Shipping mistakes can have a tremendous impact on your business. Not only do they take away time and money, but they also affect your reputation, either directly or indirectly. That’s why we’ve put together this list of people’s most common shipping mistakes – so you can avoid them.
Mistakes happen! No matter how well prepared you think you are before shipping out, there will always be something to cause an error in the process – whether it be a miscalculation, an improperly written address label, or tape running out mid-shipment.
1) Inadequate packaging
Regardless of which shipping company you use, there will be a box (or envelope) and packing material involved. This isn’t just to keep the contents safe during transportation; in fact, this is also for the safety of the person handling your package. You must package it in a way that makes it easy for people to handle and won’t cause injury if dropped on a toe or finger mytoptweets.net.
2) Not using enough packing material
It’s important to use enough shipping material to keep the package safe during transportation. Your package should be packed in such a way that it won’t be damaged in transit. This means using enough packing material to cushion it from any possible bumps. It’s easy to get fragile item shipping quotes at https://www.shiply.com/us/fragile-item-shipping.
3) Not following directions/instructions on the packaging
It may seem like a small thing, but make sure you follow all of the directions and instructions which are given by your shipping company when making your packing material choices. You don’t want to have extra space, especially around an edge that will be difficult for your customer to open. Also, be sure the materials you are using are approved for mailing by your shipping company.
4) Not making your shipping label clear and easy to read
These electronic days, many people print their shipping labels from their home computers; however, this doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. In fact, there are several things you can do to ensure your label is easily read by postal workers.
For starters, be sure you don’t cram too much information on the label. If you’re having trouble fitting everything on the label in a way that makes it easy to read, consider shrinking the font size a bit or adding some blank lines to allow for larger font sizes. It looks more professional if you use vertical lines instead of boxes or dashes for the address lines.
5) Not checking package contents before signing for it
It’s in your best interest to check your packages before signing for them. The way you sign for them, though, makes a difference. For example, you’ll have much more success if you actually open the package when checking it instead of just looking through the plastic wrapping.
You may even want to check the contents against your shipping order (or email confirmation) if you’re shipping several items, because sometimes things like packing material gets misplaced during shipping. If you notice something is missing or broken, contact your shipping company right away so they can resolve the issue before it causes problems for customers further down the line.
It’s easy to make these mistakes if you’re not careful – even if you’re a seasoned pro. That’s why it’s so important to approach shipping with caution and diligence. The last thing you want is to lose customer trust because they received a damaged product.
To avoid shipping mistakes, be sure you establish close relationships with your shipping provider and shipping company right away.
