If your company regularly sends items to your customers, it’s essential that you take control of your shipping process. No one wants to receive a package late nor do your customers want to hear about how you’re unable to find anything in your warehouse. When you fail to pay attention to the details, it ends up costing you in extra fees. Here are five shipping tips that will help you save money and speed up how you process orders.
1. Monitor Your Carrier’s Performance
One of the most costly errors you can make is failing to track how your carrier is performing. Monitoring factors such as pickup, response to customer inquiries and delivery times will help you make adjustments or decide to try a new carrier. Improving your shipping practices should result in lower costs and better service for your customers.
If you can, it’s always good to work closely with your carrier to improve performance. You need to consider factors such as baseline weight, the level of service you use most often (expedited vs. standard) and handling fees to find areas you can reduce costs.
2. Use A Postage Meter
Since trucking companies handle a lot of shipments, postage meters are a great tool to help you avoid overpaying for postage. A lot of times people simply guess the weight of a package and may overbuy stamps just to be safe. A postage meter can weigh your packages and assess exact postage charges. Postage meters can also print shipping labels. This is a tool that will help you keep your costs steady and is much quicker than waiting in line to talk with your carrier.
3. Use Technology To Manage Your Inventory
Another area where companies waste time is looking for products. If you have an extensive inventory, it’s essential you use technology to identify the exact location of items in your warehouse. Your employees should be able to run in the back without feeling overwhelmed. Grabbing items from your inventory should be a quick task, not an ordeal.
Try incorporating wireless scanners and barcode scanners. These are excellent tools that lower the risk of human error which saves you time and money. Keeping track of your items is an essential part of keeping your business run smoothly.
4. Use Quality Tape
The quality of the tape you use makes a difference. Cellophane and masking tape aren’t very strong which reduces the safety of your packages in transport. Switch to plastic or reinforced paper tape to seal your boxes. Your tape should be at least 2 inches wide have a minimum strength rating of 60 pounds.
If your business regularly sends products out to your customers, it’s essential not to make the mistake of using the wrong tape. While it may seem that all you need is something sticky, using the right tape will help you avoid costly shipping accidents.
5. Document Your Work To Help You Stay Organized
Finding ways to simplify your shipping process will help you reduce errors. One of the most basic blunders that companies who rely on shipping make is relying on multiple apps and systems to complete one or two internal tasks. Documenting your work will help your team stay organized but only if everything is documented in an easy to understand and easy to find medium.
Look for ways to incorporate these five tips into your daily processes. Being proactive with the shipping aspect of your business will help you keep costs low and enjoy a higher profit margin. Finding ways to document and compare data will help your company improve.
