The demand and popularity of delivery apps have increased in recent years as people and companies have begun experiencing the advantage of their features. Delivery applications have now become specialized for certain products. Such specialization has made them on demand for companies and businesses to use. They are involved in the automation of most parts of the delivery process. Efficiency and speed are taken into consideration and the software performs the work of maintaining and increasing such parameters.

Courier delivery providers can now remotely control and monitor every delivery job through such applications. The same application can be used to either be a service provider or a customer. This is achieved by a credential-based login system that grants access based on the credentials. The application also helps discover the peak times of orders and fine-tune the process of multiple deliveries. Startups that have just started or want to expand their reach can take huge advantage of such applications. But the development of such applications is difficult because of the intricacies involved. In this article, we’ll explore the important things that startups need to know about a parcel delivery app.

Business Models for Courier Apps

Courier delivery on demand can run on different business models. The development companies in charge of making the apps know the differences between these business models and plan their app accordingly. No matter the business model, the applications are made to be robust enough to work under pressure. Following are the different types of business models that a delivery app may be based on.

Postal and Courier Services

Postal and courier services use delivery apps that have highly functional user and admin panels. The users of these applications can create the shipment order and notify their corporate clients in detail about the shipment. FedEx is one such company that uses such applications for global services.

Package Tracking Aggregation

Aggregators of package tracking rely on applications that focus on real-time tracking of various parameters. The application is used to combine disparate data from many areas in one location through the delivery ID available to admins. The admins use the ID mechanism to add and retrieve packages in the delivery network. The customers receive notifications about their couriers as it arrives at them.

Uber-Like Parcel Delivery Model

This is a new model that companies like Uber have introduced. Parcels and couriers are transported and delivered enroute to make extra revenue. Such delivery is managed by delivery management applications.

Read More: How to Develop Grocery Delivery Mobile App: Essential Features and its Cost to Build

How Does a Courier App Work

After getting to know the key business models we can look at how courier delivery app development makes sure the parcels are delivered as efficiently and quickly as possible. The modern courier delivery app is composed of many parts working together in a seamless fashion. Following are the steps that occur in a courier app for complete delivery. 

• At first, the customer sends the courier request or the order request through a click of the button in the mobile application. This is called the “Getting request” phase where the app receives the request.
• Every request needs to be accepted by the administrators or the automated system that handles such requests. This is the “Accepting request” phase.
• After the request, the parcels are picked up by the delivery personnel. This is called the “Pickup” phase.
• The application then uses GPS and related technologies for Live tracking of Parcels.
• Online Payment is integrated into the application. The users can pay for their deliveries either before purchase or at the time of delivery.
• Delivery Receipts are given to the customer in the form of digital signature and OTP features.
• Reviews are collected at the end. Reviews are collected for both the delivery personnel and for the customer.

Top Features in a Courier Delivery App

Following are the top features of courier delivery app divided into three sections.

User Panel

The user panel is provided for the consumer. Following are the features provided in the user panel.

• The user panel asks for an email and password combination or for a first time user, it gives the option to sign in and register.
• A search option is provided to search for the location of delivery. The users can also decide on the courier type per product.
• The user after entering the required option, confirms the order. Then the consumer may be asked to pay through the online payment option if cash on delivery isn’t available.
• The customers can track their orders through the tracking system. They can also keep a record of all their deliveries.

Read More: How to Build an On-Demand Meal Ordering and Delivery Platform: Customer App

Admin Panel

The admin panel is made available for business administrators. These are the features present in the admin panel.

• The dashboard is provided for administrators. It contains every tool that lets admins control the delivery process. Analytics can be displayed and customers can be contacted through it. The dashboard is one of the top features of courier delivery app.
• The navigation panel is made available and contains the tools to send custom notifications to the customers or delivery agents. The arrivals of the packages and delivery receipt generation are also monitored through this panel.
• The tracking system is provided for real-time tracking of orders. This tracking system features more tools than the one that is provided for consumers.

Delivery Agent Panel

The delivery agent panel is made available to actual people who deliver the packages. 

• They are provided with delivery updates that can be confirmed by them.
• They are also provided with tools to connect with admins and consumers.
• They are provided with tools to receive payment and a built-in wallet that lets them transfer a said amount of the order price directly to their bank.
• They can check their previous delivery records. 

Cost Concerns for the Delivery App

The cost of the parcel delivery app is based on many things. This includes many things like features of the app, the rate of the developers you hire and the type of platform you want to release it in. No matter the cost, a good delivery application can certainly scale up a business that is dependent on logistics in some way. Modern applications can be built in a modular fashion which can be built upon if such a need arises in the future. Therefore the budget can be a cost-effective version for the fundamental rendition of the delivery app.

Conclusion

Startups must understand that technology has become a central tool for shipping and delivery services. By investing in a courier delivery app development company, startups can improve their reach in multiple ways. The best of such applications help improve customer relationships and increase company revenue. Oddappz is an on-demand delivery app development service. Over the years Oddappz has made various delivery applications for various products, including groceries, food items, and remote courier shipping. It specializes in the area of delivery application development on various mobile devices and platforms.