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12 Ten Best Shipping Practices
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7.
Ship Next Business Day as the Norm.
Ship Express Orders Same Day. Customers want things fast. Even if they purchased three to fi ve day shipping, you need to make sure you get all orders out the door the next day (that being at least the day aſt er the order arrived). In general, make it a point to process orders within one business day. T ere is no reason to sit on orders, and doing so increases your chances of the order not arriving on time, which leads to unhappy customers. For those that choose “1 Day Express,” “2 Day Express,”
etc., shipping methods (if you off er them), consider shipping these orders the same day you get the order in, up to a cer- tain cut-off time. An example of terminology for this type of method might be, “All orders received before 1 pm. EST are shipped the same day.”
8.
Provide Tracking Numbers.
You should be doing this already, but it needs to be mentioned. A critical time to start building customer relationships is directly aſt er an order. Customers want to know that the order they placed has, in fact, been received, and they want the ability to track that package’s progress to their doorstep. As soon as you receive the tracking numbers and shipping information, you should promptly email your customers and relay that tracking info to them. If your system enables it, make the tracking number a link directly to the carrier’s website (or your own), which pulls up the delivery schedule for them. It provides an extra layer of usability, and your customers will appreciate this small gesture in the long run.
9.
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Don’t Ignore or Point Fingers on Lost Shipments.
If you ship any level of items over the Internet, it is bound to happen at some point. A shipment will get lost in the shuffl e. Although it may not be your fault, you need to work with
the customer to correct the situation. Don’t point fi ngers. Instead, help solve the problem. If that means reshipping the order, then do it.
10.
Under Promise, Over Deliver.
Don’t try promising something you can’t back up. Give your- self a shipping cushion. To avoid unrealistic delivery times, you may want to add one or two (or even three) days’ padding on to your delivery times estimates (except for overnight, one and two day options). Companies like Dell and Amazon. com tend to do this pret y well in most circumstances. T ey say, “3-5 day shipping,” for example, and the package arrives in two days.
Find other great ideas for running your business at:
www.wholesalecentral.com/wholesale–news
April 2010
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