Whether your business is expanding into new countries, increasing business volume, increasing your supplier base, or looking for new ways to provide transportation services, choosing the right transportation service provider can significantly impact costs, time savings, speed and customer satisfaction, and streamlined processes within the supply chain.
With all the options available to you today, narrowing down your choices can be overwhelming and you may not know where to start. Below are a few factors to make it easier to find the right transportation service provider for your business:
- Delivery destination (country coverage) – transport service providers offer different benefits and service prices based on the location/s you are shipping to. Domestic versus international shipping (or both) has different shipping requirements, and not all carriers are equipped for one or the other. For domestic deliveries, you'll also want to consider whether you're shipping locally or nationally. For example, if you deliver primarily to your local area or region, researching regional carriers may be the most cost-effective option.
- Communication – The way in which service providers communicate with you or your customers/suppliers is very important. You should focus on providers who are efficient in conveying communication, proactive and quick responses, finding solutions in case of regular delivery or again when there are some problems within the delivery process. Communication regarding documentation updates, truck license plate updates and ETA updates is very important. It is of great importance that strictly one person is in charge of an individual client, and that communication is not intertwined.
- Service provider performance (review) – This is an important factor in order to be sure of how services are performed with individual providers up to the current framework. Look for carriers that have a record of positive reviews, that is, timely delivery, quality, and customer satisfaction. You can always look for an additional opinion/recommendation from other senders who have used their services and confirm this.
- Delivery frequency – Do you send items daily? Per week? A few times a week? Knowing your regular shipping rhythm will help you partner with a shipping service provider that can meet your needs and delivery schedule.
- Cargo insurance – Determine how much coverage basic carrier liability insurance offers and decide if it is sufficient for your needs. If not, you'll want to purchase additional insurance to cover the gap.
- Product condition – Shipping perishable goods has far different requirements than, say, shipping furniture. Some carriers may even refuse to ship certain items, such as those that are extremely expensive, like jewelry, or very fragile, like glassware. Find the carrier that ships your specific goods and determine what adjustments they must make to ship your products safely.
Equally important is how your freight carrier connects with your customers, if applicable to your business. Your customers will expect regular shipment updates and notifications; If you don't facilitate it yourself (or don't want to be responsible for it), your carrier should jump in for you. Lack of clear and regular communication can lead to frustrated customers; Make sure that your reputation remains intact by thoroughly vetting the communication process of each potential freight carrier.
Choosing a freight carrier for your business can be a difficult task, but with a reminder of these five important factors, you can make a decision that will meet your needs in terms of goods delivery and transportation.
If you need to transport of cargo or need advice on logistics processes to optimize it, be sure to contact us with confidence at info@arrslog.hr.
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