Emergency Call Protocol for Couriers

For courier work, an emergency is any delivery where a missed deadline causes real damage: patient care risk, legal/financial loss, or a shipment becoming unusable. Most true emergencies fall into four buckets: (1) medical specimens and pharmacy runs (blood, biopsies, “STAT,” vaccines needing cold chain), (2) legal filings (court deadline, “process service pickup,” “must be filed today”), (3) aircraft/line-down parts (“plant is down,” “line stop,” “AOG”), and (4) time-window airport or freight cutoffs (“miss the flight,” “tender cutoff in 45 minutes”). Customers will use specific words when it’s real: “STAT,” “time-sensitive specimen,” “chain of custody,” “court filing deadline,” “AOG,” “line-down,” “tender cutoff,” “last pickup,” “must be there by 4:30,” “hand-carry,” “no signature no release.” Treat those phrases as high-priority—but still verify the hard deadline and addresses. Not emergencies (but still rush jobs): “ASAP if possible,” “end of day,” “client is waiting,” “I forgot to ship,” “can you do it in an hour?” These are usually rush deliveries ($50–$150) or same-day locals ($10–$50), not true emergency dispatch. The difference is the consequence: if the package is late, is anyone harmed, does a lab reject it, does a court deadline get missed, does a production line stop? If you’re driving, your #1 rule is safety: you do not text and drive and you do not take a detailed call while moving. Your protocol must allow you to capture the essentials fast and call back when parked or hand the call to an answering service.

Use this script to qualify the call fast. You can do it in under 60 seconds and it covers what dispatch needs: 1) “Pickup address and suite/department?” (Example: “ER lab,” “Receiving dock,” “Mailroom,” “Law office suite 1203.”) 2) “Drop-off address and exact delivery deadline?” (Get a clock time and time zone if crossing areas.) 3) “What is it and any special handling?” (Medical specimen, legal docs, electronics, cold pack, upright, fragile, hazmat—if hazmat, you need proper compliance.) 4) “Size/weight?” (Envelope, small box, 25 lb tote, multiple pieces.) 5) “Who releases it at pickup and who signs at drop-off?” (Name + phone; ask about “no signature no release.”) 6) “Any chain-of-custody or ID check needed?” (Common for legal and medical.) 7) “Is it ready now?” (If not ready, you quote a ready-time and avoid wasted miles.) Ask one hard clarifier that prevents fake emergencies: “If it arrives after the deadline, what happens?” If they can’t answer or it’s just “they’ll be annoyed,” it’s probably a rush job, not an emergency. If you can’t talk because you’re driving: say, “I’m on the road. I can take pickup/drop-off + deadline in 20 seconds, or I’ll call you back in 3 minutes when I’m parked.” That keeps you safe and keeps the lead from calling a competitor.

Use this decision tree every time so you don’t over-dispatch or under-quote: A) Is this medical, legal filing, AOG/line-down, or a cutoff window? - Yes → go to B. - No → go to D. B) Is there a hard deadline within 2 hours OR a cutoff you can miss (flight tender, court close, lab stability window)? - Yes → EMERGENCY. - No → go to C. C) Deadline is today but not within 2 hours. - If it must be direct-drive (no stops) → RUSH. - If it can ride a route or next available → SAME-DAY. D) Non-critical item (retail, office supplies, general package). - If requested within 90 minutes → RUSH ($50–$150). - If “today” or “end of day” → LOCAL SAME-DAY ($10–$50) or scheduled route. - If future date/time window → SCHEDULED ROUTE ($20–$40 per stop). Override rules (always bump priority): - Medical specimen labeled “STAT,” “frozen,” “refrigerated,” or “stability 2 hours.” - Legal: “court filing today,” “judge deadline,” “process server waiting.” - Industrial: “line-down,” “plant down,” “AOG.” - Anything requiring chain-of-custody signatures. Disqualifiers (don’t call it an emergency): - They won’t give a deadline. - They refuse to provide pickup contact. - Item isn’t ready and they can’t give a ready-time. - “I just want it fast” with no real consequence.

After-hours is where you win or lose the job. People calling at 7:05pm usually call 3 couriers back-to-back; the first to answer and confirm ETA wins. Set clear after-hours rules you can follow today: - Define coverage windows (example: Mon–Fri 6pm–6am, weekends 24/7 on-call). - Set a maximum callback time (example: 5 minutes). If you can’t meet it, don’t advertise “emergency.” - Keep a go-bag in your vehicle: extra phone charger, blank BOL forms, pens, tape, thermal bag/cooler, ice packs, nitrile gloves (for medical handling), flashlight. After-hours call flow: 1) Confirm it’s a real emergency (pickup/drop/deadline/what-it-is). 2) Quote the emergency minimum (see pricing section) before dispatching. 3) Give a realistic pickup ETA based on your current location. 4) Confirm “ready now?” If not ready, schedule a specific ready-time and do not roll early. If you routinely miss after-hours calls because you’re driving or asleep, set up a 24/7 answering layer that can capture the triage fields, filter spam, and text you the details. SkipCalls can do this with call transcription and “hold-for-you,” so the customer feels handled while you get the facts without risking unsafe driving.

Emergency dispatch is not “whoever is free.” It’s “who can meet the deadline safely.” Use a simple best-fit checklist: Best-fit dispatch checklist: - Closest driver to pickup who can legally and safely get there. - Vehicle fit: car for envelopes/boxes, van for multiple totes, cooler capability for medical. - Compliance fit: chain-of-custody comfort, hospital navigation experience, badge/ID if required. - Route impact: don’t blow up a scheduled route ($20–$40/stop) unless the emergency profit covers it. Two dispatch modes you should use: 1) Direct-Drive Emergency: no other stops, GPS straight to pickup then drop-off. 2) Priority Rush: one stop allowed if it doesn’t risk the deadline. Driver instructions (send as a single text so they don’t miss it): - “PICKUP: name/department, address, ready-time, contact phone.” - “DROPOFF: name/department, address, deadline time.” - “ITEM: type + handling (refrigerated, keep upright, chain-of-custody).” - “PROOF: photo of signed POD, name + time.” Internal rule that prevents chaos: no driver leaves for an emergency until you have (1) verified addresses, (2) confirmed item is ready or scheduled ready-time, and (3) agreed pricing/payment method.

Customers don’t need a perfect ETA—they need a believable one with checkpoints. Use “pickup ETA + delivery ETA” and explain what could change it (traffic, gate access, waiting for release). Use these scripts: - If you can take it now: “I can have a driver to pickup in about 25–35 minutes. Once it’s in hand, delivery is about 30 minutes. I’ll text you proof of pickup and proof of delivery.” - If you’re booked: “Next available pickup is 70–90 minutes. If you need it faster, I can do a direct-drive emergency with a higher rate—do you want fastest or lowest cost?” - If they’re not ready: “No problem—what time will it be ready to release? I’ll schedule pickup for 10 minutes after that so the driver isn’t waiting and you aren’t paying standby.” Always confirm access details that blow up ETAs: - “Dock or front desk?” - “Do we need a badge?” - “Any gate code or after-hours entry?” - “Who signs?” Checkpoint updates you should send (text works best while you drive): 1) Driver assigned + name. 2) Arrived at pickup. 3) Picked up (with timestamp). 4) En route. 5) Delivered + POD.

Emergency pricing needs to be clear and tied to what changes: direct-drive, after-hours, and deadline risk. If you hesitate, you lose the job—or you take a money-losing run. Use a simple emergency structure based on your common market ranges: - Local same-day (non-emergency): $10–$50. - Rush (urgent but not critical): $50–$150. - True emergency direct-drive minimum: start at $100–$150 minimum, then add mileage. - After-hours surcharge: +$25–$75 (nights/weekends/holidays). - Wait time/standby: $15 per 15 minutes after a 10-minute grace period (common at hospitals and docks). Quote it like this (one sentence, no apology): - “For a direct-drive emergency with a 2-hour deadline, it’s $135 plus mileage, and it includes pickup + delivery proof.” - “After-hours emergency minimum is $150. If the item isn’t ready, standby is $15 per 15 minutes after 10 minutes.” Protect yourself on medical/legal: - Charge for chain-of-custody handling if it adds time: +$10–$25. - Charge for multi-piece counts and multiple signatures. - If they want you to wait for docs to be printed, make standby pricing explicit. Payment rules that prevent nightmares: - New customers: card on file or prepay for after-hours emergencies. - Established accounts: approved PO or net terms if you already have them on file.

Emergency jobs create disputes because everything is fast: “You were late,” “You never picked it up,” “No one signed.” Your documentation is your shield. Minimum documentation checklist (do this every time): - Call record: customer name, company, callback number. - Job details: pickup/drop-off addresses, deadline, item description, piece count. - Timestamps: driver assigned, arrived pickup, picked up, arrived drop-off, delivered. - POD (proof of delivery): signature + printed name + department + time. - Photos: package at pickup (if allowed), signed paperwork, drop-off location signage if needed. For medical courier jobs: - Note temperature requirement: “refrigerated,” “frozen,” “room temp.” - Log chain-of-custody signatures if required. - Record who released it (lab tech name/initials) and who received it. For legal filings: - Note “filed by” time target and court clerk window. - Save receipt or time-stamped confirmation. Use a single template note you can paste into texts or your CRM. If you use an AI answering service, call transcripts can automatically capture the initial triage details so you’re not relying on memory later.