A box that cannot be accounted for
A laboratory asks about a box of samples collected from a GP surgery on Tuesday afternoon. It arrived later than their target and they need to know why and who had it. Your driver's paper log shows a collection time and a signature at the lab. Between the two, the box went via a second surgery and a handover to another driver at a meeting point, because the first driver was running late. None of that is on the log.
The customer is not accusing you of anything yet, but their contract has handover and timing requirements, and your answer is a phone call to two drivers.
Why paper logs leave gaps
Timed runs are routine, and routine paperwork gets filled in from memory at the end of the run. Handovers between drivers happen on the road without a form to hand. Boxes are counted, not identified. And the log sits in the van until someone collects it, so no one can see problems until later.
| What the customer asks | What paper usually gives |
|---|---|
| Which boxes were collected, from where | A count and a signature |
| Who had each box at each point | The driver who started the run |
| Time at each handover | Rounded times written afterwards |
| Whether timing targets were met | Worked out later, if at all |
| What happened with late or missed collections | A note, maybe |
What records the customer's own processes need is for them to specify. The courier's job is to provide the handling record accurately.
What gaps cost
These contracts are valuable and hard to win. They are usually won on reliability and evidence, and lost on the same basis. A few unexplained gaps can put renewal at risk.
They also take office time: every query means calls to drivers, searching logs and reconstructing a day.
Timing matters for the customer's own work. A late box may have consequences you are not in a position to judge, which is exactly why they want an accurate record of when it moved.
The chain of custody we build
- Each box or bag labelled with a barcode, or the customer's existing barcode used where there is one.
- A scan at collection with the surgery or clinic name, time and the person handing over, recorded on the driver's phone.
- A scan at every handover between drivers or at a hub, recording both people and the time.
- A scan at delivery with the receiving person and time, and any temperature box or seal check the customer requires recorded as a yes or no.
- Timing targets per run and per collection point, with alerts to the controller when a run is heading past a target, so they can act while it is still happening.
- A run record per day that the customer can view, and a query tool that pulls up any box's history.
If you already use a driver app, we add the handover steps to it where possible. The system records handling; it makes no clinical decisions.
What changes
Every box's journey is recorded as it happens, including handovers on the road. Controllers see a run falling behind before the target is missed. Customer queries are answered by pulling up the record. And renewal conversations can start with evidence of how the runs performed.
Signs your timed runs need this
- Run logs are paper and filled in at the end of the day.
- Handovers between drivers are not recorded.
- Boxes are counted, not individually identified.
- You find out a timing target was missed after the fact.
- Customer queries take calls to several drivers to answer.