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In the fast-paced and ever evolving courier industry the best-of-the-best who are setting the standards were recognised in The National Courier Awards.
The sold-out gala courier industry event organised by the Institute of Couriers and hosted at the institute of Directors, Pall Mall in London was held on October 27.
Celebrating excellence from two wheels to four, from courier companies large and small, regional and national, this event was the network event of the year.
The winners were greeted by stilt walkers to receive the prestigious Courier ‘Silver C’ award, received in recognition of coming out on top in each category from almost 150 nominations made nationwide.
Viscount, Lord Falkland, IOC President handed out the corporate and distinction ‘Golden Triangle’ awards.
Gwnet for Industry collaboration on final mile electric. Yodel ‘Have your say’ data looking in to future peak. DX, technology, image capture at delivery.
IOC fellow, Traffic Commissioner Sarah Bell was on stage to present the Vice Presidents Safety Award to Sarah Barnes MCIA for her contribution to two-wheel road safety.
Peter Richardson from the inspirational D2N2 LEP was on stage to present apprentice of the year to CEVA for the achievements of Daniel Blay.
Terry Room, CitySprint carried off an award for his 50 years of excellence.
During the gala dinner there was much discussion of the retail shift from high street to home delivery.This followed on from the Clydesdale-sponsored heads of industry event that had taken place earlier in the afternoon to look at driver workforce strategy and solutions alongside the new BIS trailblazer apprenticeship.
Defence Minister Penny Mordaunt was on stage to hand out the final ‘silver Cs’ of 2015 to what has become tradition to complete the National Courier Awards with logistics military distinction.
The first in line for a 2015 award was a civilian, Mark Cunningham, who had made the step from army to excellence into network logistics with Pallex franchise Provincial Logistics.
Claire Williams, based at 562 TA Southall was nominated by Lt Col Michael Taylor for heavy vehicle licence excellence.
A standing ovation to regular army member James Brennan, with a citation of support from Brigadier Alistair Deas RLC commended by full Colonel Tim Blackmore.
He was recognised for ‘remaining at post, exceptional duties of post office support in theatre of war Afghanistan.’ He ensured mail delivery when all else had failed.
Traffic Commissioner Sarah Bell, IOC fellow and Prof. Rod Dubrow-Marshall, University of Derby were on stage to present awards of the silver Cs with the Master Carmen.
A gala celebration of best of the best from two wheels to four, contract and office, get every detail of the winners from the ioc web at www,ioc.uk.com.
Final award of the evening went for step-change, bringing midnight cut to next-day delivery on the Next contract went to Hermes.
The National Courier Awards 2015 winners…….
Quick navigation
click a category to expand - click a link to be taken to the winners !
Industry Commendations
Industry Recognition golden triangle awards of Distinction. Viscount, Lord Falkland, President of the IoC joined the presentation with Sarah Bell, Traffic Commisioner for the West of England.
Beginning the gala event of best-of-the-best in courier come the distinction awards with a corporate focus finishing with step-change in the industry.
Safety Award
Karen Cole MCIA
Institute of Couriers - Karen Cole introduction – October 2015
Karen Cole has devoted the past 15 years of her life to improving their safety. Director of Safety and Training at the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) and a Director of road safety charity RoadSafe, there are few individuals in the industry with access to such a large network of road safety and legislative influencers.
Over the last several years she has called on this network, to help create two major frameworks which have the potential to significantly impact the long term safety of riders, professional and leisure alike.
The first is a policy document, “Realising the Motorcycle Opportunity – A Motorcycle Safety and Transport Policy” framework, co-written with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (formerly ACPO), which puts forward compelling arguments for safely incorporating motorcycling into mainstream transport planning.
The second will improve the standard of training in the UK, through the development of an IMI Approved centre, known as the Motorcycle Industry Accreditation Centre (MCIAC). This has begun to deliver courses to motorcycle training businesses and their instructors, who are inspected annually and agree to have every single customer surveyed.
This is a first for any EU country, endorsed by the DVSA, it will encourage and signpost a growing network of high quality motorcycle training business, especially important for the delivery of CBT.
Industry Collaboration Distinction Award
Gnewt Working with DX, Hermes and TNT on last mile logistics.
Gnewt Cargo is an award-winning, FORS accredited, last mile logistics company operating in the Central London congestion charge zone. Its vision is to build on and remain the zero emission delivery firm of choice in London and within city centres in the UK and across the globe. It was founded in 2009 with the mission to disrupt the logistics industry for the better, reducing pollution, particulate emissions and congestion while delivering better performance and door step experiences than any of it’s competitors. Gnewt has forged its way in a highly competitive market and done so by electric vehicle and so continues to disprove the theory that electric vehicles are not commercially viable. This mission has and continues to come to fruition. Gnewt Cargo has grown rapidly over the past 5 years (50% year on year) until this year where, with the success of a winning tender with our anchor client Hermes, the business has grown by over 150%, has been profitable every year and has had zero reliance on any external grant funding. It has attracted some of the largest courier and delivery firms in the country and today counts Hermes, TNT and DX as major clients. We solely provide these delivery services for other carriers and small retailers such as Wiles Greenworld, using a
fleet consisting of entirely electric vehicles. Gnewt covers deliveries and collections as well as more bespoke services within the congestion charge zone for it’s clients and operates from hubs in Central London.
Innovation Distinction Award
Yodel, data predicting future peak.
Andrew Goodchild Yodel accepts the award for Innovation Distinction
Yodel was chosen in recognition of its innovative work with its bespoke programme, ‘Have Your Say’.
The ‘Have your say’ tool helps recognise satisfaction but has also looked into the future. Aiding plans for peak activities such as Black Friday.
Dick Stead, "What started as a method of listening to customers has developed, the 'Have Your Say' survey now actively drives change throughout our business and helps us to innovate for the future."
This National Courier Awards nomination announcement adds to a hat trick of 2015 short listings for Yodel, already shortlisted for the UK Customer Experience Awards the CILT Annual Awards for Excellence & eCommerce awards.
To date, over 1.5 million customers have provided feedback on their Yodel delivery experience using Yodel's 'Have Your Say' survey. Developed in partnership with Voice of the Customer specialist, eDigitalResearch, the tool captures customers' real-time feedback on their latest Yodel delivery experience.
Looking into the future with the ‘Have your say’ tool. While only eight per cent of the shoppers surveyed placed an online order on Black Friday 2014, 30 per cent said that they will participate in the internet promotions this year. 6,371 people were surveyed by eDigitalResearch, between 16 and 22 June. The research forms part of an ongoing survey called 'Have Your Say' that reaches 4,000 Yodel customers every day. The bespoke survey is unique to Yodel and since its launch has garnered over 1.5 million responses.
With planning for the Christmas peak already underway across the retail and supply chain industries, the findings highlight the need for retailers, fulfilment houses and parcel carriers to work together so they can respond to uplift in demand over the cyber weekend.
Steve Brockway, Chief Operating Officer at eDigitalResearch, comments, "Research is changing; gone are the days of backwards looking research, Instead, we're entering an age where feedback is no longer just a survey, but a way of working. By delivering the right data to the right people across Yodel's business, they're able to take immediate and direct action to delight customers."
‘Have your say’ view of the future - Black Friday 2015 could be four times more deliveries than 2014
Technology Distinction Award
DX – Even More Secure
David Jacobs from DX accepts the award for Technology Distinction
DX has been the carrier of choice for banks, government departments and retailers for many years because of our specialism for sensitive deliveries where the impact of failure would be immense.
However, our Couriers take the same pride in delivering consumer goods as they do when delivering critical identity documents or credit cards. That’s why great brands like White Stuff, Paul Smith, Samuel Windsor and Yellow Moon trust us with their deliveries.
As well as all of our Couriers being security vetted DX introduced additional measures in order to improve the Customer Experience when delivering goods to private addresses.
For every delivery to a private address the Courier is now required to take a photograph on their hand held device and record additional details of the location. Attendance at a delivery point when the customer is not at home is often disputed which effects the overall delivery experience of the customer and so DX have used technology in order to achieve significant improvements with ‘Card Left’ and ‘Leave Safe’ compliance. When a Customer Service enquiry is raised all of the information can be provided to the customer to confirm attendance\delivery.
DX is the first carrier to introduce this innovative approach to confirming deliveries\attendance.
The process on the hand held device for all deliveries to private addresses is now as follows:
1. Take photograph of the door
2. Enter house number (this is automatically cross-checked and verified against the job details)
3. Record number of door bells
4. Select a description of the letterbox (if there is one)
5. Select door colour
6. Select an additional feature (eg: leaded glass, dog in situ, bell on the right etc…)
For deliveries that are left in a safe place the Courier also has to take a photograph of the package in the actual location and record the location on the hand held.
While this process takes the Courier a few moments longer than with most other carriers, accuracy of delivery rather than overall speed is the key focus as this greatly improves the delivery experience for the customer.
Apprentice of the Year
‘outstanding learning and progression of apprentice in transport and logistics’
Daniel Blay CEVA (Daventry) (Telford College top apprentice for year) (age 19)
Apprenctice of Year Daniel Blay CEVA accepts his award from Prof. Rod Dubrow-Marshall with Viscount Lord Falkland and Peter Richardson Chair D2N2 LEP
Part of the decision process for the client as an apprentice recognised by Telford College as best in year.
Daniel completed his apprenticeship in 12 months while full time at CEVA on the Rico photocopier contract, working in the technology sector on cost analysis. Bringing near same day delivery to technology sector client. He achieved further top recognition from Telford College as best apprentice in year. Daniel is also set to be in the CEVA global award nominations for business innovation.
Ray Pickering is Daniels apprentice mentor at CEVA, ‘ Daniel was instrumental to the contract win for CEVA, he worked on the inbound logistics & planning, process to achieve a best fit client solution. Stock from Holland to warehouse by five am and then at client same day to achieve. Daniel was truly part of the decision process in the client win for this contract. Daniel brought strong IT knowledge and placed it into our systems delivery for the client, he then developed a delivery strategy to achieve the tightest delivery window for the client. All this in the environment of an apprentice new to our sector. I believe Daniel is set for management in our company.’ Daniels line director at CEVA is Steve Harding.
Lisa Smailes, Pearson Edexcell, ‘Daniel is a very worthy winner of the Apprentice of the Year Award. He has achieved so much in a short time, completing his apprenticeship with Telford College in 12 month, as well as winning other awards and being set as a CEVA global award nomination for business innovation. Daniel should be really please with all his accomplishments. It is clear how dedicated Daniel is to both his learning and his job and I am sure he will have a very successful career ahead of him in the logistics sector.’
Industry commendation for 50 years of excellence
Terry Room Job title: Compliance Manager. Age: 72 Fifty years in the Industry, the last 20 with CitySprint
50 years of excellence winner Terry Room CitySprint accepts his award from Prof. Rod Dubrow-Marshall with Viscount Lord Falkland
and two Founding Fellows of the IOC, Jeffrey Ritterband and Kevin Grey
Terry has been in the courier industry since the Jurassic period, but he is no dinosaur. Official figures show that he has been with CitySprint for 20 years but his total time in the industry, man and boy, closer to 50 years, half a century!
Terry has done every role in the courier industry- sales, telephonist, courier, controller and operations king pin. For the past 3 years, Terry has been working in the compliance department as Compliance Manager. His current roles suits him well as he is a poacher turned game keeper, who knows all the tricks and the answers to the age old problems.
Terry provides a vital depth of knowledge and insight that allows CitySprint’s staff to get the job done while providing complex and compliant solutions to CitySprint’s demanding and varied customer base.
Terry demonstrates that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Terry has recently taken on the tricky subject of dangerous goods which has led to CitySprint being able to understand and deal with requests from clients who want to ship dangerous goods. Terry will always take the time to talk through details and solutions with telephonists and directors alike in a detailed and inclusive way. This enables staff at all levels to benefit from his wealth of experience and knowledge. Terry’s staff inductions are legendary….
Terry’s openness to both new and old ideas is reflected in his personal life. On the one hand he is passionate about steam trains and all things locomotive, but also has surprising liking for drum and bass and contemporary music.
Terry has been a solid team player in the industry for longer than many of the staff he works with have even been alive. Terry demonstrates how being over the retirement age should not be a barrier to providing a dynamic and worthwhile support role in an industry that needs both old school knowledge and innovation.
In my position, I never underestimate the value of experience. It can be a barrier of course, none more so than accepting change and we are certainly experiencing this with the digital transformation in the supply chain. It is the ability to recognise and hold on to the experience gained but be open and accepting of new landscapes. This is a quality that separates Terry.
Terry is 72 years young. Everyone that knows him cannot believe he his age starts with a ‘7’ and this is credit to him, in terms of being able to communicate to all ages and experience.
Terry’s knowledge is invaluable to all, including me and I know I am not the only one who seeks out Terry when they want an unbiased, pragmatic view on an idea or a challenge.
It is a mix of the old and the new that will continue to support the business growth of CitySprint and Terry embodies this approach, for which I am really appreciative. I am truly grateful for his contributions over many years and look forward to many more to come.
Nominator
Name: Patrick A Gallagher
Job title: Chief Executive
Gala dinner
Two Wheels category National Courier awards 2015
2015 an exceptional group of National courier awards nominations shortlisted, Presented by Sarah Bell, Traffic Commisioner for the West of England
Two wheels, the very front line of same day delivery, Simon Harding a Bristol two wheeler with blue light training, Reimo Heistein, London cycling courier passing his knowledge to others, William Philips, fastest fix gear cycle in London, Alessio Purcelli, the green solution to parcels with a cargo bike, David Sottile, BBC” documentary ambassador, ‘There is a patient at the end of every one of my jobs.’
Simon Harding, Citysprint , A Same day medical motorbike courier, working in London, age: 49 Call Sign: BL75
Carl Lomas MBE IOC Chair with CitySprint CEO Patrick Gallagher and 2-wheels Blue Light winner Simon Harding.
Lt. Col. Brett Duxbury BFPO congratulates the ex-paratrooper with University of Derby Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rod Dubrow-Marshall
Testimonial
Medical/Healthcare motorbike courier with over 10 years’ experience
10 years ago, Simon made a conscious decision that he wanted to make a difference by becoming a medical motorbike courier. He undertook amongst many things ADR level 3 training, first aid courses and blue light training in London- He still is one of only a few registered blue light motorbike couriers in Bristol and has serviced many Police/Ambulance and NHS contracts within his 10 years.
He is without doubt a great ambassador not only for Bristol Service Centre and for the Healthcare industry, and is the face of Healthcare at Bristol but as courier in the sector.
CitySprint CEO, Patrick Gallagher comments,
‘Simon is the most dedicated courier I know; dedicated to everything medical and healthcare, his dedication comes because he CARES. It goes without saying that he cares immensely about the service he supplies, however even more importantly, he cares about the end users and the patients he is supporting in offering the service that he does.’
Brigadier Alistair Deas comments
"Simon Harding's transition from the Army as a Para to an award-winning 'blue light' dispatch rider shows the professionalism of Army veterans. My congratulations to Simon, still serving his country"
Reimo Helstein DX, a pedal bike courier working in London
Testimony
Great all-round cycle courier referenced by clients & assisting fellow cycle couriers with the knowledge he has learnt.
Respect, dedication and positive attitude are Remo’s main assets. He is polite professional, making sure the service meets the client's requirements. We can always rely on Reimo getting the job done. Reimo will often go the extra mile to make sure he delivers our customers promises and rarely does he bring back any parcels which show what great attitude he has towards his job, clients have referenced him, he is an ambassador to our company.
Reimo works in one of the most difficult and dangerous areas of London – he has experienced abuse dog attack but in spite of this he does not give up and he is always optimistic his glass is always half full never half empty. Reimo is very popular amongst his colleagues and thinks nothing of assisting them with his knowledge and experience.
William Phillips, Citysprint Changed lifestyle and location to become a pushbike Courier
Testimony
William changed lives both lifestyle and job to become one of the fastest pushies on the London streets. Courier name Bongo, he epitomises what it means to be a pushie - fast, efficient, reliable, tenacious and adventurous! Often competing in local events and races where he’s considered the “undisputed fastest fix-gear rider in London”.
William used to live in Norwich, worked in insurance and weighed 20 stone. He decided to take up cycling to get fit and has never looked back. He moved to London in 2012 to work as a cycle courier at 15 stone and has been cycling the streets of London ever since. He is now a lean, green cycling machine!
Bongo is highly thought of among staff, clients and the other pushbike couriers alike. He’s often requested for specific jobs that require that extra level of care due to his politeness and excellent communication skills. Bongo always does a fantastic job of proactively communicating if he thinks there could be an issue, helping each and every client he delivers for to receive a better service.
Alessio Puricelli , a Cargo Bike Pilot (that’s two wheels, Call Sign: C896 working out of London
Nominated by IOC fellow, Leon Gamble, General Manger Rush Sameday.
Testimony
Lead courier in the cargo bike team, reliable, asked for by clients, respected by controllers.
With him in the lead, the team has grown to establish a formidable Green service offering for larger items in Central London
Alessio arrived new to London, but sporting all the attributes looked for in any potential courier. A great work ethic, fitness, huge desire to learn & and a willingness to smile and treat every day as a challenge . Having survived an English Winter on the road, he has become the lead courier in the Cargo Bike team.
Alessio has demonstrated all the attributes that we seek in a courier.
- Reliability – as a cycle courier he is more exposed to the elements than any, but has shown extraordinary reliability, never having missed a day’s work.
- Customer Friendliness – obviously our customers love his Bike, but far more, they ask for Alessio – and its not just the girls!
- Controller Friendliness – he knows when to step up his work rate, and when not to go home!
David Sottile, CitySprint, Healthcare Same day Pushbike courier showcased on the BBC2 Documentary. Call Sign: PH82
Testimony
An ambassador to our sector. David featured heavily in the BBC2 documentary called Inside Harley Street where he had a camera crew following him around whilst he was going about his day to day deliveries of samples, human tissue and specimens. When asked what his job meant to him, he said “There’s a patient at the end of every one of my jobs and I get to feel that I’ve made a difference and the work I do matters”.
MHS comment, ‘He is a very familiar face amongst our Healthcare clients and they think he is very professional and does a great job, so I wouldn’t hesitate to nominate him for this award. ‘
David has been a push bike courier for almost five years. He covers a daily contract for The Wellington Hospital ensuring the important medical samples are collected and delivered safely and correctly on a daily basis with strict timescales.
Four Wheels category National Courier awards 2015
2015 an exceptional group of National courier awards nominations shortlisted, Presented by Sarah Bell, Traffic Commisioner for the West of England
25 year service, client testimonials, teaching others, passing on skills for the next generation and even driving routes regularly in different countries are highlighted in the four wheel van driver category that sees one individual at the young age of seventy!
Nominee
Mandy Freedman Sameday Van Courier with Rush Same day W1
Mandy joined us last year as a complete novice, driving one of our company vans. The first few months were mainly notable due to having a customers shutter door fall on the van and a decent attempt at the world record of the most parking tickets received within a week.
However Mandy has made real progress over the last 6 months and is now often requested by customers who appreciate just how careful she is with their goods and has become the real go to person when there is a job that just has to right.
But the standout reason I feel Mandy is truly worth this nomination, is due to her complete and full understanding that we’re in a service industry and just how important the courier’s role is in the relationship between us and our customers. When a client knows they can call in and request someone by name for a delivery that is incredibly important to them you know you’ve got an exceptional courier.
Martin Gibbons GLH Van Courier, Call Sign Tango 67 working London
Testimonial
Martin has a faultless attendance record, a helpful attitude make him a favourite with Control and clients alike. Client says ‘an extra big thankyou to Martin.’ In the last 12 months Martin has had two commendations of particular note;
Katrina of Urban Land Institute wrote in to praise Martin, as she felt he went far beyond the call of duty during a particularly awkward and fragile delivery of a valuable scale model and added that it had been a pleasure to meet him.
Richard form Paul Smith wrote in to ask us to say AN EXTRA BIG THANKYOU to Martin when he spent a day with them ferrying around staff and props for an important photo shoot. He said that not only was Martin patient and helpful with his staff, he also possessed a wonderfully calming influence when dealing with the photographers and models and ‘you know how they can be’!?
Martin was totally shocked to be nominated as he feels he’s just going about doing a job that he loves, with a company that treat him well. His first action, after we revealed his nomination, was to call the other love of his life (the wife and kids) to share his joy at being recognised for this years’ event!
Jason Kefford, city Sprint Same day van courier & team leader for drivers, Call Sign: NR08 Location: Norwich
Testimonial
Jason has always gone the extra mile and is loved and respected by customers and staff. I could not think of another courier more deserving in recognition.
We had a project this year involving Danone, which required time-sensitive deliveries over the summer weeks. This involved following stringent rules around Tube stations in London in order to get a large account with the client. Not only did Jason show up with a great attitude in London at 3am, but he took full responsibility for organising the safe delivery of over 30 pallets a time. This meant coordinating multiple lorries with a staggered delivery time to pin point precision, and was a job I would not have sent any other courier on because of the importance of the customer. He performed this flawlessly, resulting in a very happy and satisfied customer.
Jason is a family man who has a very caring and compassionate nature which spills over into his professional life. I have never heard him say a bad word about anybody and he takes everything within his stride.
Colin Martin, TNT Same Day Driver, Age: 67, Location: Ramsbottom
Colin joined us in July 2010. He is a model driver, always fully uniformed, punctual, flexible and extremely pleasant at all times. Here are just a couple of examples where Colin has demonstrated the true values that support our company.
On one particularly hectic week a resource issue was created by a bereavement, which impacted three of the key drivers on the highly demanding Banking contract. In order to maintain the service levels, Colin volunteered to stay late on a busy Monday for a last-minute cover driver to collect freight and return to the depot, so he could then check it all in on debrief. The following evening, Colin covered an extra run into Bootle as no other resource was available. He also did the same on the Wednesday, despite having completed his working day.
Colin has demonstrated flexibility on so many occasions; he always goes above and beyond in order to help the team. Colin was needed to deliver an insulin pump, address details were incorrect and determination saved the day. Colin avoided what could have been a desperate situation for patient, proving what a great example he is of persistence and dedication as one of our most respected contractors. Colin is valued by the company, other contractors and importantly our customers.
Gareth Morris, DX Van Driver & Team Player, Location: Shrewsbury
Testimony
Driving in two countries, but commitment beyond driving, sorting systems, checking trunking, in and out and seeing scans are completed. Saturdays he is back in to help with routes and phones. Gareth’s commitment to the Depot is second to none. He is the first driver in, normally leaving his home in Welshpool @ 04:30 Monday – Saturday (6 days a week) to get here for 05:15. Once the trunk arrives he gets stuck in and helps unload the lorry, helps to do the sort, then helps to reload the lorry with the empties. He then assists in scanning the routes up, while preparing his own route.
His normal route consists of SY23 / SY24 / SY25, but due to poor driver performance, he now takes out SY15 – SY20 as well as his own route, so an increase in around double what he normally does, averaging 70 stops in 2 countries !! He still gets finished around 17:30.
Clifford North APC Sameday Van Courier who is also training the next generation working from Scarborough, Yorkshire, 20 years in industry.
Testimony
Yorkshire driver for twenty years with strong client testimony, Cliff supports the next generation as he teaches new drivers on their Epod handhelds.
2014 saw this company celebrate their 25th year of Serving Yorkshire. Part of that celebration included Cliff North completing his 20th year of continuous service.
Cliff’s trains all new recruits in the usage of their EPOD. He is proud to wear his uniform and drive his full liveried van. In all the years Cliff has worked for me, I have never found a more polite, friendly and reliable driver. He is a great ambassador for our company.
Cliff currently covers the Scarborough area of the YO postcode and customers look forward to his Christmas ritual of wearing his Santa hat whilst completing his round each day.
Client testimony:
‘Cliff consistently delivers our shipments on time and in tip top condition. He is always cheerful and helpful. And we love his Christmas Santa hat, ‘
‘The service we have received has been amazing. I have found Cliff, very friendly and helpful.’
Roger Paisley, DX Sameday Van courier, Exeter
Testimony
Roger Paisley is one of the longest serving drivers on our 3.5t fleet, having started through the agency and driving a company 7.5t vehicle out of our site in Dawlish.
Roger will do whatever it takes to achieve the service level required. He is the type of driver who hates to bring deliveries back to the Service centre. His returns are the lowest recorded on the depot. Add to that, he has the largest square mileage of any driver in the Exeter fleet, most of it villages with only a couple of towns, yet he never has trouble getting the deliveries done, including regular collections at the furthest point from the depot.
He is the first into the Service centre in the morning, anxious to get going and give our customers the excellent service he is known for. His ultra low returns count for the highest recommendation.
Silviu Pristavu, Same day courier for city Sprint , Call Sign: PL18, Location: Plymouth
Testimony
Silviu creates family within the team. He goes out of his way to organise the football team on a social level, which demonstrates his spirit of being a team player both inside and outside of work.
Silviu gives outstanding service to our clients and dedication to his fellow couriers. Whilst bringing an excellent work ethic to the job. He is more than a courier, because he strives to go even further for the company in the pursuit of excellence. His workload has steadily increased due to customer demand, but he is consistently able to manage this workload and provide a superior level of service, for which we have received customer testimonials which are commendable. He eagerly takes on demanding work on our most challenging accounts and completes these jobs with a smile on his face!
He readily volunteers to take on additional work as he recognises how important this is to managing and sustaining long-terms accounts. He has exceptional skill at planning, collaborating and executing complex jobs with efficiency. He also brings a zest for life and contagious energy to the job that engages all of his colleagues by bringing a buzz to the office in the morning and evening.
Sandra Shepherd Van Courier, age 70, City Sprint Call Sign: LE10. Location: Leeds
Testimony
Seventy years old, controllers super star with client testimonials working out of Leeds.
LE10, Sandra, is a true professional. She always has a smile on her face and is always available for work. She regularly works 7 days a week, which is especially commendable given her years, and remains constantly diligent and extremely positive. Our colleagues in Out of Hours are always quick to praise her and all refer to her as a “superstar”. I know that she has received praise from several clients who are impressed with her attitude and her work ethic. On a personal and professional level, she is loved and respected by colleagues and clients alike. If we have a new client, we call LE10!!
‘She is always pleasant and easy to deal with and she never complains, just gets on with the job. Her work ethic is second to none and throughout my time I have never come across a more dedicated and professional courier. I would be delighted if her contribution could be recognised by the body which she has served so well.’
Balbir Singh (Bill) DX Van Courier / 4 Wheels, Years In Industry & Company 25, location Bristol
Testimony
Balbir or more commonly known as Bill to his colleagues, Bill has put the years in with dedication of customer service that has delivered too many client testimonials to list, so dedicated to the clients, senior controlers statement sums it up ‘Bill, 25 years, our customers are his customers.’
Controller, ‘I have known Bill to have a family function in Germany so his family attended before hand and he completed his Sat route and then flew out and returned on a late flight Sunday to complete his route on a Monday Morning.
His attendance over 25 years beyond excellent as well as his attitude to deliver to our customers (his customers) in all weathers /conditions /fuel shortages or strikes.
Bill has covered the route for the last 25 years building a great customer relationship.
Contract category National Courier awards 2015
2015 an exceptional group of National courier awards nominations shortlisted, Presented by Prof. Rod Dubrow-Marshall, University of Derby
Contract drivers taking the lead and pitching into other routes, customer service releasing pressures from other members of the team, a client testimony, ‘he is the most helpful driver we have ever had’ . On the contract management side we have one nomination for 2015 from UPS as lead courier to the sub contract courier company, recommendations across courier companies.
Paul Horwood, Courier driver & lead contract courier
Age: 44 City Sprint, Call Sign: X032, Hemel Hempstead
Testimony
Excellent client testimony, Paul established himself as a regular reliable driver who would pitch in and cover any routes if a courier was held up or required assistance. Paul’s knowledge of the contract clients system and routes has become invaluable and this led to him becoming the go to guy for both contract and courier company. Focused on providing healthcare with medical delivery services in Hertfordshire, North London Middlesex and Essex, where he is charged with delivering urgent and time-critical medication for patients’ pharmacies and care homes on a daily basis.
Contract client testimonial, Mark Davison at St. Albans who has nothing but praise for Paul.
‘Paul took the position over at a crucial time, in fact he is now looking after 20 routes which is the largest coverage by the external courier company of our Depots. He is always punctual, assisting routes for the couriers and issues that arise which will always happen in our line of work. Paul also does an a.m. and p.m. route but is always back in time taking charge of the operation which is continuous. Paul in my view is the perfect Lead person, it’s a tough job but he just gets on with it, never moans and is in total command of situations at all times.’
This led to Paul being given the Lead Courier role, where he has provided reports and information to CitySprint over and above what has been required. This is true to the attitude that he brings to all of his work – doing more than required quicker and more accurately than expected.
Ana Pais, Age 28 DX Heathrow, Contract Customer Service. Nominated by Manager: Dave Arnold
West Thames College principal, Heathrow, Marjorie Semple joins stage for the presentation.
Testimony
Ana picked up the systems and processes very quickly which lead us to place her on a contract client customer service support position where the client has praised her work. Most days you will see Ana chatting at the end of her shift with other Customer services team members to see if she can add any support to other clients, happy to take the pressure off others on her team.
Ana is a very happy, bubbly and determined young lady always willing trying to help others whether that is the client or the team she works in. Everyone in the depot knows if they are struggling with work load or problems that Ana is the person to go to.
She took over the running of the 4m turnover Gowrie (Laxmico) account which was at risk. Our client Gowrie was delighted with service and the praise he know places on our company is because of the efforts of Ana. She makes things happen, for the better! She is a terrier who will keep chasing internally to solve or provide answers for the client. Managing the account she keeps them well informed and ensures progress meets the client’s expectations.
Our client customer feedback is once a month and since Ana has been on the job we have a very happy customer. Bringing a client back from the brink to loving us. Her customer feedback regularly states how they love how she deals with their requests, solving issues and frustrations, her speed of return and professional competence to assure good service.
Mick Pursall, APC Cannock, contract van driver
Contract van driver, covering big routes and collecting sales leads that convert to new clients. Client testimony, ‘he is the most helpful driver we have ever had..’
Mick excels in all areas of what he does. He’s always well presented, friendly, helpful and is well liked by all of the customers on his route. One of his regular collection points, Rainbow, said of Mick “he is the most helpful driver we have ever had over the past 25 years – through wind, snow and rain we can always rely on Mick to be there with a smile and a helpful hand...it is our view that this man is one in a million...”
Mick Pursall has been a Collection and Delivery (C&D) driver for nearly three years and in that time, has proven himself to be an invaluable member of the driving team. Mick regularly delivers at least 80 consignments a day and then does 20-30 collections. Whilst doing this however, he finds the time in his day to gather sales leads and has brought a significant number of leads to the sales department that have resulted in new business for the company and network.
Steven Taylor, CitySprint, Aberdeen, Contract Courier Age: 33 Call Sign: W85
Testimony
In September 2014, Steven took over the role of lead courier. As lead courier, it is his responsibility to train any new couriers and make sure we continue to provide the high service our customers expect. Steven has excelled at this role, and been proactive in working alongside the customer to ensure things run smoothly for both the customer and courier company:
When one of his fellow couriers was unable to continue his run due to van problems, Steven did not hesitate to assist the courier. He finished the run for his colleague so that there was no impact for the customer.
At the start of the year a position opened up in our office and Steven made the move from courier to Customer Service Assistant. But Steven was still very much hands-on with our client AAH, helping our other couriers carry on his commitment and passion for the customer.
In his new role, he continued to help train new couriers and assist with any issues the customer may have had. He would happily arrive at the customer’s site two hours before he officially started, to work with the couriers and customer.
With the arrival of a new baby, Steven made the hard decision to look elsewhere for more family-friendly hours. But leaving completely was unthinkable and Steven returned to as a lead courier on our AAH account in early August, much to our customer’s delight.
Jade Williams City Sprint, Contract Manager, Age: 24 Location: Warwick
Testimony
Courier company nomination supported by UPS as the sub contract and a direct client recommendation to boot. Phenomenal knowledge of sector at a young age, exceptional and a very bright future.
Jade commenced with the business in August 2010 and in her role now as Contract Manager, she has played an integral part in managing the UPS SCS account nationally as a sub contract to our courier company. She has forged relationships with key individuals within UPS that have helped cement and expand the business. Over recent months, as a business, we have gained an additional 2 FSL’s in Southampton and Hemel Hempstead in addition to new business gained through UPS customers.
In conjunction with Jade managing all the above UPS processes, her knowledge within the service centre in general is phenomenal. She has a full understanding of both operational and customer service processes, so much so that she has on regular occasions been called upon to support and train staff at acquisition sites in addition to supporting other service centres when required.
Her ability and commitment has been further recognised recently whereby she has been utilised by Senior Management on both a regional and national level in supporting the London Service Centre through a very busy period and the operational implementation of new contracts including Just Eat.
Jade is held in high regard throughout the business and has a very bright future ahead of her.
UPS Client Testimonials
For myself and my colleagues at UPS we have always been grateful to have someone within the supplier’s organisation who acts as a central point of contact. We’ve found in Jade someone who quickly understood the needs and demands of our business and was then able to match those needs within her own courier organisation so as to bring us the best possible service.
Often there is a need to ‘hand hold’ a particular requirement from start to finish, Jade has always provided us with that level of support, always staying one step ahead of events and able to anticipate difficulties and overcome them.
Rob Culley UPS
Michael Shima TNT, Contract Driver, Michael Shima Length of Service: 10 years. Location: Waltham Cross
Michael is always striving to exceed expectations, he is extremely reliable and can be depended on to undertake any task given to him. There have been so many positive reports where Michael has stepped in to help avert a crisis, it’s difficult to select just a few. In just one month we had three separate commendations, here are just two:
Example 1: A colleague suffered a vehicle breakdown after making only two pick-ups. Michael volunteered to go back out and recover the work after he had finished his own round. Michael recovered all of the work and also went on to complete all deliveries and collections arriving back to the depot before the critical processing cut-off time.
Example 2: Another driver was well into a collection round when his vehicle broke down in heavy traffic, but made it to a service station. Michael was the first to volunteer to go out to the stranded driver and pick up all the consignments himself. Not only did he manage to get to the driver and recover all items, and deliver them into the hub before the processing cut-off. He also took it upon himself to make sure all the mail was properly sorted before the trunk departed for the hub.
Office category National Courier awards 2015
Geographic spread from Newcastle to Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Letchworth and London, excellence from customer to control, long service, dedication and recognition from team were key to wins in what was this years hardest fought category. Presented by Prof. Rod Dubrow-Marshall, University of Derby
Julie Bullock, Age 46 DX Newcastle, 25 Years In
Testimony
25 years service, multi disciplinary skills leading to customer service manager, dealt with the evolving sector from legal mail to todays e-retail pharmacy and cross sector deliveries.
Julie wears her heart on her sleeve and treats every delivery as if it were her own. She will challenge decisions made by hierarchy if she truly believes that their decision will have a detrimental effect to the customer and/or the service. Her dedication to the role is outstanding. She makes it her business to learn new products, procedures and systems and always keeps her finger on the pulse to stay ahead of the game. She also wants to ensure that the team behind her are always able to work to the best of their abilities and will go to great lengths to make sure that they have every bit of support required to perform outstandingly.
Julie started her career with Document Interlink back in the 1990s, due to various acquisitions over the years she has accumulated 25 years continuous service. She has always had that fire in her belly to succeed and provide excellent customer service. She gets results.
Her roles within the business have included, Administrator, Customer Service Advisor, Office Co Coordinator, Admin Manager and Customer Service Manager. Back in the early days we specialised is moving mail for the Legal Sector and along with that came great pressure, deadlines and timed deliveries with time critical court cases reliant on documents arriving on time. In today’s market the profile has increased to managing lots of high profile accounts for the following industries:- Legal, Retail, E Tail, Optical, Pharmacy and Banking to name few
Jennifer Carter, CitySprint, Senior Customer Service Executive Age: 30. Location: Milton Keynes
Testimony
Jenny, moved to Senior Customer Service Executive in July 2014. This was achieved through her merit, commitment and hard work ethic. She offers help to everyone from driver to director. She is the embodiment of positivity.
Jenny’s attitude to her role is phenomenal. She is a huge asset and a credit to the company, but she also doesn’t look for praise.
Jenny is thoroughly committed to her job role, supporting all aspects of office work. She works very closely with some of our most important customers, such as Baxters, Lloyds and AAH, to name but a few. She constantly supports the Customer Service Team, never shying away from a call or a query. She also supports Control during busy periods, and is willing to offer her help to anyone in the business, from a Courier, to an Account Manager, to a Director. She treats each of them in exactly the same way. It would be hard to list everything Jenny gets involved with, as she is an excellent all-rounder and team player.
Even if Jenny is off work, she always offers to have her phone available should we need her.
On the busiest days in the service centre, when the phones are ringing off the hook and the team are wondering how they will get through the day, she will sing to them, dance in front of them, and tell them that tomorrow is another day. She is so full of life and the very embodiment of positivity.
Josh Lang Rush Couriers, Customer Service Supervisor, Age 28, 10 years in sector
Testimony
Ten years, changing from warehouse to customer services to shine in a new role for a sector he has made his life. A representative of our next generation of managers. Josh is demonstrating leadership in a junior role that will develop and allow him to realise his full potential, and for that reason I believe he is deserving of recognition for what he has achieved to date.
Josh arrived into sector via one of the founding fellows of the IOC and his Uncle working on one of the big networks, settled into a warehouse role for many years.
However, over the last 2 years, Josh has moved from the Warehouse to Customer Services, dealing with both trade & retail customers. Here he has demonstrated organisational skills previously well concealed, together with a willingness to teach others.
Recently promoted to Customer Services Supervisor, he has taken to the role with an enthusiasm and energy. His customers know that he will always do his best for them, his team know what he expects of them.
Bambos Theoharous, GLH London, 9 years in industry as a Controller.
Testimony
Bam has worked in the Courier Industry since 2006, joining us in December 2013 and has received numerous client testimonials.
Since joining us to work with the Control team, Bam has moved up through the ranks and now heads up the ever expanding Overnight and International department. Bam has had numerous commendations from clients, three of which are included here.
Robert of Odgers Bernstein wrote in to state how excellent Bam had been when dealing with them and praised his helpful attitude and attention to details in all communications with them.
Katie of Keo Films contacted us to say that the service she’d received from Bam was ACE and it really makes a difference to her day when she can deal with someone professional and courteous, as she spends most of her time dealing with transport companies and Bam’s level of service was exceptional.
Bruce of MBA emailed to thank Bam for his persistence and tenacity when assisting them, after they made a major delivery error. Stating that he could never express how appreciative MBA were for Bam’s intervention and assistance to ensure their error was rectified.
National Courier Awards Distinction for step change in the Industry
Hermes take second year in a row.
Hermes, Shop till midnight for a next day delivery solution. Giving the client a standard bearer grade service in the e-retail market.
Hermes, Adam Cook and Gemma Dunning took stage at the national Courier awards. Presented by Prof. Rod Dubrow-Marshall, University of Derby
Hermes took a national Courier Award in 2014 for first to market with ‘SHUNDAY’ Sunday delivery. For 2015 they return to a top nomination with a client relationship more than twenty five years old that brings midnight cut of to e-retail ordering. The relationship is with High Street chain Next. In a client relationship that is more than twenty five years old Hermes has brought another industry first to one of its major clients.
In 2010 Next awarded Hermes a new eight year contract described as “the biggest ever home delivery deal within the UK”. Under the new agreement, Hermes continued to handle the delivery requirements for Next Directory, which has turnover of over £800 million and over 2.2 million active customers. It also launched a range of service enhancements to ensure the retailer remains at the forefront of the home delivery market.
Next has been using Hermes for home deliveries since 1988 but the decision to award the new, exclusive contract was only given after Next had conducted a 2010 review of the UK home delivery market.
Consignments are to be collected on a daily basis from Next’s distribution centres and dispatched overnight to Hermes’ regional depot network. From there, orders will be distributed to more than 7,500 ‘lifestyle couriers’ for delivery to households across the UK.
Carole Woodhead, CEO Hermes in the UK “By extending this contract until 2018, Next have shown the high level of faith they have in Hermes and our ability to continue to provide them with a market leading service which provides excellent value for money. We will be working together with Next to launch a new suite of services over the next 12 months that will ensure that Next remains the standard bearer in the UK home delivery market — a position they have held since the launch of the Next Directory in 1988.”
Carl Lomas, Chairman Institute of Couriers, ‘this represents a major contribution to client with a first to market solution achieving midnight cut of in the e-retail sector, Hermes will be the first to bring this service into main stream use, it brings the question when is next day, same day? A well deserved nomination for the National Courier Awards.
With the category awards finished there are three final presentations, civilian to military, reserve forces and regular army logistics.
Presented by Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Penny Mordaunt MP with Lt. Col. Brett Duxbury
Award for civilian step from military logistics
Mark Cunningham, Pallex franchise Provincial Logistics Andover.
Mark receives his award from the Minister with Stephen Morgan, MD Provincial Logistics Ltd
Mark joined the Coldstream Guards in 1997 at the age of 17 and has seen active service in Northern Ireland, Iraq & Afghanistan. Mark was medically discharged in Nov 2014 suffering from PTSD. The original trauma in his condition was from a helicopter crash he survived in Northern Ireland in 2000.
The path that followed has been long and hard. Mark was offered an opportunity at Provincial Logistics. The Managing Director, Steve, who is a former soldier and recovered sufferer from PTSD. Mark was assured by Steve he would work with him to banish his demons and build his confidence.
Mark was thrilled at being offered not just an interview but the job as a van driver within minutes of meeting Steve. Mark was still nervous about being able to settle into a civilian position but assured from day one he would be make the transition and be given all the help he needs.
When Mark is at work and with Steve, there isn’t much he can’t or won’t do, he is encouraged to have the confidence he once had, so much so that Mark is back driving larger trucks. He works with a number of ex-Military people so they share the same experiences and obviously a lot of banter. Next April Mark is taking part in the 3 peaks race with Steve to raise money for a Children’s charity Steve is involved with. This is huge progress for Mark, day by day his ability to control his illness get better, this has only been achieved by the help and support of Mark family & work colleagues, having been let down so many times by the Military & Civilian agencies.
Military Reserve Courier
Army reserves warehouse to wheels step for heavy vehicle licence.
Private Claire Williams RLC Reserve Army 151 London Transport Regiment
On behalf of 151 London Transport Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps, the premiere reservist Logistic unit in London, I would like to propose Private Claire Williams. Private Williams joined 562 Sqn on the 1st October 2011 as a non driver; she trained as an Army driver and completed her GS (General Service) driver qualification on 12th July 2015.
This outstanding private soldier has contributed to the Squadron by undertaking a Recruiters Course and is engaged in training new recruits to the Squadron who in turn will be the future Army Reservist drivers. This is a commitment above and beyond her role in the squadron.
Private Williams is engaged in all aspects of military life, running the Squadron bar and maintaining a high standard of fitness though regular attendance at Public Order and Personal Safety (PSPO) training at the Army reserve centre. She was selected to take part in the Royal logistic Corps Gore Trophy as part of the winning Female Team representing 151 Regt RLC.
I cannot commend this ‘Kipling’ soldier more highly.
Andrew Gifford TD
Major
Officer Commanding
562 (Southall) Squadron
Army reserves warehouse to wheels step for heavy vehicle licence.
Military Distinction Award
A/Cpl James Brennan
03 – 19 July 2015 JNCO Forces Post Office 779
Commendation.
Brigadier Alistair Deas RLC comments, ‘Corporal Brennan’s professionalism and dedication during his recent deployment to the Middle East theatres of operation has been extraordinary. His singe handed command of the central hub for The Middle East and maintenance of both the routine postal service and the Middle East and Op TORAL courier service, working tat least 3 ranks up, is a clear demonstration of his exceptional professional abilities. ‘
Testimony
A/Cpl Brennan’s strong leadership skills and tireless work ethic has brought dynamism and enthusiasm to the department and has been an inspiration to his team. His professionalism and dedication during his deployment has proved immeasurably beneficial to the wider Broader Middle East (BME) Theatres of Operation. His efforts have ensured that the flow of Diplomatic Mail in and out of these operational theatres was flawlessly maintained, whilst concurrently supporting the Afghanistan Theatre without a hitch.
His role whilst deployed included coordinating the secure, discrete and efficient movement of Top Secret, Cryptographic and Security Services material all over the BME. Due to R&R and the aero medical evacuation of the SSgt commanding the detachment, A/Cpl Brennan found himself single handedly running the central hub in the Middle East, the pivotal location, for a period of sixteen days. In addition to overseeing the daily routine of an Operational Forces Post Office, he was responsible for ensuring that all Protectively Marked Material (PMM) was received and despatched in a timely manner.
His reaction to the additional responsibility was exceptional. By day he operated as the Diplomatic Courier for the BME, delivering to multiple locations. Upon his return from this he ran the Forces Post Office (FPO) providing a complete and efficient counter service. In the evening he delivered all PMM to Kabul. Despite typically returning to his base location in the early hours, and with minimal sleep, he would reopen the Post Office each following day to conduct a full day’s work. Through sheer determination and utter professionalism A/Cpl Brennan ensured that a seamless service was delivered throughout this period and that no flights carrying PMM were ever missed.
This exceptional performance by A/Cpl Brennan is worthy of recognition.
Nominator Lt Col Rhodes, 29 Regt RLC
Supported by: Alistair Deas Brigadier
