Bianca BarathIf you run a business, you will have to make sure you hold all vendors responsible for their tasks and responsibilities. Most vendors liaise with you before delivery and the shipping partner comes in during the last leg of the product sale if you ship your products across. So, the question here is, do you hold your shipping partner accountable for their performance? If yes, how? What are the parameters you use to gauge performance or non-performance of the shipping partner?
Where shipping is concerned, there is a narrow spectrum of parameters. What is the track record of your shipping partner when it comes to:
1. Delivering on time
2. Delivering right package to the right customer
3. Not losing the package midway
4. Delivering the package without damages
Package loss is a real possibility but it is very improbable these days. To counter that, shippers offer insurance to cover the loss. In case you deal with valuable merchandise, it is prudent to sign up for shipping insurance. Most reputed shipping carriers offer such insurance. Read the clauses thoroughly and sign only if you are convinced of the policies.
Now, coming to delayed shipments, it is a very probable risk. FedEx and UPS, the most renowned carriers we know, offer a full refund on all delayed packages even if it is a minute late. Check on how to Deal With Shipping Delays. This is one of the reasons ecommerce sellers choose between FedEx and UPS. But late shipments do happen. Do you chase your shipper and get the refund if your delivery is later than the promised time? If you don’t, you are losing out on a major avenue of saving on your shipping bills.
Despite the full refund guarantee, shipping carriers seldom pay up if they fail on the promise. Because the onus of filing for refunds, claiming them and following up on that sits squarely on the shoulders of the customer. If you ship several shipments per day, you obviously find no time to do it yourself. And remember, it takes time and effort to find shipments that were delivered late, raise a refund request and track the whole process. So, prudent business people automate the process entirely. Signing up with a late shipment tracker like lateshipment.com can put an end to losing out on shipping refunds.
Your shipping partner has GPS and hence real time tracking of the whereabouts of your package is very much possible. So, look at automating alerts when the shipment is stuck somewhere or when it’s rerouted to a place that is not near the destination. Lateshipment can alert you proactively in case such package transfers happen. You can reach out to the shipper immediately and ask for redressal.
If you are vocal about your complaints to the shipper, the shipper is bound to make sure that errors are minimal from his end, thereby ensuring great quality in his service.
Related:
1. How to hold your shipping carrier accountable for all your lost packages?