flight departure time, and items can be ready for collection within 60 minutes of the flight arrival. That’s faster than any other ground handler at Heathrow and can give you the ability to deliver to customers across London, the Midlands and the South East on the very same day.

2. You get prime access to the global marketplace  

Rapid-moving global eCommerce isn’t a trend anymore, it’s a way of life. Consumers have high expectations of goods being delivered to their doorstep in no time at all and services like ours have played a role in this boom thanks to fast and easy access to international markets.

If your business is looking to go global, our facilities can help with the ability to supply and service international markets.

More than that, we’re extremely well connected, working with over 30 of the world’s largest and most respected airlines. That means if you don’t already have an airline partner, we can help set you up with one that suits your business needs and ambitions. 

3. Investment in tech has simplified things 

We invest heavily into our digital and system capabilities as it makes for a faster and more streamlined process for all. Airline partners benefit from better connection and customers get improved shipment management capabilities. It’s a win-win.

Here are just a few of our most recent innovations and improvements:

• A brand new state-of-the-art sortation and belt system that’s positioned at landside for quicker drop-offs.

• A new warehouse management system with enhanced shipment tracking so customers can see exactly where their goods are in the process.

• Introduction of the latest EDS 3.1 security screening machine, which is something no other no other ground handling agent has yet.

4. Customs clearance becomes a breeze

As long as your shipment is manifested as courier at origin, it can be collected from us within 60 minutes of the flight arrival. This is because we use a different type of customs clearance than general cargo, and are the only facility at Heathrow approved to do so. 

When it comes to eCommerce couriers, we use the same clearance process as integrators which makes us one of the fastest and easiest ways to move express shipments in and out of the UK.

We can also handle all of the airline messaging requirements, while conforming to Customs and Immigration messaging protocols, as well as ingestion and production of Flight Manifest and Freight Waybill, and Freight Status Update messaging to support Customs and Immigration milestones. All in all, we’ll take care of the complex stuff.

5. Our streamlined process makes your life even easier

From the location of our warehouse facility to the innovation across our digital services, every change or improvement we’ve made is to refine the collaboration and coordination across our entire process.

Already have a relationship with an airline? We can work directly with them (in fact, we probably already do) to manage the entire process.

Want real-time updates on where your goods are? All of our customers get access to an online account that gives them complete oversight and end-to-end control of their shipments. 

So, with simplified courier and express clearance in the bag, you can provide even better customer service, reduce your operating costs, and boost your business’s growth ambitions.