Date Published: 11 March 2019

Shipping Plan for Business – Part 2

HERE WE LOOK AT HOW YOU ACTUALLY CREATE A SHIPPING PLAN

Once you’ve answered all of the questions in part 1, you will have a clear list of your business’s shipping needs. Armed with this, you can then explore your options to create and implement an effective and efficient shipping plan that is tailor-made for your courier company

To create your shipping plan, you must first lay out the basics:

• STEP 1 - Review your answers from part 1
• STEP 2 - Assess if your company would benefit from a dedicated shipping account manager to help you arrange your companies shipping or if an existing member of staff can handle the workload.
• STEP 3 - Sign up to World Option’s shipping portal to save your company time and money by quickly and easily comparing rates from the top carriers, and receive a dedicated account manager to support you every step of the way.
• STEP 4 - Sit back and relax as World Options makes shipping simple.
   

YOUR SHIPPING PLAN:

Additional elements to consider: Custom declarations and forms. If your goods are being shipped internationally, find out what forms and custom declarations you might need to have in place so that nothing gets held up. Find out more about what paperwork you might need at Australia Post  and here at Import Declarations and here for Export Declarations (Australian Boarder Force - Importing Exporting)

SHIPPING PACKAGING

The outer packaging used to deliver your goods must also be practical, functional and follow the guidelines of the specific courier company delivering your goods. A parcel with the correct, neat packaging not only looks more professional but stands a much better chance of arriving at its final destination. Make sure your packaging will be able to withstand the demands of journey from you to the customer.

Choosing the right shipping supplier or courier is a key ingredient to your shipping plan - get it right and the impact will resonate throughout your business, saving you time, money and stress.
 

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR SHIPPING SUPPLIER:

1. How quickly can they pick up goods for delivery?
Unless you are in a situation that enables you to arrange regular pickups and deliveries in advance, then it is crucial to select a responsive company that is able to handle your enquiries quickly and effectively so as not to slow down the shipping process.

2. How much paperwork is involved?
Getting products out of the door and on their way to the customer should be a simple and easy process, so make sure your carrier won’t bog you down with paperwork.

3. Are there easy tracking measures?
Most courier services offer tracking as standard, but find out how quickly and easily you can get this information from them. If a customer calls with a query about the delivery of their goods, you need to be able to respond to them in a timely fashion.

3. Will there be someone I can call about my shipments?
Often with carriers, you are expected to know what to do by following online instructions. But shipping companies like World Options offer customer support to help you ship and will work on your behalf to help you chase the carriers if you have a shipping query.

4. Can they handle the volume of goods you need to ship?
Companies offering the lower rates may not necessarily be the ones that are best placed to handle large volumes of goods.

5. Are there easy tracking measures?
Most courier services offer tracking as standard, but find out how quickly and easily you can get this information from them. If a customer calls with a query about the delivery of their goods, you need to be able to respond to them in a timely fashion.

6. Are there any additional costs?
Find out in advance if there are any hidden charges that could be added onto your total at checkout. This could include fees per item - as opposed to per shipment - VAT, administrative charges and so on.

ONE LAST THING TO CONSIDER

The delivery service you use is often the only face-to-face interaction the customer will have with your company and so it is important to choose one that is best placed to represent your business, as well as one that meets your internal business needs and requirements.

SO, AFTER WHITTLING DOWN CARRIERS TO A FINAL FEW:

• TRIAL IT OUT – Why not consider a trial shipment with a non-urgent item, to see how well the delivery service does? With most shipping companies you are not tied into a contract, so you can always move on if you are unsatisfied with the service.
• DO YOUR RESEARCH - Look at customer testimonials, reviews and available case studies. The process of shipping an item from A to B may sound simple, but there can be the occasional mishap. No shipping provider will have a 100% excellent shipping record, because that’s simply impossible, but most of the time you should expect your items to be delivered to its destination within a set time frame and receive excellent customer service if there are any queries.
• WORLD OPTIONS works with the world’s leading carrier companies. Become a World Options customer now and find out what we can do for you.