How to Choose Shipping Carriers in Order Management

In the order management process, it is critical to make sure that you choose your shipping carrier wisely. Once your order leaves your warehouse, it’s all up to the shipping carrier that you have selected, and if that company doesn’t do its job correctly, the order is more likely to be returned. The selection of a shipping partner has to be done by gauging them on different parameters and ensuring that they score well. 

 

Parameters to consider while selecting a shipping carrier

These below-given points are some of the essential things you need to consider before you say yes to any shipping carrier.

Tracking 

Many shipping companies offer instantaneous online tracking of the products for both you and your customers. So, ask yourself, do you want that service now or in the future. Does your nature of business require shipment tracking? 

Choose the carrier accordingly because it’s of no use to waste money on track if your business doesn’t require one.

Package Dimensions

Consider the most common shipping package dimensions, along with the most significant sizes and the smallest aspects of the packages. Will shipping companies be able to accommodate or manage the boxes of those dimensions? 

Your Business Market

 Where are your customers situated or where do you wish to market your product and sell. Do you have a broad customer base around the world? If yes, you will have to hire a shipping carrier with an excellent network across the globe and is equally efficient in shipping products domestically. If you have a customer base that is domestically spread, choose one who is at the top in shipping in your country.

Insurance

Take your average order value and up to how much your shipping partner’s included insurance will cover. Is there any additional insurance required? 

Receiving Signature Confirmations

Many customers require signature confirmation, and many sellers also demand it. So keep this in mind while opting for a shipping carrier.

Weight

What are the most common package weights that you ship? Also, consider the maximum and minimum weight that you ship and then accordingly select your shipping carrier.

Pick-up fees

Your shipping volume should be more than the minimum required volume to exempt pick up fee. Or else a pick-up fee will be attached to your monthly cost.

Address Accuracy

 Many times it so happens that the shipping carriers charge for the non-deliverable packages. Also, does that shipping carrier allow you to change the shipping address when the product is in transit?

Software Integration 

Do you have shipping software, or does the shipping carrier provide one to you? If you have shipping and order management software like orderhive with you, then is their system flexible enough to be integrated with your software. And, if you don’t have the software, then will the company pay for your multi-carrier shipping software subscription charges or not. 

Pick-up preferences

Pick up time and convenience are essential. Will the carrier be able to pick the products from your warehouse in time or not. Many carriers are unprofessional and take too much pick-up time.  

Providing Deliveries on Saturdays 

Are your customers asking for weekend deliveries more frequently? If that is the case, then you should choose the shipping carrier that does that for you.

Packaging Supplies 

Is the shipping carrier providing free supplies to you like packaging boxes, labels, and envelopes? The shipping carriers that you wish to choose should be resourceful and helpful in their approaches.

Type of Ship to Address

Decide where your frequent deliveries will be. Will it be to business addresses or residential addresses because some carriers charge a surcharge if asked to deliver to a residential address. 

 

Conclusion

The shipping carrier does the finishing job, and no matter how much better the beginning and middle is, the ending should be great to leave a good impression on the customers. Delivering a product in time completes an order fulfillment cycle on a happy note for a customer. So, choose a carrier that does that for you.