Improving Your Company's Delivery Service

Your customers do not want to receive their parcel three days after delivery was expected.

They choose to pay for a certain type of parcel delivery that suits their needs. They could choose Standard Delivery, the least expensive Next Day Delivery, or even the most cost-effective Same Day Delivery Service, but whichever one they go for, they want it to arrive securely and in a timely manner.

More and more people actually prefer to shop online these days and expect to receive their delivery straight to their front door, rather than the hassle of leaving the house.

Reliable parcel delivery service requirements are growing at an extremely quick rate, especially over the past 18 months due to COVID19.

Below are a few useful tips that should help your customers remain happy with whichever delivery service your business provides them with.

Streamline Your Internal Shipping Process

Create a checklist detailing which parts of your current shipping process work well, which ones delay the delivery process, and then what steps are required to overcome the issues you have identified to build a more streamlined shipping process

Improve communication with your warehouse

Excellent communication is extremely important between yourself and the staff who work on the shop floor or in the warehouse to ensure fast delivery. This process should take next to no time at all.

Rather than communicating with each other by email, which can be left unseen by the intended recipient for long periods of time, you should communicate with your warehouse manager on the telephone or radio.

Sending an email may be convenient, but actually talking to someone can mean there is a much clearer understanding of what is required.

As an alternative, you could use messenger apps such as WhatsApp.

Make Use Of Modern Technology

To improve the delivery process of your business,  you should be able to locate any item in your warehouse within minutes, if not seconds of an online order coming in. The use of barcode scanners or wireless scanners can reduce time and, also the chance of human error will be less.

The human touch will always  be an important part of the shipping process, but many business owners still prefer not to use the technology which is available to them, however using the technology that’s available can definitely minimise the risk of human error, promote efficiency and also save time and money. Surely this is going to be of benefit to any business and provide unquestionable improvement?

Choosing The Best Courier Service

To enhance your business's shipping process, a good idea would be to compile a list of reliable next day / same day courier services.

The list of courier companies you put together will probably depend on how fast you plan to deliver your goods to your customer. If you’re looking for a fast delivery service, a courier service that’s unable to provide same day delivery will not be suitable.

So that your list of preferred courier services is clear, making a spreadsheet of the delivery services that are available to your business will be useful. Make sure to include the cost of a parcel delivery. This will help you check which type of delivery service is the most cost-effective and also the most efficient service for your requirements.

There are quite a number of things you should consider when choosing a courier service, including the type of delivery service, delivery speed (same day / next day) and professional appearance of the courier service you choose because don’t forget, the courier company you decide to use will be actually coming face to face with your customer and is representing your business.

Type of delivery service

This will depend on the size, the volume of parcels, and the distance they’re going to be sent. Keep in mind that the further you need to deliver an item, the more expensive it will be to do so.

• Security Process: What is the security process of the courier service? Ask for information on the couriers' security policy. Are parcels left unattended throughout the delivery process?
• Speed Of Delivery: Businesses rely on fast delivery. Take into consideration the fast delivery options your chosen courier offers before making a final decision.
• Reliability: How reliable is your chosen courier service? You need to check that your chosen courier service is reliable to avoid letting your valued customers down. You can take a look at online reviews & customer testimonials on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter & Google.
• Appearance: Obviously the security, speed, and reliability of the courier service you choose are extremely important, their professional appearance is absolutely essential as the courier service’s vans and drivers are representing you and your business.
• Special Delivery Requirements: Knowing that the courier company is experienced in handling fragile, high-value, and large oversized packages are essential, not all carriers are.
• Delivery Cost: Make sure the cost you are quoted is the final price and that there are no hidden costs or fuel surcharges.
• Customer Experience: Consider the overall customer experience. The courier company you choose should have a friendly staff that is happy to help if you require information or help at any stage of the delivery process. After all, you’ll be in frequent contact with them and it’s great to build up a good relationship with them, it will make life so much easier.

Networking

You should try and build up local and international shipping connections. As the old saying goes - "It’s not what you know, it’s who you know". Whether you plan to carry out delivery to destinations in the UK, Europe, or anywhere else in the world, you should try and make connections in the countries your items will be sent to.

This will be very useful, as these new connections will be able to inform you which services to use or avoid

Communication

Always ensure you keep your customers up to date on the status of their delivery. This peace of mind is invaluable to them can help the time go much faster.