All of your business processes should be as smooth and streamlined as possible. Ensuring that you have the right frameworks in place, leaving very little to chance, there will be an increase in income and a decrease in issues. One of the places that many companies can make a huge saving, and increase their output is shipping.
When you are a product-based business, you will always have a keen eye on getting your products to the customer as quickly as possible, for the lowest cost.
Here are a few ways that you can improve your shipping process and prosper.
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Lead Times
When you increase the lead times, you will be giving even more notice to the carriers about picks up and deliveries. This makes it more likely that there will be a possible reduction in the costs. It also gives you plenty of time to research the best carrier. Something that you will need to take into account is how well they manage their fleet.
They should have things in place to ensure the health of their fleet, fleet management software, technology like a tachograph will all make a difference. The better care they take of their fleet, the more dedicated they are.
With enough planning and preparation, you will be able to reduce the idle time, which reduces the cost all round.
Bulk Shipping Dates
If you notice there is a trend where your deliveries are going, then the chances are you are wasting a lot of cash and time shipping to that location. Consider pooling your shipments, and only delivering to that area on specific dates. This won’t work for all businesses, and you might instead choose to base a warehouse in that location.
You can give notice on your website as to when your available delivery dates are, and customers can book accordingly.
Customers
We live in a world where our customers want their purchases the next day, maybe in 2 weeks if the price is right. The closer you can get your product, or the more efficient your shipping process is, the better chance you have of being able to deliver on that. If you have regular orders from B2B clients, you may need to consider a warehouse closer to them in proximity. That is a calculated risk, though.
Last-mile delivery is something that, for the most part, falls outside of your control. While you have complete control over choosing the company and the services you pay for – once the goods are handed off to the carrier, anything can happen.
It is worth running a few tests with various couriers to see which one performs well, who meets your expectations, and how they overcome any obstacles. Competitive quotes are great, but the reviews of their services and their client list will tell you a lot.
Making smart business decisions based on the data you have access to will help you minimize the length of the shipping times, and increase the margins in which you are saving on your shipping process.
