There has never been a more active time for shipping and courier companies. With variety comes opportunity, but pitfalls, too – as evidenced by the 2,000 containers worth of shipping that Reuters highlighted as lost back in December. Getting shipping right is important, both for your business and its requirements, and for your reputation among customers. Focusing on a few key areas when engaging with a shipping contract will help you to make the right decision.
Breadth of service
Modern society is quickly becoming ‘always-on’. Remote working is only increasing this consumer need, for deliveries that can be met quickly and delivered at the soonest convenience. As a result, delivery costs are, on average, rising, according to CNBC analysis – but that isn’t an issue for consumers, either. Having good quality next day shipping is therefore crucial, both in terms of standard shipping services you use, and also in terms of what you provide.
Full cover
The rise in volume of shipping across America has, unfortunately, seen a rise in stolen and damaged mail. A report by NBC news identified a rising trend of mail theft across the country, with little in the way of enforcement being taken. Unfortunately, it is often the responsibility of the recipient to ensure they can receive mail in a secure manner. You can contribute to this assurance by using a service that has features geared towards security – for instance, tracking services and doorstep photographing.
Consistency of service
A wide variety of service and delivery assurance contributes to consistency. This is going to be more important than anything else in providing your products to your customer base. As NPR explores, the USPS continues to come under fire for mail delays across the country. The high demand on good quality shipping services means that anything below the level of service required by customers will quite quickly become one that loses faith. You must ensure that whatever service you use or provide is consistent, and that customers know exactly what to expect when ordering through it. Anything other than complete consistency will soon see faith lost in the business and its product.
In today’s modern society, delivery is more important than ever before. Winning the loyalty of customers in a highly competitive business market is helped to no end by having a consistent approach to your delivery. Combining assurance over the safety of the delivery and timely service is the trick to achieving that.