Whether you are a new entrant to the eCommerce scene or a prospective brick-and-mortar business owner, there is a good chance that you will be regularly shipping out goods to customers on a daily basis. As such, it is important to know how to streamline this process.
Making your parcel delivery process more efficient has the benefit of freeing up your time and reducing customer frustration. The faster you can get your parcels out of the warehouse and into the hands of your customers, the better off everyone will be.
Let’s look at five specific ways that you can streamline your business’ parcel delivery process.
Consider Outsourcing Your Fulfillment And Shipping Services
For many businesses, it is not necessary to personally handle the shipping and fulfilment aspects of meeting customer orders. In the early days of your business, this may make more sense. However, as you scale things up, it can become difficult or impossible to meet the rising demand of your customers. It is also simply more efficient to set up fulfilment centres or establish a business partnership with a fulfilment service to save time and deliver parcels faster.
Navigate Customs Clearance Processes Early
Customs rules are different for virtually all countries around the world, however, if you are keen on maximising the reach of your business and exporting to customers everywhere, then you will need to navigate these nuances.
To save time and hassle when it comes to customs clearance, make sure to do it ahead of time whenever you can. Declare goods online and, in many cases, this can allow them to be expedited through customs in the receiving country.
Keep In Touch With Your Customers
Most delivery services have some form of communication with their customers. This keeps consumers updated as to where their parcel is and when they can expect to receive it. However, this system is often used less efficiently than it could be with many delivery companies.
It is incredibly important to foster the reputation of your business and to maintain the loyalty of your customers to provide accurate and timely updates about the status of parcel deliveries. Whether you allow customers to receive notifications by SMS, by email, or in another form, consistency is key.
Pack Your Pallets Properly
When shipping parcels en masse to a distribution centre or recipient, make sure that you pack your pallets properly. This is a simple step, but business owners who are unfamiliar with the process may be liable to rush it. Neglecting to do this properly can cause a shipment to be damaged or lost while it is in transit. If you want to avoid being tied-up with dealing with these kinds of problems, then take the time to pack each and every pallet safely and securely.
Automate The Insurance Process
A final useful tip is to set up your parcel insurance process to be completed automatically. It is always a good idea to insure shipments to avoid the risk of a financial loss if something goes wrong while parcels are in-transit. However, negotiating the details of insurance for hundreds of parcels and shipments each week can waste too much time.
Set up automatic thresholds that are contingent on the shipment sizes or the values of the goods you are shipping to streamline this process. This will allow you to save some time that can be spent more valuably elsewhere.
Set Up Successful Shipping
With these simple ideas and steps, you can make dramatic improvements in the efficiency of your parcel delivery process. Take the time to explore your supply chain in-depth to discover more insights and find new ways of streamlining other aspects of these tasks.