Thanks to the internet, the world is getting smaller.
With tablets, smartphones and even telepathy contributing to this shrinking globe, it’s easy for us to turn our noses up at some of the more traditional methods of communicating with customers.
Despite the web helping businesses transcend borders, however, when it comes to sending something tangible to our customers, actual distances obviously haven’t gotten any smaller …
… which is why a cost effective and reliable delivery partner is more important than ever.
Considering the sheer volume of transactions carried out online (over 500m internet orders in 2013), it’s perhaps unsurprising the UK postal and courier service is worth an impressive £4.4bn.
This is despite fears less than 15 years ago that the advent of the internet would spell and end to the postal service, for regular mail at least, but these worries have yet to come to fruition.
Indeed, with the success of seller platforms such as Amazon and eBay, there’s been a steady increase in the number of international courier services shipping goods to customers abroad.
In part, this upsurge in delivery companies is due to customers relying on their track and trace technology, which gives them the reassurance that their parcel hasn’t ended up in the Danube.
And therein lies the crux …
With this increasingly competitive delivery landscape, customers are continually searching for faster, cheaper and more reliable courier services, with those who don’t make the grade cast aside like an old rag.
From your company’s perspective, then, there’s a lot to be mindful of when partnering with a courier, as there are many things that can still go wrong
With that in mind, what should be on the lookout for to ensure you secure the best business delivery?
Reputation Is Everything
While you’ve likely taken years to hone the status of your company and would guard it with your life, a lot of fly-by-night delivery firms simply don’t have the same upright characteristics – so if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Admittedly, we all love to pick up a bargain, but a delivery company trading on affordability alone – without the proof to back up their service – will likely fail quicker than a house of cards in the middle of a tornado.
Communication Is Key
If you’re sending something of value to a customer, it’s obvious that they want to receive it on time and you want your priceless reputation to remain intact – which is why hiring a delivery firm with the communication skills of a sleep deprived Neanderthal is a bad move.
Instead, make sure the courier you opt for has the appropriate tools to keep you and the customer up to date on the parcel’s status, with the common sense not to chuck the parcel in the nearest river if the recipient isn’t home to take delivery.