Just a few decades ago, we did not even think it was possible to send off parcels to the other end of the world in less than one month. These days, with lots of the deliveries happening via planes, everything is possible. Even more than that, with the emergence of the Internet, more and more business owners are opening their gates to the large international public – and together with them, more and more shipping companies are trying to adapt to the new international shipping market as well.
If you run an online business and if you want to choose the best courier service for you (and for your customers too), you should definitely read on. We have gathered some great tips on how to make the best choice when it comes to your delivery company – so that both you and your clients are satisfied with the collaboration.
• Don’t rush. One of the most important things you should keep in mind is the fact that you should never rush when choosing a delivery company. You want to make the best choice and you want to take your time doing it. After all, you want to build a long-term relationship both with your customers and with your couriers – and if you want that, you should make sure from the very beginning that you have made the right decision.
• It’s not all about money. Very frequently, business owners start working with a particular shipping company because they offer the lowest price. Of course, money does matter a lot and you should definitely analyze the transportation and shipping costs offered by each courier service out there. At the same time though, take into consideration the fact that a good company is about much more: it is about being timely and it is about being safe. There’s no point in working with a shipping company that provides excellent fees but poor handling or timeliness because in the end, this will make you waste your time – and lose your customers.
• Customer support and communication. Only work with a delivery company that can really make you feel safe about them handling your parcels. Parcel deliveries very frequently go wrong precisely because there are lots of misunderstandings that can come between the client and the service provider. You should really test your company on their customer support and communication and you should make sure you get the answers you are looking for. Only then will you be safe enough to have them transport your products to their destination.
• What do other customers say? Check out with a shipping company’s reviews to see what other people are saying about their services. Check out to see if there are any kind of things that may have went wrong (and see if you would be ready to accept them). Read reviews that are well-balanced and that offer both the good sides and the bad sides of working with a company because this way you will get a larger picture and you will understand what a company’s services are really about.
• Do they offer other adjacent services? These days, many delivery companies offer adjacent services such as collecting the parcels from your office, offering you with easy to use software applications meant to track your parcels and to organize them better and so on. See if your company can offer any of these services because they will be extremely useful in running a successful online business.
Be patient, test your “candidates” and see how you “get along”. There are a lot of companies out there – and one of them will definitely be the right one for you!
