Where You Can Go Wrong With Shipping!

What can go wrong in business? Well, there exists a list about as long as your street with what could go wrong in business! From a lack of clientele, to PR disasters, to a market crash – there is so much that go wrong. These might not be issues you can help though. That being said, you can still make problems for yourself – plenty of businesses are capable of doing just that.

If you’re running a business that is based upon the sale of your products – you could be running into a huge issue if you neglect shipping and delivery. Why is that? Well, when you deliver a product that arrives at the destination weeks late, or in tatters – customers will get upset with your business. What can go wrong with delivery? Well – let’s take a look!

Lateness

This is a huge problem and in most cases, it will be caused by the business itself! If you aren’t dispatching packages on the day of the order – your business isn’t going to deliver on time. Develop a system and ship your goods out on time, every time. Every delay you add here, yourself, ensures that the customer receives their products later. You can also ensure that you offer accurate delivery times by working with postal companies to condense and commit to regular deliveries. Information should always be offered on your site to inform customers of expected costs.

Broken Goods

Things get broken – that is a part of life. Sometimes, things that are shipped out get broken in transit. This happens! Delivery companies sometimes have a reputation for a rather ‘destructive’ process which can see products and boxes destroyed so that the delivery company can meet targets. This can’t be helped, you can’t boss the delivery company around – but if a pattern in breakage emerges, you should search for a different courier service. What you can do, as well – is ensure your products are packed as securely as possible. Tool cases with foam, newspaper and bubble wrap are all ways that you can protect your goods when you ship them. This is important as if you do not protect your products, you should be taking responsibility for their breakage. No matter what, it is still good for the customer and the process if you can take responsibility for any shattered packages. Taking ownership of issues is a good thing!

There are plenty of costs associated with shipping – and if you are passing one hundred percent of these onto the customer, you’re going to be losing customers in the long run. The thing is, these costs should be covered at least in part by you – some businesses offer free postage when a certain amount of goods are ordered – for example. Offering free postage at all times won’t always work – so pick your moments. It is better that you sink some of the profit into reducing shipping costs than not doing anything at all, as your customer shouldn’t have to bear the entire cost of shipping.