What Do Couriers and Messengers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Couriers and Messengers pick up and deliver messages, documents, packages, and other items between offices or departments within an establishment or directly to other business concerns, traveling by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, or public conveyance. They also deliver and pick up medical records, lab specimens, and medications to and from hospitals and other medical facilities.

Other tasks include:

• Obtain signatures and payments, or arrange for recipients to make payments.
• Record information, such as items received and delivered and recipients’ responses to messages.
• Receive messages or materials to be delivered, and information on recipients, such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and delivery instructions, communicated via telephone, two-way radio, or in person.
• Load vehicles with listed goods, ensuring goods are loaded correctly and taking precautions with hazardous goods.
• Walk, ride bicycles, drive vehicles, or use public conveyances to reach destinations to deliver messages or materials.
• Sort items to be delivered according to the delivery route.

We asked Couriers and Messengers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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65% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 56% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Couriers and Messengers open, sort, and distribute incoming mail. They load vehicles with listed goods, ensuring goods are loaded correctly and taking precautions with hazardous goods.

A typical day for a Courier and Messenger will also include:

• Collect, seal, and stamp outgoing mail, using postage meters and envelope sealers.
• Deliver messages and items, such as newspapers, documents, and packages, between establishment departments, and to other establishments and private homes.
• Walk, ride bicycles, drive vehicles, or use public conveyances to reach destinations to deliver messages or materials.
• Obtain signatures and payments, or arrange for recipients to make payments.
• Perform general office or clerical work such as filing materials, operating duplicating machines, or running errands.

We asked some Couriers and Messengers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	24% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	39% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	87% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	51% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	38% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	48% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Couriers and Messengers also unload goods from large trucks, and load them onto smaller delivery vehicles. They may also perform routine maintenance on delivery vehicles, such as monitoring fluid levels and replenishing fuel.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Couriers and Messengers Collect, seal, and stamp outgoing mail, using postage meters and envelope sealers. They might also Deliver and pick up medical records, lab specimens, and medications to and from hospitals and other medical facilities.

In addition, they Check with home offices after completed deliveries to confirm deliveries and collections and to receive instructions for other deliveries.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Perform general office or clerical work such as filing materials, operating duplicating machines, or running errands.

To some Couriers and Messengers, it is also their responsibility to Call by telephone to deliver verbal messages.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Courier and Messenger, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag492.htm

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes435021.htm