How to choose a courier company? Seller’s guide – part 2.
In the previous article, you learned about the main rules of choosing a courier and the factors that affect the quality of product delivery. We hope you have no doubts as to how reliable and efficient parcel delivery is a key element of e-commerce. In the text below, I have explored the subject a bit more, with particular attention to how the cooperation between the courier company and the online store should look like.
Pickup of parcels and order processing: how does it work?
Both of these procedures are important aspects of courier activity. Therefore, we should pay special attention to them when choosing a company to cooperate with us. Issues such as whether the courier comes to pick up the parcels or whether you have to deliver them on your own are very important. The preferred method of sending parcels and contacting the company (via the IT system, telephone, etc.) are as important as the hours of collection of parcels determined according to the internal standards of each company.
IT systems and delivery monitoring systems.
Online store customers appreciate the ability to view the route of their order. They also like to know at what times the courier can be expected, and many would be able to arrange the time of picking up the parcel on their own. Before concluding a contract with a company, let’s find out what IT tools it uses, and what way to contact our clients: via SMS, mobile application or email.
Despite the fact that more and more courier companies are refining their systems to meet the market demands, some of them still do not have any monitoring system. Let’s try to choose those that offer our customers what they deserve, i.e. the comfort of tracking their purchases.
Cooperation of a courier company with an online store.
The integration of the store’s and courier’s systems allows not only to save time and increase the efficiency of delivering products to customers, but also perfectly improve the entire process: from the first clicks on the store’s website to receiving the parcel. Generators of protocols and shipping documents along with label printers are one of the very useful devices that you should ask the courier about.
A good solution for new e-commerce stores is a courier broker. In addition to more economical shipping of goods, sellers have the option of choosing one of the many courier companies integrated in the website.
However, this solution also has its disadvantages – sellers are dependent on the broker and his commission, often a direct contract is simply cheaper.
The golden mean in this case is the offer of our company, which, apart from storing and packing orders, offers excellent delivery prices. By combining orders from many customers, we are able to offer very competitive prices – thanks to the advantage of the volume of shipments sent.
If your number of parcels sent does not allow you to gain a negotiating advantage, or storage becomes expensive and packing time-consuming – please use the contact form.
Destination address: at home and abroad.
When choosing a courier, you cannot ignore an issue as important as the scope of the store’s activities. Like e-commerce stores, some companies only or mainly serve the domestic market, while others expand their activities to many countries, sometimes even to the whole world. Depending on the needs, let’s choose courier companies so that they optimally cover the entire area in which we hope to convince our customers.
Safety first of all, i.e. complaints: what and how?
There is nothing we can do about accidents at work. However, it is enough to ensure that our couriers have clear rules for submitting complaints and respect them in an honest and accessible way. Before signing the contract, let’s find out what the complaint procedure looks like, what are the grounds for it and how such applications are considered. If the courier company has solid policies and honestly accepts the complaints submitted, the correct completion of the damage report and any photos proving the condition of the product before shipment
