Shipping products and supplies to your customers will be an integral part of running your business. However, managing large scale freight shipments can be a challenge for small business leaders. Yet, it does not have to be an overwhelmingly difficult part of owning and operating your enterprise.
Track Product Loss Rate
Regardless of the steps that you and the freight company take, there will always be a chance that some of the items that you are shipping could suffer damage or otherwise be lost. Often, this will be the result of inadequate packaging for the items that are being sent. This can leave them more vulnerable to being damaged by routine jostling or minor impacts. Tracking the particular products or items that suffer this damage can help you with understanding what is leading to this source of loss. For example, this may alert you to the need to improve the amount of padding that is used when packing the items or it may indicate that an entirely new packaging system may be needed.
Periodically Evaluate Potential Carriers
One mistake that a small business may make with its logistical network will be failing to periodically assess the available freight carriers. This can lead to these services dramatically overpaying for their freight services. Enterprises that must handle large scale shipments on a regular basis can find this mistake especially costly. In order to keep your enterprise safe from this potential problem, you will need to make sure that you get quotes from the available carriers at least periodically. This will allow you to know that you are getting the best service for your budget and shipping needs.
Consider Whether Shipment Insurance Is Worth The Added Cost
Reducing the costs that the business sustains as a result of lost or damaged shipments is always a major concern. While improving packaging can help to reduce the risks of routine damages occurring. You can further reduce the risk of these losses impacting the business by purchasing insurance for the items that you are shipping. When items are insured, you will be able to file a claim for instances of these items being lost or damaged. This can cover both routine instances of damage as well as catastrophic events, such as the vehicle carrying the shipment being involved in an accident. Considering that losing a major shipment can represent a devastating financial blow to the business, the small fees that are required to insure these shipments can be a worthwhile expense to save the company from potentially catastrophic losses.
Contact a freight company for more information.
