2007 Extracts from the winners portfolios:

President of the Institute of couriers, Lord Falkland, himself a two wheeler favoured to the MotoGuzzi machines comments, ‘2007 marks a year which recognises top quality winners for the National Courier Awards, Said gets top recognition from his team and wins 100% recognition while not forgetting safety, Haden displays customer focus and professionalism, its no easy task getting client recognition and making an impact to win new business, Roger is clearly a true veteran of the industry with so many years experience he demonstrates the motorcycle courier at their most professional and David shows that personality does count in the modern world. Well done to the 2007 winners they are very deserved of the recognition at the 2007 National Courier Awards.’

 

Two Wheels

Said Boukatem - TNT, Said is without a doubt the best courier Enfield has ever seen. He gets a job done with quickness, speed and efficiency. The depot manager claims “he is the most committed man I have seen in my four years at TNT we would struggle to replace him” Said is an asset to our company as he never refuses work but he also treats all jobs with the same level of respect whether a company spends £100 or £10,000 a week. His attitude is fantastic, he always tries to get each job done as quickly as possible and nothing is too much trouble for him. Said can be counted on for pressing deadlines and safety of all packages. On one occasion when Said was on holiday he popped into the office to sort his locker out when he overheard one of our bikers had had a breakdown. Having to call our back up company who quoted us a further two hour delay Said straight away offered to collect the job and deliver it. This meant that we got our clients packaged delivered on time and they won a new contract! In summary Said is a credit to his profession. Performance statistic of 100% delivered on time is a reflection of his ‘must get through’ attitude and the pride he has in maintaining this figure. He is always willing to go that extra mile and doesn’t shy away from added responsibility. He is extremely dedicated to his work and this combined with his professionalism makes him highly regarded by all customers.

Haden Busby - Lewis Day, When Haden arrived in England from New Zealand he trained as a Butcher and when qualified worked as one for seven months, however the rewards for working as a butcher were not enough for Haden and a lucrative career in despatch riding beckoned. In these past years Haden has been working for Lewis Day he has made quite an impression. His greatest trait is his infectious personality, nothing seems to bring him down. He is someone who will cheer up everyone he speaks to or meets during the day. He always gives willing and goes that extra mile for his controllers. Customers report about his attitude and pride in his work. A client in the financial sector was particularly impressed. Haden came to reception to deliver a document and the FD was in a meeting, the document was needed in that meeting and the FD wanted to make a reply. So Haden was called in, having removed his helmet he presented the document. The FD resealed the envelope told Hayden to return the package from whence it had come. Haden smiled, replied certainly and left the room. The clients with the FD asked who the courier company was they used. They were so taken by the courier’s attitude they became a Lewis Day client too. This is just one of the examples of the patience, attitude and pride Haden takes in all the jobs he does.

Roger Horill - Reuter Brooks, Roger is married with 5 children. He started out in the courier industry in 1975. Riding a Norton Dominator 600 and working for Security Despatch until 2001 when he joined Reuter Brooks. For the last six years Roger has worked the late shift from 10am to 7pm Monday to Friday from our city office. Roger could be described as possibly one of the first professional couriers. When he started back in 1975 there were only a handful of courier companies operating in London. Those who know him describe him as having an enormously helpful and happy attitude……always!! His Controller Bill Butler (NCAward Winner 2005) has this to say. I sometimes think that I am a bit of a veteran, 24 years then you meet someone like Roger Horill. His rider number two zero is not just a random number, he was the 20 th rider to join SD all those years ago. It is not however only for his commitment of years to our industry that he deserves the accolade of ‘National Courier Awards Winner’. I must say that Roger, since I first had the joy of working with him some 19 years ago at S.D in Covent Garden, has had the finest attitude that I have yet to come across. His professionalism is second to none, as a career courier his attitude to his job could be an inspiration for some and should be an object lesson for all. He is everyday, and always “mobile in Crawley” (home) this is something that takes an incredible amount of effort to achieve. He has remained a rider that always has time to spare to teach and help new riders with advice or share a joke and a smile. Plus of course relay a tale of his beloved Fulham Football Club.

David O’Brian - Pink Express, David is 45 years old and happily married. He has been a Sameday rider with Pink for just over a year and in a short space of time proved to be a tremendous asset. Within the company David has been nominated courier of the month many times in the the last twelve months. The vote taken by all members of the staff. David should be named Mr. Happy; rain or shine he is out there riding and singing his heart out. Always grins and says thanks even if it's a rubbish job. At first his controllers thought he may have a bolt loose but had to concede in the end that he was just the world's happiest courier. David is known for his attitude to do the job that is asked. He completes all paperwork and communications without fault. He is especially helpful at locating the right deliver desk and not complaining when told ‘that person isn’t in this building he’s been moved’. We can rely on David to be consistent, reliable, properly dressed and always with a well maintained motorcycle. We all know that on two wheels it is a really tough job out there. Pink are nominating David because he never turns a job down, smiles at clients in the freezing rain and does the job; whatever his controller asks of him. This is something that David does every single day and he really is the perfect courier for both Clients and Controllers alike. All of the staff and controllers at Pink have their fingers crossed for David because they say nobody deserves this award more than him .

Paul 'Milky' Knight – CYC Logistics,

The two wheel theme then marked Paul Knight ‘Milky’ from CYC for a courier Ambassador's Award. A long time industry figure ‘Milky’ was fresh from his April Paris Dakar rally success where he scored thirteenth place on a Yamaha XT in the motorcycle race that crossed the Sahara dessert and raised money for charity. The two wheelers took home the top biker prizes to set the sound of the celebrations ringing out down the Thames from Chiswick back to Southend.

National Courier Award judge, Chris Hodder from the British Motorcycle Federation comments, ‘Well done Paul, competing in the Paris Dakar Rally is one thing, few roads and endless co-ordinates to drive to across the Sahara desert but to finish is outstanding and to get a thirteenth place makes Paul an ambasodor for the two wheelers of the same day courier industry.’

Four Wheels

Four wheelers winning the coveted glass awards were at the very top of their business for 2007. Carl Lomas Chairman of the Institute of Couriers comments, ‘Lots of customer recommendations highlighted this years winners, Roger delivering the Queens Christmas puddings just adds to an already fantastic nomination, Trevor building up the Sameday UK Franchise with his enthusiasm then joins his son to the team, Father and son in business combination, tremendous and Julie again with vast numbers of customer recommendations bags a 100% record in duty attendance as well as being fast and reactive to change in her workplace then the joint team of Simon & Niel routed from tunnel to ferry and back for an adventure to Parris that so easily could have been shelved, not possible gone home but no the duo pushed on to success. – The four wheelers for 2007 are top notch and a great credit to the same day courier industry.’

Roger French - TNT, Roger is the perfect combination of a professional and efficient driver with a friendly and caring attitude. He has worked for TNT Sameday Wellingborough since 2003 and during this time has proven to be a reliable, trustworthy and hard-working driver. Roger is a true ambassador for TNT and no matter how big or small the job is, it is never a problem. Only the best will do and for the last three years Roger has helped organise and manage the delivery of the Queen’s Christmas puddings to all of her staff at the Royal residence. Roger has been given the responsibility as it is extremely time sensitive and vital that protocol is followed to the letter. An example of Rogers dedication to his role and caring attitude towards others came to light when he asked to deliver a bike as a raffle prize on behalf of ‘Woodgreen Animal Shelter’. As it was for charity Roger delivered the prize and refused to be paid for the job. Roger is a role model for others in the company, his immaculate personal presentation and the pride he takes in keeping his van spotless make him a fantastic role model for new drivers. He is extremely customer focused and considers everyone that he comes in daily contact with as a potential customer! His polite, friendly and helpful attitude has brought him consistent feedback and many customers ask for him personally when booking their jobs. Roger is frequently able to offer a solution that may not have been considered to a problem. A consummate professional.

Trevor Hargreaves - Sameday UK, Trevor Hargreaves joined Sameday UK in 2005 as a franchisee covering the Blackburn and Burnley area. He is on call 24/7 –365 days a year and never turns a job down in his area. What makes Trevor stand out from the average courier driver is his ability when dealing with customers and the companies that he delivers to. He is not just a driver, he rightly sees his role as an ambassador for the company and has a very pro-active approach to gaining new business. In his first year Sameday UK opened almost 50 new accounts in Trevors' area, most of which were down to his activity. The business in Trevor’s area has continued to grow and we have had nothing but favourable reviews, and in just over two years Sameday UK have not lost a single customer in his area as a result of bad service or failures. This is exceptional in a very competitive market and speaks volumes about Trevor’s ability and personality. As a result of the growth Trevor has also provided work for several local sub-contractors and has introduced his son Tom into the business. During his time as a courier, Trevor has undertaken many unusual and difficult jobs, on Saturday 23rd December 2006 he excelled himself. Sameday UK received an urgent call at 7am from a major customer requesting deliveries to 214 Asda stores throughout the UK that day. On arrival at the customers warehouse Trevor was confronted with chaos. There was only one member of staff and half the boxes hadn't even been 'picked'. Working in conjunction with H/O staff and the customer Trevor spent all morning sorting out the runs before setting off and delivering to 10 stores himself. The total job was completed without a single failure - no mean feat on the day before Christmas Eve when most drivers were out shopping. The result - another very satisfied customer.

Julie Rendall - UK Today, Julie has been nominated because of her vast customer letters of recommendations as well as through our peer and colleague voting poll and finally the UK Today selection panel for National Courier Awards. Since my time at UK Toady, writes Tony Clements (Julie’s line manager at Heathrow) Julie has exceeded all expectations as a courier. Julie’s strong commitment to making sure that customers receive the highest quality of service is outstanding and thus cementing strong business relationships. Her 25 years experience in the courier industry certainly plays a major part of her continued success. Julie’s vehicle is always clean and presentable along with her personal image. Julie shines every day with her constant smile and bubbly character. No matter what the task ahead Julie will just get on with it without any arguments. In her three years of service with UK Today Julie has never been off sick and her commitment to attending for duty tops the scales at 100%. I feel it is worth taking just some of the quotes from letters of customer satisfaction. Printing company: “We at CTD would like to take this opportunity to comment on the exceptional level of service received from Julie Rendell. We appreciate her fast reactive approach to the inevitable changes in our specification and timings of jobs. She is friendly and helpful and has a commitment to a quality of service. Qualities like this will keep us coming back! Advertising Company: “All the drivers are polite and professional however, one courier does stand out from the rest: Julie Rendall. She is always well presented, courteous, friendly, with a great attitude for the job which for a customer is fantastic”.

Simon Smith / Niel Blackburn - DHL Sameday, Simon & Niel had a particular consignment to deliver to a location South of Paris, in a 7.5 tonne van by Friday at 12 noon. The job was booked on Thursday 11 th January. 205 boxes were loaded and off they went. Due to the customers concerns of the value of data, the couriers were asked not to leave the vehicle at all, not to open the van to anyone (except customs), not to eat the same food as each other and to use the Euro tunnel instead of the ferry. The day was windy and concerns were already being raised; Dartford crossing closed, Dover port closed so effecting the ETA. Getting to Folkestone was miles and miles of parked lorries under the operation of STACK. The couriers contacted the customer directly and through me ( Wayne – Nottingham) about the delays, but after joining the STACK on the M20 the couriers had to trickle down to Folkestone over a 12 hour period and because they were moving very slowly they could not sleep! It turns out the French Rail workers decided to go on strike to make matters worse. Eventually they got to Folkestone and boarded the train. They got to France at around 10am Friday but with no way of getting to the deliver point for 12:00pm. They continued and constantly kept the customer informed all the way, getting to the delivery point at 17:00 only to be refused delivery by a security guard but after numerous calls we eventually got the delivery made – much to the delight and relief of the customer. The point to all this is the couriers were faced with a special delivery over a big distance and faced with varying obstacles and didn’t give up, but still put the customers concerns before anything else to get the delivery done.

Contract

Top contract awards followed and are focused on couriers who work direct for a client, they are generally embedded in the clients operation on behalf of the courier company. Carl Lomas Institute of Couriers chairman comments ‘Presentation, customer handling and a bubbly personality help these three deserved winners take National courier Awards, each has that little extra to mark them best of the best, Harry saves the lady from a burning car and Adams dedication is recognised by both his courier company and his embedded contract client.’

Harry Holland - TNT, Harry is always in uniform, spotless clean and well presented. His van is maintained to a similar high standard. He always puts the customer first and his professional demeanour with TNT customers proves that Harry is a true ambassador for the industry. Harry is there to help all new drivers and assist them in their role. He gives advice and support as he is approachable and takes time out to help others. It is not Harry’s official role but because of his helpful nature and eagerness to help others he offers his support to help train new drivers. One example of the type of person Harry is happened when he was on his daily morning run. He drove around a corner to see a car on fire in the road ahead there was a lady in the driver’s seat unable to get out. Harry shouted for assistance to call for the fire brigade, got a fire extinguisher from his own van and used it getting the lady out of the car. There he waited for the emergency services to arrive.

Adam Szolomicki - Lewis Day, Based out of their Blackwall office, working as a contract van driver for Almo Office Ltd. Adam is a terrific member to have on the team, always friendly and smiling, helping other drivers with any queries they might have.

Phil at Almo has this to say about Adam: “Almo is very pleased and honoured to have such a dedicated, reliable and honest driver. Adam gets on really well with my staff; always informing us of any problems that arise, especially when a customer hasn’t ordered from us for a while. The customers love him and that is the main thing - if a customer loves the driver that is delivering to them, it makes our job ten times easier. He is always cheerful, polite, and is life of the team in the mornings. I would like to wish Adam all the best as he deserves this award and thank him on behalf of everyone at Almo.”

Office

Office category was the closest in years, Tracey Worth co-ordinator of the judges comments, ‘Problem solving logistics solutions to imposible tasks is what separates a National courier Award winner in the office based category, Emma solved a medical supplies problem for DHL far beyond the call of duty, Eduardo at MPC Excel helping newcomers to the industry with language support is exemplary and Mark at UK Today has showed personal commitment to getting jobs tracked and closed outside of office conditions.’

Emma Blackmore - DHL, Emma is a project implementation manager who’s role is to ensure new clients or contracts are set in place as per the clients requirement. Emma shines as an example to all in the way she puts the customer first in everything she does. Emma takes personal ownership of each and every project she is responsible for and gets to know both the team delivering the service as well as the client. She inspires team work. One example of Emma’s dedication was when one client had an emergency. Medical supplies needed for a Doctor out of a hospital was in Limerick and was needed to be in surgery by 8am the next day. The robust DHL service was not able to perform on this occasion and almost gave up on the job. Emma didn’t. Emma managed to get the medical supplies flown in, even though there were diversions, problems with clearance and handling issues. Emma stayed up until 4am to see this emergency through to the completed destination and then managed to be in East Midlands Airport for 9.30am – two and a half hours away from home to get the packaged delivered. Surgery was delayed but only by two hours. Now that’s dedication! Emma has shown over and over again that maybe you should go that extra mile, she is a shining example to her team and is constantly looking to improve our service to our clients.

Eduardo del Mello - MPC Excel, Eduardo rapidly became a top earner on the mobile fleet. He also became an un-official recruiter. As more Brazilians arrived, Eduardo would provide a room to get them going and a job at MPC-Excel. For those who English was not good enough Eduardo would organise them English lessons. After 5 years on the road, he took a salary cut to join our control desk, firstly as a co-ordinator and then as a trainee controller-again, Eduardo never pushy, waited for his chance and when MPC had two main controllers off unexpectedly, Eduardo took over a double shift and has since been made a senior controller. Eduardo continues today providing a ‘courier school’ for all new couriers, helping and easing them into the role of a professional courier. He will not accept any nonsense and takes a pride in the work his courier’s do. He takes personal responsibility whenever there is problem, Eduardo will get involved to sort it out. One Friday night, a driver had four jobs going north finishing in Nottingham. Our client went mad as one package had not been delivered. We called Eduardo and he found out the driver had simply forgotten he had it onboard. Eduardo found the driver and delivered it himself, leaving payment to the original driver.

Mark Johnson - UK Today, Mark is passionate about providing an excellent level of service to all customers, proving time and time again that he and his team will go the extra mile to ensure the job is done right, every time. Mark has faced challenges over the past year with the introduction of an employed fleet of drivers and contract work, over and above the core business, which was an entirely new experience for him to manage. He rose to the challenge, learning such things as employment law outside the work environment, to better enable him to confidently manage the new situation. An example of Mark’s professional and helpful attitude was on one occasion when a client was trying to track a shipment (out of hours) to Trafford Park at 19:00. The controller informed the client it had been delivered correctly but the client rang Mark on his mobile. The clients engineer was waiting for the part and wanted to get to the bottom of the issue. The part had been delivered to the correct customer at the correct address on the correct floor of the building; as written on the parcel. The problem was the package had been incorrectly addressed. Mark sorted out the clients problem worked out the problem, found the engineer on a different floor, same building and got the package to the engineer. Mark supported the controller, calmed the client and helped the client to get the packaged delivered. The client wrote in ‘…we know when we give the job to UK Today Mark is tracking it all the way, ALWAYS IN SAFE HANDS’.

 

After dinner speaker, Professor Roly Rotherham sponsored by TNT moved away from transport to leave the guests set for a late celebration to remember.

The 2007 awards was a big one and this years winners were judged, Best of the Best.

 

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