Efficient order delivery is crucial for businesses around the globe. Timely, low-cost, well-packaged shipping leads to satisfied customers, return business, word of mouth publicity, and increased profits overall. If you own or operate a small business and are looking to set up a shipping service, you’ll find a lot of options between small vendors, national chains, and professional order fulfillment services. To know what’s best for your company, there are a few factors to take into consideration.
Balanced Shipping Service Rates
While providing value for the customer is a great way to increase customer satisfaction, it’s important to find a good balance between value for the consumer and value for the company. A shipping service that sets rates too high for businesses will keep costs low for customers, increasing customer satisfaction but ultimately losing your company money. On the other hand, a service that sets rates very low for your business will often raise costs for the consumer, giving off the feeling that your company is attempting to squeeze too much money out of people. Companies also need to be mindful of international shipping, which is more expensive than domestic shipping and can catch an unprepared owner by surprise.
A Shipping Service That Keeps You In The Loop
Tracking services benefit the customer by allowing them to estimate the arrival of their package, and they benefit you as a business owner by giving you the kind of control and oversight over your product that you may not normally have. The three main forms of tracking you need to have are:
1. Ship Confirmations: Receiving an alert when a package leaves distribution centers helps you make sure orders are being processed in a timely manner, and can make the customer feel like their business is important to your company.
2. En Route Tracking: Business owners can use this to make sure every step of the delivery is being handled properly. This allows owners to see and address specific issues, should they arise.
3. Notification of Arrival: Business owners can use these alerts to make sure delivery is continuously prompt. This can also give an owner a chance to follow up with the customer later.
A Convenient Shipping Service
Your company’s forward logistics strategy was created to streamline the supply chain and make it easier to get your products into the hands of customers, and shipping services play a vital role in that mission. Your shipping service should work with your sales department, as well as your distribution center, to ensure an efficient process. In the long run a good service should save time, not cost it, giving you time to focus on other management duties.