Have you ever wondered why it feels natural to tip a waiter or a taxi driver, but not a courier carrying heavy parcels up to the fifth floor?
Parcel delivery company Venipak has decided to change that. It is the first company in the country to introduce a way for customers to financially reward couriers for their efforts. Starting April 20, customers in all Lithuanian cities served by selected couriers are able to show their appreciation by leaving a tip. Every euro collected will go directly into the couriers’ pockets, with no additional fees or deductions.
Following the pilot, the company plans to roll out the system across the Baltics
According to Asta Raudonienė, Head of Marketing at the company, parcel couriers are just as much service professionals as food delivery riders, waiters, or taxi drivers, so the way their work is recognized should be no different. Until now, however, no parcel delivery company in Lithuania had offered such an option to either customers or employees.
“Couriers do far more than simply deliver parcels. They constantly adapt to customers’ changing plans, look for solutions, and make sure each shipment reaches the recipient in the most convenient way and at the most suitable time. Seeing the effort our couriers put in – often going well beyond what is formally expected of them – we decided to give customers the opportunity to reward that effort with tips. With this decision, we are also trying to address a long-standing issue: the low prestige of the courier profession. We hope this will eventually become the market standard,” says A. Raudonienė.
Customers will be able to tip their courier by scanning a special QR code attached to the parcel. The tipping system, being introduced in cooperation with GlobalTips, will initially be tested for a couple of months with 30 selected couriers. This trial period will allow the company to gather accurate data, better understand customer habits, and technically prepare the system for large-scale rollout so that it is as convenient as possible for both parcel recipients and employees.
“After a couple of months, once we have the first results as well as feedback from couriers and customers, we will decide on the next stage of the project. Our plans include fully integrating the system not only across Lithuania, but also in Latvia and Estonia, ensuring that couriers can be rewarded throughout the Baltic states,” A. Raudonienė emphasizes.
Aiming to foster greater respect for couriers’ work
This change is part of Venipak’s broader strategy to raise the culture of the logistics sector and help establish courier work as a respected profession. The company had previously announced another new standard: in an effort to build a more personal connection with customers, couriers now introduce themselves by name. The tipping system is another step toward breaking the stereotype of the courier as an “invisible” parcel carrier.
“We want courier work to be associated not only with carrying heavy boxes, but with professional customer service. We want to challenge long-standing stereotypes and build a culture in which the courier profession is respected and couriers’ efforts are valued more highly,” says A. Raudonienė.
According to her, the company hopes this step will not only serve as an additional source of motivation for couriers and strengthen their job satisfaction, but also encourage the entire logistics market to move toward higher service standards.
