It is important for every business developer that all business processes run smoothly and quickly. One of the most important factors that ensures the efficiency of logistics is the delivery of goods.
The director can choose between many parcel delivery companies, to send parcel to Germany, Spain or elsewhere, but it is important to take into account it is important to take into account the most important factors, which we will present in this article.
Table of Contents
The quality of the delivery service consists of three things
1. The quality of the delivery itself, which is assessed by the following criteria percentage of first-time deliverability (good indicator: from 93%). Overall percentage of deliverability (good indicator: from 97%). Percentage of cancellations/ transfers due to the fault of the delivery service (good indicator: up to 1%).
2. The quality of customer service, which is characterized by the Methods of submitting an application for delivery (Excel, XML, API integration, Personal account). Response time to incoming requests Methods of receiving requests (phone, e- mail, ticket system). The speed of delivery reports.
3. The list of services provided. Possibility of partial refunds, fitting, return of documents. Whether additional money is charged for these services. If charged, how much and what is the order
Feedback
Despite the fact that almost no one publishes deliverability percentages in reviews, reviews are an invaluable source of information. And above all, about your future partner’s approach to handling complaints. For any company you will find both positive and negative reviews. And this is not surprising.
The only difference is in the number of problems and in the company’s reaction to the problem situation. If you see that the representatives of the company simply ignore negative reviews or behave aggressively. Also unfold the discussion in the key of “the fool himself”, then it is probably better not to get involved with such a company.
If, in response to a negative review, you see constructive answers, then this, on the contrary, indicates that such a company can and should be contacted.
Service separately
I would like to dwell on this service separately. If you need not only the delivery of your completed orders, but also the collection of goods from suppliers with the subsequent completion of orders, then you will have to choose from a much narrower number of offers. There are still very few companies that make fences from Suppliers.
This is due to the fact that the pickup service itself from the Supplier is complex and often unprofitable for the courier company. It requires an automated warehouse with a powerful WMS (Warehouse Management System).
The main differences between the fence from the warehouse of the Store and the fence from the warehouse of the Supplier In the warehouse of the store, the courier usually spends 15-30 minutes. The courier spends at the Supplier 30 minutes -1.5 hours.
Collection
For collection from the Supplier’s warehouse, a power of attorney or a store seal is required. If you cannot make a General Power of Attorney, then additional difficulties arise. In accounting for the powers of attorney transferred to the delivery service.
Imagine for a minute. A fence for 200 customers (even an average of only 2 suppliers for each store) requires 400 different powers of attorney. They need to be stored separately, their balance should be taken into account. So that they do not run out at the most inappropriate moment, and separately issued to couriers.
And the most important thing. From the store’s warehouse, the courier service receives completed orders; from the supplier’s warehouse. It receives goods, not orders.
Of which orders have yet to be collected. Acceptance of goods to the warehouse, order picking, re-grading accounting, subsequent storage of returns. All this falls on the shoulders of the delivery service.
The warehouse
A simple example. One article can be applied to a product, another article can be indicated in the register for an assembly from a store. A third one in the supplier’s invoice. For a store representative who knows his product well, this is not a problem.
For warehouse employees of a courier company, which has to accept thousands of items for different stores in one evening. This becomes an extremely difficult task.
Delivery geography and the number of pick-up points. All analysts unanimously repeat about the growing demand in the regions. Therefore, the focus of sales from the competitive market of the two capitals will inevitably shift towards the regions.
Therefore, it is worth contacting courier services, which are ready, along with courier delivery. To perform preferential preparation and dispatch of parcels through the Post.
Delivery services and redistribution
It also makes sense to pay attention to the number of regions in which the delivery service can deliver by couriers. (Or issue orders through pick-up points in the region).
If the company suits you for working in the capitals, but it does not have courier delivery to the regions. Then it makes sense to clarify with the company about plans to enter the regions.
Perhaps it is somewhat more complicated organizationally and will lead to a slightly more expensive delivery cost in the end. But it will reduce the dependence of your business on one single contractor.
It will allow you to compare the quality of work on your orders of delivery services and redistribution of volumes between services. It will give you access to a wider delivery geography and more points of issue.
The tariff scales of delivery
Price is definitely important. But the tariff scales for delivery services are very similar. And the use of different boundaries for the volume of deliveries to move to the next price makes it difficult to compare on the fly.
Therefore, you need to take your own volume of deliveries and not be too lazy to roughly calculate how much one delivery will cost you. Particular attention should be paid to the so-called hidden payments.
When concluding a contract, some stores are guided only by the tariff scale, and then they are surprised at the final invoice. What do I mean by hidden payments. Paid return of goods, Paid storage of returns, Paid collection of orders. Fee for accepting funds If the delivery is canceled, do you pay the money.
To sum up
In this article, we described the most important tips for choosing delivery company for your shop. Follow these steps and you will be on the right way.
More information about delivery service you can find ecoparcel.eu.
