Have you recently started an e-commerce business? If so, you’re probably still in the process of learning how to ship your products to customers swiftly and reliably. Consequently, your new business may be experiencing teething problems. Don’t worry if this is the case, it happens to a lot of start-ups and new SMEs. Luckily, we’re here to help. We’ve come up with a list of shipping problems that commonly effect new businesses and the simple ways you can solve them. The prospect of shipping products to customers across the country (or even across the world) can be a little intimidating if you haven’t done it before. However, if you pay attention to our top tips, you’ll be able to ship your products with confidence.
1. Parcels go missing
Do some of your packages go missing before customers receive them? If so, it’s important to remember that it isn’t your fault. It’s usually the fault of the service that you are using to ship your parcels. Some shipping services simply have trouble handling large quantities of parcels. We suggest that you switch to a more reliable shipping service. Here at ParcelBroker we pride ourselves on our reliability, so if you’re having problems with your current shipping service, why not switch to us? Another useful tip for ensuring your parcels arrive at their destination is to use printed address labels instead of handwritten ones. This helps to ensure that the courier or shipping service can clearly see where the package needs to go.
2. Parcels arrive in a damaged condition
If the contents of your parcels are damaged in transit, your customers are likely to be upset. What’s more, it’s a surprisingly common problem. If it effects you, however, there’s no need to panic. It’s easy to prevent damage to your parcels; you simply have to use the right protective packaging. Look up the packaging guidelines for the items you want to ship to ensure that you’re sending them in the correct packaging. You may also wish to seek out additional advice on protecting your parcels from damage while they’re in transit.
3. Parcels take a long time to arrive
If you ship parcels abroad, your international customers may complain that the parcels take a long time to arrive. Transit times can sometimes be reduced by switching to a more efficient shipping service (such as us). Sometimes, however, long transit times are unavoidable due to the distance a parcel has to travel or the complexities of its destination’s shipping and mail laws. In these cases, the best thing to do is to make it clear to your customers up-front that their parcels may take several weeks to arrive. You might be concerned that this would deter some customers from purchasing your products. However, most consumers are very patient when they know in advance that a package will take time to arrive and understand the reason for this. Furthermore, it’s more important to avoid negative feedback and reviews than grab a quick sale, because negative feedback can damage your business in the long-run. Honesty is always the best policy.
The advice we’ve given today should help you ship your parcels more smoothly. Contact us at ParcelBroker for any information you may need about the shipping services we offer.