Did you know that a whopping 3 billion packages were shipped during the holiday season alone?
Whether you operate a small business or are thinking about it, one of the biggest questions involves your shipping solution. It’s no exaggeration to say that shipping can either make or break your brand. You wouldn’t want to become known as a business that can’t get products to its customers efficiently.
Are you wondering what the most common mistakes are when choosing a shipping company and how to avoid them? Keep reading to learn all about this important topic.
Paying Too Much for Shipping Services
The last thing you should ever do is pay more for a service when you can get the same thing elsewhere for less. While there’s a fine line between something that’s inexpensive and something that’s low-quality, you can do research to find out if the price you’re paying is fair or not.
You should start by comparing shipping costs. It’s also important to take note of the specific service and what it comes with. For instance, one provider could offer real-time tracking capability and a certain amount of insurance for the same price that another provider charges for basic shipping without any perks.
We compare rates between the major delivery services (USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL) for every package to make sure you’re getting the best deal every time you’re shipping a package, so you could save yourself some time and money by visiting our stores in Roseburg, OR.
Package Security
Are you aware that a whopping 210 million packages are stolen from porches each year? This statistic doesn’t even count the number of packages lost in transit.
Quite a bit can happen from point A to point B. The last thing you should have to do is worry until you get confirmation from a customer that their package has been received.
A high-security shipping company will offer you the option of a tracking number, a signature confirmation, insurance, and more. These options can give you peace of mind every step of the way. Even if your package gets lost, you could also check the tracking number to see where it ended up.
Signature confirmation is also something that can ensure your package gets into the right hands no matter what.
Too Many Package Shipping Restrictions
It’s an unfortunate fact that some shipping companies don’t provide options for global delivery. Furthermore, if they do, the rates may be astronomical. This is why you should find a provider who can give you the services your business requires, especially if that includes local and global shipping.
If you deal with a large number of packages on a weekly or even daily basis, then it’s important to know that the postal provider can handle it. No one wants to wait in long lines with only one or two people servicing the counter. This is bad customer service because it can throw a monkey wrench into your afternoon plans.
The entire time you spend waiting in line for 20 minutes or longer could be used to accomplish bigger and better things for your business.
Aside from handling the volume, a shipping company should also be able to accommodate the size and weight of your packages. Some providers won’t ship certain packages, and others may only do so if you pay unreasonable fees.
Not Double-Checking the Shipping Company’s Reputation
Before you even step inside a shipping provider’s store, there are plenty of things you can learn from doing research at home. For instance, reading online reviews is one of the easiest ways to learn about multiple facets of a shipping provider.
It’s a good rule of thumb to try and read at least a few reviews per potential business. The more you can read, the more accurate your impression will be, assuming you have the time.
Don’t forget to take note of their cumulative score while you’re at it. An overall rating less than a 4.0 isn’t a good sign that they have a focus on customer satisfaction.
Another way to judge a potential shipping company is by asking your colleagues and other trusted individuals in your circle. Chances are they’ve dealt with one or more shipping companies. That way, you can either get recommendations, warnings, or both.
In the worst-case scenario, you could always make a switch if you are unhappy with your first choice. The key involves recognizing the various issues outlined in this article.
Choosing a Shipping Company is Easy
Now that you’ve learned all about choosing a shipping company, you can make sure to avoid common mistakes and find a reliable business. There’s nothing quite like having the peace of mind of knowing your packages will make it to where they need to go. Your customers will also appreciate the security.
Goin’ Postal is happy to serve all of your shipping needs. We pride ourselves on reliability and helping our customers save time and money.
Feel free to contact us with questions or stop by one of our two convenient locations in Roseburg, OR. We’re always happy to help out.