For any small business owner, shipping can be a major factor. But, do you often feel that your shipping services can be improved and your costs reduced? Well, you’re not the only entrepreneur who feels this way. In June 2022, the global freight cost reached a booming high of $7100.
If you wish to streamline your shipping processes, there are numerous good ways to do so. In this article, we will show you seven easy tips to reduce your shipping hassles.
- Identify the problems
Before you begin to think about solutions, you first need to identify problems. Figure out where the shipping services are going wrong. If you wish, you can even conduct a meeting with your staff and ask them to highlight some of the problematic areas.
Since they carry out the warehouse proceedings every day, they’ll be able to give you an accurate description of what and how to improve. Moreover, your staff will also feel that they’re an important part of your company.
- Know about the industry-standard rates
If you understand the costs that are involved in shipping your products, you will easily be able to streamline the process. For example, FedEx and other postal services have similar shipping services, but their prices fluctuate depending on the location, weight of the product, and many other things.
You’ll need to be aware of the local and national shipping costs; otherwise, it can disrupt your entire bottom-line functions. One good tip is to ensure that your shipping partner provides annual rates.
- Automate the process
The entire world is progressing, and digital automation has become a huge part of it. If you wish to keep up with today’s customers, you’ll need to make sure your shipping services are efficient and fast. Automation is one solid way to ensure that repetitive and time-consuming tasks are done quickly.
- Keep your staff motivated
Even though automation and digital progress are important, you must remember that there has to be an actual staff present to oversee things. If you rely heavily on automation solely, your staff will lose faith.
For example, the OnTime group knows how to balance its employees and use technology, which is why it has made a mark worldwide. Similarly, you should also keep your employees motivated. Use incentives, set regular goals, and provide team events.
- Provide easy checkout experiences
When your customer buys your product, you need to remember many things, among which the checkout system is perhaps the most important. A hassle-free and easy-to-navigate system will bring back your customers again and again.
Make sure that the page where the shipping details are mentioned can be understood by everyone who visits. Provide important information, such as the expected delivery date, the shipping cost, and other necessary details.
- Introduce parcel auditing
If you use parcel auditing wisely, your entire business can improve greatly, and your shipping will be easily streamlined. This is especially true when you partner with 3PL services in your locality. It is also your right as a sender to understand and capture your refunds.
Parcel auditing can help you to focus on more important tasks such as selling your goods while the shipping processes get easier and better. Even if you introduce complex software for the audit, your burden will still be lessened.
- Organize your shipping station
If you wish to streamline your process, it’s best to take care of the shipping station. The area must be big enough to store all the packaging boxes and other equipment. Keep the warehouse or office neat and tidy, label each shelf, and keep a logbook of all the shipments that are supposed to go out.
Not just that, you should also make sure all the workers follow safety protocols. Organizing your shipping space might sound tedious, but it’s the best way to streamline your shipping services.
Over to you…
If you’re struggling to keep up with shipping costs and frequency, you can consult an alternate freight department to make things easier. But, ultimately, your focus should be to reduce costs for yourself and give your customers the best possible services.
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