The Systems
One of the first big differences is the systems that the two businesses use. A medical logistics specialist will have developed specific processes and systems through the years of working with manufacturers, hospitals and clinicians to serve the needs of that particular client base.
This of course won’t be the case with a conventional courier, because they have to serve the needs of a very diverse and generic client base. That means they have to build much more generic systems that won’t necessarily have all the useful features of a medical specialist.
The Experience
A second element is going to be the experience of the teams working within those businesses. Logistics companies are typically split between office staff and driving teams, both of whom are going to interact with customers.
In a conventional courier world, the drivers are predominantly going to be delivering to residential addresses, business addresses and hopping in and out, doing stops all across one relatively small, geographical area.
A medical logistics specialist, on the other hand, is only working with medical environments. Traditionally, that’s going to be hospitals in which they will have to find complex places within different departments. The experience that the driver builds up over time will help serve that hospital so much better.
You and I can imagine the first time you go to hospital for a particular appointment. It can take you about half an hour wandering through a large place to find Orthopaedic Theatres in Leeds General Infirmary, for example.
Drivers working in the medical logistics space are going to find addresses and departments much faster. They’re going to know the right people to seek out in hospital. They’re going to know when the correct PPE is appropriate. They’re going to know the systems and processes involved in working with that particular sector.
The Goods
Third, the conventional carrier will move pretty much anything for anyone. As you know, the range of things you can buy online today is wide and almost infinite, so they don’t necessarily know what they’re moving. It will be all packed together in the back of a van and moved together.
A medical logistics company will only move goods on behalf of the medical sector. This means the drivers are not going to be co-loading anything alongside something that’s inappropriate.
For example, the equipment or kits are not going to be put next to car parts, anything that’s potentially perishable or a package that might leak onto the medical goods. Medical specialist drivers know they have to take particular care of the goods while they’re in transit in a much more specific way than a conventional courier might.
The Mission Statement
Finally, you have the overarching purpose of the the two businesses, the mission statement, if you will. Why do these businesses exist?
A medical logistics company should have, central to its ethos, being there to serve the medical industry. It’s there to improve patient outcomes. That, of course, can’t be the mission statement of a conventional courier – their mission statement is going to be something quite different and much less specific.
