Franchisee in Action - Fastway Couriers

fr a n c h i s ee i n act i o n : fast way c o u r i er s
Courier Franchisees
Drive Success
at Fastway
Over the years, one of the main driving factors behind
Fastway Couriers’ success has been its enthusiastic and
energetic Courier Franchisees, who have a strong customer
focus and a desire to develop their local business.
18 Business Franchise Australia and New Zealand
Fastway Couriers has become known as the
‘friendly courier experts’ that go the extra mile
to deliver each parcel. Although innovative
technology has undoubtedly become essential
to delivering its high levels of service, its most
important asset is still its people. Each day,
across the length and breadth of Australia,
it’s Fastway’s dedicated Courier Franchisees
that are collecting and delivering across
the network. With more than 800 Courier
Franchisees in Australia, driving the business’
success, and living the franchise network’s
brand values, Fastway Couriers has gone from
strength to strength.
Peter Capes is a Courier Franchisee based in
Cairns who knows a thing or two about what
it takes to be a successful Fastway business
owner. He’s been running an affordable and
efficient service for the past 13 years and has
seen exponential growth.
“The appeal of a flexible, dynamic and team
driven work environment, that allows me to
interact with people on a daily basis, was what
really drew me to Fastway Couriers. With the
added bonus of being my own boss, becoming
a Courier Franchisee with Fastway Couriers
was the perfect fit for me. So, when the
opportunity came up in Cairns, I was eager to
take on the challenge,” says Peter.
“Prior to joining Fastway Couriers, I mostly
worked driving coaches across Australia.
Although I had no previous experience
within the courier or logistics industries, I
received fantastic hands-on experience and
ample training of Fastway Couriers’ products,
services, systems and procedures. I was able
to step into the role with confidence and run
my own business, while being reassured that
there was always support available. Becoming
a Courier Franchisee allowed me to continue
my love of being on the road and interacting
with people, while also creating a work-life
balance working 9 to 5, Monday to Friday
with weekends to myself.”
A testament to Peter’s dedication and hard
work, he was named the ‘2016 Courier
Franchisee of the Year’ at Fastway Couriers’
annual national awards, hosted as part of
“With more than 800 Courier Franchisees in Australia, driving
the business’ success, and living the franchise network’s brand
values, Fastway Couriers has gone from strength to strength.”
this years’ Australian Regional Convention,
held on the Gold Coast in April 2016.
The Courier Franchisee of the Year award
recognised Peter’s business growth, as well as
his teamwork, positive attitude, determination
and spirit.
Commenting on his award win,
Peter says:
“I was completely overwhelmed with being
recognised at the Fastway Couriers national
awards. I‘m proud to be part of Fastway
Couriers Cairns - I love what I do and have
a real passion for my business. I enjoy going
to work every day and interacting with my
customers to deliver excellent customer
service. I wouldn’t be able to do that without
the amazing team at Fastway Couriers Cairns,
from my Regional Franchisee, fellow Courier
Franchisees and our fantastic support staff.”
One of the many advantages of owning and
operating a Fastway Couriers franchise is that
every business is supported by an established
network with over 30 years’ experience. The
Fastway network is made up of Regional
Franchisees, Courier Franchisees and support
staff.
“I’ve always believed that good management
will filter down and reflect positively on the
entire team, which is something that rings
true at Fastway Couriers. At our depot in
Cairns, each team member plays a crucial
role and supports each other on a daily basis.
Whether that’s by assisting to load deliveries,
sharing best practices or providing advice, our
management team is always there to help us
grow our individual franchises, create a more
efficient business and listen to our feedback,”
adds Peter.
“Although, I may spend most of my time in
my own vehicle, teamwork is still an integral
part of the job. Each person has a part to
play in bringing the Fastway Couriers brand
to life and ensuring that customers’ needs
are met and exceeded. While we all operate
our own businesses, we’re each still a small
part of a larger franchise network. I take
pride in my business and I try my best to
embrace the Fastway Couriers ethos every
day, by taking responsibility for upholding
Fastway’s values in order to support, not only
my Regional Franchisee and fellow Courier
Franchisees, but also my wider Fastway team.
To my customers, I’m the face of the Fastway
Couriers brand and the products that I deliver.
I always keep this in mind and display myself,
my business and the brand I represent in the
best way possible, day in and day out.
Business Franchise Australia and New Zealand 19
fr a n c h i s ee i n act i o n : fast way c o u r i er s
“We’re always striving to provide our customers with the highest
levels of service. Our franchisees are at the core of that service
and we believe in supporting them from day one so they can
make the most of their businesses.”
Richard Thame
“My team in Cairns and my customers make
my job really enjoyable. As I pick-up and
deliver to the same senders and receivers
regularly, I get the chance to form a strong
relationship with my customers. Owning the
same run over the past 13 years, my customers
have become more like friends,” adds Peter.
“Being a franchise business is in our DNA and
it’s the biggest difference between Fastway
and other courier companies. We’re very
focused on growing our Courier Franchisees’
businesses, expanding into new marketplaces
and getting the coverage that our customers
expect in Australia.
“Like with any job, it’s what you make it. The
most important thing is to enjoy what you
do, maintain a positive attitude and bring
enthusiasm to work each day.”
“Unlike other franchise systems, we’re a
network based business; therefore, we rely on
the success of each franchise to benefit the
wider network. To ensure this happens, it’s
critical for us, as the franchisor, to pass on our
knowledge and expertise to our franchisees.
This provides them with the necessary tools
and skills to enable them to run their own
successful franchise.
Richard Thame, Chief Executive
Officer at Fastway Couriers
Australia says:
“We’re always striving to provide our
customers with the highest levels of service.
Our franchisees are at the core of that service
and we believe in supporting them from
day one so they can make the most of their
businesses. Ongoing training and providing
franchisees with opportunities and avenues
to feedback on Fastway’s processes helps us
ensure best practice is used by each and every
member of our team.
“The acquisition of Fastway by Aramex earlier
this year presents our franchisees with many
opportunities, including taking advantage
of the company’s international expertise and
scale, ongoing innovation in technologies, as
well as the smooth cross-border movement of
goods around the globe.”
Richard adds, “We’re pioneers in franchising
within the courier industry and we continue
to push the boundaries of parcel delivery,
20 Business Franchise Australia and New Zealand
particularly in the online retailing space. The
benefit of being an international franchise is
that we can work with our colleagues overseas
and learn from these markets, take best
practices, and refine and adapt concepts to
support our own local Australian customers
and franchisees. For instance, the European
online retail market is far more developed
than our own so we’re able to leverage our
Irish counterpart’s experience and initiatives
to provide greater opportunities for our
franchisees to provide innovative services to
their customers. It’s also important that we
continue to invest in technology and listen to
our franchisees.
“Cost wise, it’s very achievable to become a
franchisee with Fastway Couriers. Factors
such as the size of the franchise and how well
developed that business is obviously affects the
price. When you become a Courier Franchisee
you’re taking ownership of a piece of an
international, award winning courier brand
and aligning yourself with a unique business
model that constantly invests in technology
and new initiatives. We’re always looking for
energetic and passionate Courier Franchisees
to join the business that can assist the network
to grow and develop in the future.”
For further information on Fastway
Couriers visit:
www.fastway.com.au