What You Should Look For In A Delivery And Transport Business
Finding the right delivery and transport business is crucial for a lot of companies. Whether you’re an e-commerce business that needs to deliver products to your customers’ homes or provide goods to other companies, it is crucial that you choose a delivery and transport business with care.
There are a lot of factors to consider, and you will need to fully understand your business’s needs to find the right company to partner with. Read on for some of the critical things you need to look for when choosing a delivery and transport business.
Understand Your Customers’ Needs
The company you choose will depend largely on the needs of your customer base. It is important that you conduct research to find out what your customers want and need from you. This could be express next day delivery or a high level of care and attention for valuable or fragile items. You should also consider how much they may be willing to pay for a delivery, how urgent their need is for your products and where they are located.
Look At Their Speed Of Delivery
Many delivery and transport businesses offer a range of delivery speeds and options. Offering customers a wide range of delivery options and prices can ensure that they become repeat customers. Speed of delivery is considered by many customers in Australia as one of the most important deciding factors when buying online.
You should consider the range of delivery speeds that a company offers to find the right fit. You could also give your customers the option to choose a slower delivery for free if they aren’t concerned about getting their products ASAP. Choosing a business that offers a wide range of delivery speeds and prices can be beneficial.
Know The Area You Need Covering
You should ensure that your chosen delivery and transport company provides services to the locations you need. It can sometimes be challenging to know what areas you need covering, so it is worth keeping a log of your most popular delivery locations. Choosing a reliable company that delivers within your most popular areas is crucial.
Factor In Specialist Needs
You should also consider whether you have any needs that may require specialist delivery services. This could include the delivery of fragile or hazardous items. When contacting a company, you should discuss the things you need delivering with them and ensure that their drivers and other staff have the appropriate training to handle your products safely.
Consider Their Transport Management System
A transport management system (TMS) can have a significant impact on the efficiency and quality of the service you receive. A good TMS will allow you to track your deliveries and obtain proof of delivery promptly. It is essential to ask any transport and delivery business about the TMS they use and do some research to find out how good their services are. You can find out more about what to look for in a TMS using TransVirtual’s tool for carrier integration.
Choose A Business With Extensive Experience
With any contractor or outsourced support, you will need to ensure that the company has a good track record and experience providing the services you require. Ideally, you should be looking for a business with years or even decades of experience in providing the kind of service you need. You should also look for companies that integrate the latest technology and practices into their business to ensure they can provide the most competitive service.
Look At Reviews Online
Online reviews can be a helpful way to find out about other customers’ experiences with a company. You can use review aggregators like Trustpilot or Google to help you get a picture of their business practices. While you should always approach anything you read online with caution, reviews can still be an excellent way to get a general overview of the customer experience.
You could also ask a company to show you some testimonials and case studies from past customers. Most reliable companies will be happy to offer references and reviews to help show you that they are worth partnering with.
Test Out Their Customer Service
Customer service is crucial when using a transport and delivery business. You should ensure that their customer service is responsive and helpful when you need it. You could consider sending some test queries to the company to see how quickly they respond.
You should also ensure that they offer good customer care to your own customers during the delivery process. It is beneficial to ensure that the business has multiple lines of communication, including phone, email and direct messaging.
Factor In Price
Cost is another critical factor to consider when choosing a transport and delivery company. However, it is crucial to avoid choosing cost over quality, as you may find that this will impact your customers’ experiences with your business and result in loss of business. You should balance quality with cost and choose the best company possible within your budget. It may also help to discuss pricing with the business to see if they would be willing to offer any kind of discounted rates.
Visit Their Premises
Visiting a company in person can give you a good sense of how they run their operations. You want to choose a company that will reflect well on your own business. You should assess the look of their offices, ensuring they are tidy and well maintained. A business that takes pride in the appearance of its premises will often take similar pride in the quality of its services. You could also ask to view some of the fleet.
Consider The Scale Of Their Operation
The size and scale of a business’s operation are vital to find the right fit for your company. For instance, if you are a small to medium business, you may not need the services of a company with a fleet of thousands. If your business takes a high volume of orders each week, a larger company will be more beneficial.
