At Hot Shot Delivery, we understand that shipping legal documents can represent a very large investment to a company. Depending on why the documents are being shipped, the degree of importance which is assigned to security might vary. For instance, some basic legal contracts which are simply replicas of a standard contract that a company sends out regularly, might not warrant increased security. Documents which are involved in large corporate acquisitions though, or which contain production information which needs to remain confidential within the company, are certainly worthy of any increased security measures which might be available from the courier industry.

There are two things that need to be protected against when shipping legal documents. The first is anything which could cause these documents to become lost, or to be delivered to the wrong address. The second is anything which would allow the information contained in the documents to get exposed to the wrong eyes. Luckily, both of these problems can be countered with the same security measures.

By using an in hand courier option, you know that your legal documents are going to be afforded the highest level of security available. By ensuring that a single, unbroken chain of custody is enforced on the documents, you know that you are getting a secure delivery of your package. Primarily, this is because this model of delivery creates accountability. There are no hand offs or transfers where documents can get lost, and when only one set of eyes sees the documents, confidentiality can be assured. If you need to deliver highly sensitive or valuable legal documents across the city or the world, give Hot Shot Delivery a call at 866-261-3184 or 713-869-7575. We have the resources to deliver your shipments safely and securely.

At Hot Shot, we provide customers with the highest possible guarantee that their delivery needs will always be met thanks to the technology that we utilize every day. The best way of demonstrating this is in the real world results that we have achieved for our clients.

If you visit the courier page of the Hot Shot website, you can read a case study of one of our clients, an architectural firm. They had been suffering through using a provider who was late for pickups, who lost orders, and who had terrible problems coordinating the different aspects of their service with the requirements of the architectural firm.

Not so once they turned to Hot Shot. By using the technology available through us, they are able to securely place their orders online. These orders are processed, and through the vast network of available couriers there is always a driver ready to pick up their order on time, every time. Once their order is picked up, they can track it throughout its delivery, reassuring themselves that it is progressing to its delivery point on time.

This firm was suffering because their business needed a same day courier that could provide them with a reliable and easy to use service, and they just couldn’t find one. Hot Shot addressed that need. It is through the use of technology, software, and a problem solving approach that Hot Shot is able to meet the delivery needs of our clients. Our clients, just like the architectural firm outlined in the case study, are able to move forward to meet their own clients’ needs with confidence knowing that they have the resource that Hot Shot provides, backing up their work. If your company is unsatisfied with its current same day delivery solution, call Hot Shot Delivery to see what we can offer you instead.

 There are many areas that are focused on within this division. Making sure the drivers understand how important it is to follow all regulations is key, as is making sure that all the proper licenses and permits are maintained at all times.

There are other courier companies who do know the regulations, but for one reason or another are simply unable to seemingly follow them to the letter. Hot Shot Delivery ensures that all employees follow all regulations to the letter. We also stay on top of the latest changes to the industry by ensuring that thorough training is always completed. We train through the services offered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This allows us access to the best training possible for medical deliveries.

The training that the drivers receive goes beyond just the rules and regulations regarding specific medical deliveries. They are also completely trained to make them the most effective couriers possible. This includes training them in the techniques and methodologies used to ensure the 99.7% on time delivery rate that Hot Shot Delivery maintains. It also includes training in the technologies used at Hot Shot which are a key component to customer satisfaction. This includes the online ordering and tracking systems.
The types of medical deliveries which are completed by Hot Shot Delivery include every type of delivery which occurs within the industry. This might mean that a delivery might be something as innocuous as a drug sample going to a doctor’s office, or blood going to a lab for testing. On the other hand, it could be something quite literally as critical as an organ going to a hospital for transplant, something that could potentially save a life. We recognize just how important high quality medical courier service is, which is why there is always work being done to make sure that the employees handling such deliveries are trained to the highest possible degree.

Until Next Time,

Eric

Over the past 32 years, Hot Shot Delivery has created a giant family of wonderful employees, the majority of which have been with us in excess of 10 years. From our dispatchers and shipping managers to our drivers and everyone in between, all are knowledgeable, experienced, and completely focused on providing excellent customer care. 

Hot Shot is a Houston courier service that realizes that employees that represent our company play a huge role in the satisfaction of our customers. Each of our employees can always be relied upon to perform their jobs with professionalism, speed, accuracy, and a friendly outgoing attitude.

Worried about dealing with multiple drivers handling your packages? Don’t be. You don’t have to worry about dealing with a different delivery driver every time you place an order because not only does Hot Shot have a remarkably low turnover, but we also place our drivers on regular routes. Therefore, if Jim picked up your order last week, it is extremely likely that he will be picking up your order this week as well. This allows our drivers to build good relationships with our customers; resulting in satisfaction across the board.

Hot Shot Delivery takes great pride in our work and this is proven by our performance and overall attitude. We utilize the most effective technology available to the industry, deliver superior customer service, and keep our employees up to date at all times with ongoing training and up to the minute information. This allows the customer the peace of mind in knowing that their package is in good hands at all times.

So, if you are looking for a Houston courier service that has low turnover and that can get your package to its destination on time and that values customer relationships, you can rest assured that Hot Shot Delivery is a great option for you and your company.

MCAA stands for the Messenger Courier Association of America. It is an organization that teaches the staff of courier services the ins and outs of pinpointing their success in the industry. One of the biggest objectives of the MCAA is to train courier services on the ability to provide same day and ‘less-than-24-hours’ deliveries. They teach courier companies how to operate on a “just in time” basis and how to ensure the highest quality of respect and candor for a customers’ packages and letters. The goal of the MCAA is to provide the quickest, reliable way to transport items that generally could not be delivered by other means of shipping due to factors such as temperature concerns and time restraints.

Throughout the course of becoming a MCAA member, courier companies endure critical meetings, seminars and testing sessions. Not every courier company has what it takes to be a MCAA member. Courier companies experience the convenience of furthering their staff’s education by putting them through Courier College; this college allows them to gather more education on the business and it is offered completely online. The MCAA offers monthly magazines for constant updates on bettering and retaining the extraordinary ethics it takes to be a MCAA member and courier service provider.

Considering the high level of need for courier services in the Houston area, your best bet is to invest your money into a company you know will go above and beyond your expectations. A MCAA courier service will do just that. Not only will you be completely satisfied with the services you receive, it will eliminate you looking for another courier company the next time you need assistance. If you put courier services to the test, we, as MCAA members, are the best!

I encourage all of you to get involved with local charities. You can always give money, but even better, you can contribute your time and services.  Your neighborhood needs you and the rewards are life changing.  I would like to share a quick story with you as well as a few charities that could use your help.  Several months ago we received a call from a gentleman looking for a Houston courier service to pick up a pallet of bottled water and deliver it to Minute Maid Park.  Having over heard this conversation in the call center, I asked to take the call.  I discovered that this gentleman was with the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), and their organization was providing water to the members of the 72nd Infantry Brigade and their families during a deployment ceremony parade.  Having attended Texas A&M University, I have the privilege of knowing many current and former members of our military.  When the husband of a dear friend of mine was deployed to Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks, I purchased a camouflage bracelet that simply says, “Support our Troops”.  I have never taken this bracelet off.  Our men and women and the families of these courageous folks need our support, so when it came time, I was honored to provide a free delivery for these brave souls.  The unbelievable part about this story was that just last week, I was invited to the VFW Hall and they presented me with an Award of Appreciation! Can you imagine? All that these men and women, their friends and families, are sacrificing so much, and they give me an award?  I don’t tell this story for my benefit, but rather for the benefit of our military.  The smallest actions, and believe me, to me, my action was very small, mean the world to these military families.  The same is true for all the actions and involvement with your local charities. These terrific groups strive and are able to give back to our communities because of the actions and involvement of people like you and me.  I challenge each of you to get involved with a local charity and you will be amazed at how much more fulfillment you will get out of it than you put it. The outcome is terrific!

A few groups I would like to highlight, are Comp-U-Dopt

http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1262047571 

and U.S. Vets

http://www.usvetsinc.org/locations/location.asp?id=7

So, what does this have to do with 24/7 365? The media has story after story with the local plumber reminding people to wrap their pipes and stay prepared. They have been getting calls at all hours of the night for broken pipes and busted sprinkler heads.  Running jobs at all hours of the night is nothing new to most of us in the courier business, but it is important to stop and reflect on the importance of being prepared and having a proper strategy for any and all weather related events. Especially when driving at night in subfreezing weather. The roads are slick and deliveries still have to be made urgently, but, with extra caution.

Do you have a winter strategy in place? Have you spent time ensuring that those who work for you and represent you know what precautions they need to take when transporting freight or even themselves to and from the office?

Here are a few tips for winter driving conditions:

• Use slower acceleration and slower speeds.
• Avoid heavy steering and braking.
• Allow extra time to reach your destination during inclement weather. It is not worth putting your own life or the lives of others in danger to save time.
• Drive with your headlights on.
• Don’t get overconfident with four-wheel drive. It won’t help you stop any faster.
• Winter road conditions often result in longer stopping distances. Give yourself room. If you have anti-lock brakes, press the pedal down firmly and hold it. If you don’t have anti-lock brakes, gently pump the pedal.
• Slow down when approaching intersections, off-ramps, bridges or shady spots. These all have potential to develop black ice.
• Avoid abrupt actions while steering, braking or accelerating to lessen your chance of losing control.
• Look farther ahead in traffic. Actions by other drivers will alert you to problems and give you extra reaction time.
• Trucks take longer to stop. Don’t cut in front of them.
• Avoid using cruise control or overdrive. Don’t let your car make a bad decision for you.

Also, check out the Red Cross’s “Winter Storm Safety Check List” and be prepared.

Have a warm and cozy day, where ever you are!

Until next time,

Eric

We have an incredible software system that has a feature that can automatically populate our order entry screens using our phone systems caller ID.  However, in order for us to make this work, we have to make a change to our phone system.  I have put this change off for way too long, mainly due to convincing myself that the pain of reassigning IP addresses etc far outweighed the benefit we would gain.  Not to mention the fear that someone may mess up and we lose our phones for a period of time.  However, while crafting my intentions for technological improvement and reducing operating costs, I soon realized that not only will this new phone system help increase our customer service (another intention), we will also be saving over $500 per month on our company phone bill and be getting better, more robust service.

The day to day reality of running a same day delivery business, like my Houston courier service, Hot Shot Delivery, Inc., or any business for that matter, is full of distractions and pressing issues.  With the right intentions in place and the discipline to follow through, life and business will be easier.  So, say goodbye to 2009 and the unresolved, unachieved, goals and resolutions of the past.  Welcome 2010!  I intend on this year being a banner year and I look forward to sharing it with each and every one of you. So don’t forget, Shop Hot Shot!

For more information on intentions, please visit my dear friend Brian Parsley at www.brianparsley.com or give me a call and we can share ideas.

There is an easy way to fix things like this and even prevent them from happening in the future. The simple fix is to open the door, roll up your sleeves and jump in with the crew. As a boss of a wonderful group of very talented people, it’s extremely easy and enjoyable for me to do this. These great people are a part of my family and I don’t want them to do anything that I can’t do or have not done myself.

To be honest, it’s quite a bit of fun to get back to the basics of your company and deal directly with the front line situations. Recently, I spent the day with the customer service group at my Houston Courier Service, Hot Shot Delivery. I answered calls, tracked packages, took orders, communicated with drivers and talked with tons of customers. It was a great day and I vowed to myself to experience this process more often. In just one day on the front line, I learned about a recurring service request that could turn in to a new service offering. I also learned some quick short cuts when working through our system as well as great insight about what motivates my employees.

I did not stop there – I jumped in with one of our drivers and spent the day making deliveries. That gave me the chance to see a day in the life of our delivery drivers. The traffic problems, their interaction with our customers, the challenges they experience and, again, what motivates them as independent contractors were all witnessed during my delivery day adventure.

As it seems to be in many areas, communication is the key. Opening the lines of communication with your employees can make things so much better for everyone and the way to do that is to walk in their shoes. See what they are going through each day and they are more likely to talk to you about their ideas for improvement and feel like an important part of the team.

Now don’t get me wrong, it is still extremely important for you, as the boss, to work on strategy, marketing and the “big picture” of your company. These are areas that can facilitate long term growth and additional revenue streams. Just find a balance between the two and you will see that your company will benefit greatly.

So, be sure to take some time and figure out how you can get more involved with the team. Your entire organization will notice, appreciate and communicate with you – which is a win-win for everyone!

Until Next Time,

Eric