Quoting a courier job over the phone
Somebody rings and asks what it costs to get a box to Birmingham. There is no answer to that question yet, and the gap between what the caller thinks they have told you and what you actually need is where courier businesses lose money — either by quoting low and honouring it, or by taking so long to establish the facts that the caller rings somebody quicker.
The five things that set the price
Postcodes, not towns. "Just outside Manchester" can be two very different jobs, and central-city access changes it again.
Same-day, next-day and "sometime this week" are different products at different prices, and callers use the words interchangeably.
Dimensions and weight, but also shape. One long awkward item can cost more than a heavier compact one because of what it displaces.
One box and eleven boxes are not the same job even at the same total weight.
Two people to lift, a tail lift, a signature, a specific time window, anything fragile or restricted.
Ask for both postcodes first
Before anything else, because it is the answer most likely to end the conversation — out of area, or a route you do not run. Establishing it in the first twenty seconds saves both sides the five minutes that would otherwise be spent describing a job you were never going to take. It also lets everything after it be specific rather than hypothetical.
Give a range rather than a refusal
"Somewhere between forty and sixty, depending on the timing" is an answer. "I would have to check and call you back" is heard as evasion and loses the job to whoever picked up next, who will very often have quoted worse. Couriers are bought on availability and confidence far more than on price, and hesitating on the number undermines both.
When not to quote at all
Anything hazardous, anything high-value, anything needing specialist equipment, and anything where the caller cannot describe what it is. Those are jobs to price after looking, and a firm "I will not quote that blind, but I can have someone call you in twenty minutes" reads as professional rather than evasive — the difference being that you named a person and a time.
Frequently asked
Both postcodes, the timing, what the item is including shape, how many there are, and any handling needs — two-person lift, tail lift, signature, restricted goods.
Both postcodes. It is the answer most likely to end the call — out of area or a route you do not run — and it saves five minutes of describing a job you would never take.
A range, yes. "I would have to check and call you back" is heard as evasion and loses the job to whoever answered next, who often quoted worse.
Hazardous or high-value goods, anything needing specialist equipment, or where the caller cannot describe the item. Name a person and a time instead of hedging.