At some point, companies will need to ship their products. Suppose you own a brick and
mortar location; the shipping services can allow you to reach a significant number of potential clients and provide more flexible customer services. On the other hand, if you operate an eCommerce business rather than a physical location, shipping is a pretty essential part of your business model if you want to increase your sales.
To get reliable shipping services, most companies, especially the small ones, tend to partner with third-party shipping companies. It can be a daunting task to outsource an essential business service. Luckily several popular North American shipping companies deliver reliable shipping to the business at affordable costs. To understand which shipping company is ideal for your business, you first need to know how the logistics industry operates.
Choosing the ideal shipment company can be a daunting decision with long-term implications. A perfect carrier service will have a significant impact on your day to day operations of your business. With that in stake, you should take time to analyze each option and select the ideal choice that fulfills your business requirements.
1. The Shipment size
Generally, the lighter and smaller products tend to be cheaper to ship than larger items.
Any company providing shipping services usually has precise measurements of the weight of their products. Besides, it is best to invest in a postal scale to determine the approximate weight of your shipments quickly.
2. Reliability
Shipping services are known to be reliable. Selecting ideal courier services will treat your products like their own, making sure that they reach your destination without being tempered. Most companies shipping from Canada to the US offer tracking software. This ensures that you can track your package to your destination. Besides, they offer delivery notification too to notify you that your package has reached its destination.
3. Speed
When choosing between delivery services, this is probably one of the most important and common deciding factors. For many businesses, delivery time is crucial. Even if the timing is rarely an issue, you never know when you’ll need to make a rush delivery. So look at each company’s average delivery speed and the range of speeds they can deliver at. Some companies may only be able to provide standard and rush delivery, while others will provide a broad array of delivery options to meet your specific requirements.
4. Services offered
What services do you require? Can the courier services handle all your requirements, or do you have to work with several shipping companies to move your package? What services does the shipping company provide? If you need more than one service, working with a number of companies considerably increases your cost and time investment. Working with a carrier that offers multiple services can be beneficial and can meet all your business requirements.
5. Experience
It’s a good idea to find out how long a courier has been in business and how much experience they have. You should choose a courier who is well-known and has experience working with businesses similar to yours. That way, they can provide you with excellent service as well as advising you on practices and ways to improve your own delivery process.
6. Flexibility
Is your shipping company willing to partner with you, adjusting its availability to meet your requirements, or if will courier act as an impersonal supplier? If your business needs to rush certain things or has special requirements, you may be required to choose the logistics company that can meet all these.
7. Price
While it may be the first option you consider, it is placed here on the list for a reason. You see, with couriers, as with everything else in life, you get what you pay for. Don’t be tempted to go for the cheapest option because you’ll almost always be sacrificing quality. Keep an eye out for hidden fees or other reasons why the price is so low. And, instead of going for the cheapest option, go for the best choice for your company.
8. Added services
Several shipping companies can deliver a full range of added services, including labeling, packaging, logistics, print, warehouse management, and email fulfillment. If you do all these in-house, you may find that outsourcing your items can significantly help streamline your process. To boost your process further, you can use commercial labeling systems. This will help you save more time and print high-quality labels with high- accuracy.
9. Reliable customer services
Ensure that you select a shipping company that can quickly get hold of on the phone and is easier to deal with. One significance of smaller logistics companies is that you can often speak directly to the company owner. It is advisable to research whether the workers are helpful when unloading or loading your products.
10. Attitude towards care
Suppose you are shipping perishable, delicate, fragile products or something that needs to reach the destination in good condition, the way the shipping company will handle your products is very important. There are heartbreaking stories where couriers throw fragile items around and cases of broken items on delivery. You should talk to them regarding how they handle deliveries before making a choice.
11. Tracking capability
Is it essential for you to know where the delivery is at all times? Will your shipping company be able to give you detailed tracking capabilities that will let you know exactly where your package is and where it has been, with minutes of updates?
12. Insurance
Regardless of their industry, small businesses will not want to send sensitive packages or documents without first ensuring that they are secure. Courier services are fully covered by insurance. This means that you will be protected if your package is broken or lost while being handled by the courier service.
I hope the parameters discussed come in handy when it comes to figuring out which logistics services to use for your small business. Remember that logistics is a type of service where it makes sense not to limit yourself to one service provider. The best shipping companies deliver cost-effective rates and quick shipping speeds. Besides, they should have the essential tools and resources specifically designed to suit business shipping needs.
