The products being shipped are the lifeblood of every business. No matter how large or small a business might be, its success is highly dependent on how well it can ship its products to customers.
However, there are factors that need to be considered in order to ensure the successful shipment of a product from point A to point B. The following business guide has identified eight key points that should be looked at when ensuring your product ships safely and with quality.
- Engage Shipping Technology
In this day and age, having effective shipping software is a must in any business. Not only because it saves time and money in the long run by reducing human errors but also because by engaging technologies in your company you’ll be able to track all processes from order to delivery or return which helps reduce unnecessary costs if products were to go missing in transit. You can consider visiting Cabrella for your inquiries in shipping technology.
- Involve Employees From All Levels
Involving employees from across the company ensures no stone is left unturned as everyone involved will have their own unique insight as to what they think should be included in shipping requirements. Employees should be given guidelines on what kind of information needs to be included or excluded so that there aren’t any unnecessary changes made during the production phase just for the sake of adding more information that won’t be included.
- Verify Identification Of Products
Making sure products are correctly identified is essential if you want to reduce the risk of the incorrect product being shipped out, which leads to potentially dangerous situations where customers are given contaminated products or products that have already reached their expiry date. For example, verifying whether a steak being sent out is beef or lamb will ensure the customer knows what kind of meat they ordered and can’t accuse the business of sending them the wrong type of meat.
- Verify Dimensions Of Products
There have been many reported cases in which a business has undercharged customers for shipping purposes due to incorrectly calculating dimensions for packages being sent out from the warehouse. In order to avoid this issue, it’s important to perform a dimensional analysis of the products being sent out. This often involves sending a product to a third-party company that specializes in dimensional analysis and has the correct equipment for measuring all kinds of products.
- Set-Up Guidelines On How Much Is Too Much
It’s important to set up guidelines on how much weight is reasonable for each product category. For example, if you send out a small household appliance then it shouldn’t exceed more than 3 kg worth of weight even though the customer has paid for 10 kg worth of shipping. This allows you to optimize your logistics efforts and reduce unnecessary costs that might be incurred by over-packing one package.
- Verify Labels Of Products
Every business will require standard labeling procedures to ensure all packages are correctly labeled with the correct information so customers know what they’re getting when they order their products. Ensure all labels are legible and don’t fade away quickly or peel off due to the incorrect adhesive being used on labels (which can lead to customer complaints).
- Verify Where The Product Is Going
Although many businesses have started to use automation in their shipping processes, some still require a lot of manual work. One issue that has been reported in the past is a company improperly using a label for a different country which results in products being sent out with incorrect labels and subsequently being lost at sea due to poor handling procedures when loading up ships from port to port. It’s important to keep these mistakes from happening by making sure all people involved are properly informed on how to correctly label packages so they don’t go through extensive mishandling.
- Stay Updated On Current Trends In Transport And Logistics
Updating knowledge on what’s new and coming out within your industry so you’re not left behind if any changes need to be made in the future. This applies especially when it comes to making sure shipping processes are compliant with all local and federal laws which can vary depending on where you’re sending out your products to.
Conclusion
Shipping out products is an important part of any company’s business activity which means it deserves to be given the same attention as other factors in the logistics process. By following these tips you can ensure that all your shipments are shipped efficiently and safely so customers receive their products in good condition.
