Your customers expect you to have their packages delivered on time for the holiday season, which in many cases may break the bank or it leaves you to deal with unreasonable complaints. Fear not! We prepared a list to help you out in delivering the holiday joy on time and to let your customers know what to expect.
1. Standardize Your Shipping Systems
Make sure that all of your staff are using the same system or platform for your shipping process, such as, packaging, pulling items from shelves, creating shipping labels and responding to customer orders.
2. Automate Your Shipping Process
Nowadays there is a variety of shipping applications or platforms that can be automated with order processing, that way your shipping and fulfillment team has a fail-proof, seamless method of creating labels and getting the product out the door, whether you’re the one who is shipping the items or if you’re creating orders for your supplier who do the drop-shipping to your customer.
3. Keep Your Box Sizes as Small as Possible
In the shipping world, size matters. Keep it compact, carriers calculate your final cost based on both actual weight and the box size.
4. Simplify Your Shipping Process
With an integrated shipping tool, your team does not have to “think” and research what to do, the program will calculate best rate and shipment option for every order. Many of these shipping integration tools are free.
5. Make Sure Your Shipping Policies Are Clearly Laid Out on Your Website
Make a link to view your policies and let your customer know what to expect in regards of delivery times, what your return policy and process is and share it with your customers. Some businesses add these questions to their FAQs section.
6. Verify Addresses For All New Clients
Nothing worse than the $10.00 fee most carriers charge to correct an address mistake or omission, which causes shipping delays, or worse; your client’s package goes MIA. Build your database right from the get go, confirm addresses for all new clients.
7. Organize Your Warehouse
Make sure you have your products labelled properly, as well as easily accessible to all your warehouse staff. Try to use a WMS (warehouse management system), which not only locates SKU’s, but it can also alert you when product reached a minimum shelf number, so you can re-order and ensure you’re never caught without inventory during your busiest season.
8. Use Quality Packaging Materials
Spend a little bit more to get the polystyrene peanuts, bubble warp, good quality boxes, tape and hard corner caps where it’s necessary. Nothing is worse to your customer than a product arriving damaged.
9. Post Your Latest “Order Before” Date on Your Website
Be sure to post your deadline for orders to arrive before Christmas and other holidays, that way your customers are not disappointed if their orders do not arrive in time.
10. Whoever Your Provider is For Shipping, Make Sure You Have a Rep at Your Fingertips!
You always want a go-to contact who can troubleshoot shipping issues and who can also advise you on varies shipping inquires such as, export shipping options, import from China options, etc.
Get in touch! Contact us at carole@eshipper.com or 1 844 SHIP-ITT for more information or to speak to a small business shipping expert.
