In addition to the quality of goods that they are buying, the customers care greatly about the quality of service as well. They do not want their goods to be late or, even worse, to arrive in bad shape. Therefore, making sure that you are running a tight operation in terms of shipping is vital to customer satisfaction. With that in mind, we've prepared this guide on the most common shipping problems, as well as some useful tips and instructions on how to avoid them. Read on to learn how to provide the best shipping service that will, hopefully, secure you many loyal customers.
Common shipping price problems
The first of the common shipping issues and problems that we will talk about involves shipping prices. Namely, making the wrong decision in relation to whether you will charge your customers for shipping and exactly how much the fee will be could cause a significant financial loss in the long run.
Shipping costs can sometimes be rather high, depending on the weight of the package, its destination, and the time it takes for the package to arrive. Charging your customers for shipping fees will ensure that the deal is profitable for your business; otherwise, the profit could be insubstantial if the cost of shipping turns out to be too high when compared to the price of sold goods, even if you have done everything you can in order to reduce the costs of shipping.
Another option is to provide free shipping to your customers. This will certainly make your business more appealing in the eyes of customers, likely resulting in additional orders. Especially if you are shipping your customers' newly-bought household belongings during their relocation procedure.
On the other hand, knowing that shipping is free often makes customers spend less time thinking about their buying decisions, which could make them return the product if they decide that it isn't optimal for their needs.
Products packing problems
One of the more common problems with shipping involves packaging problems regarding the way the goods are packed. First of all, the size of the package could be incorrect and inadequate for the specific package type that you are shipping. One possible mistake is to pack too many items inside one box. While they may fit, this could mean that there is not enough space in the box for the necessary wrapping materials, jeopardizing the goods in the process. Even if there is enough room for adequate packing materials, placing too many items in one box could still put them in danger.
When it comes to product packaging, careful planning is often required, especially during the peak season. That is because if you run out of all the necessary packing materials (boxes, wrapping material, etc.), you risk the delivery being late while you are waiting for the additional supplies.
Always be ready for all the deliveries you may have to make because if you don't, not only will you put a dent in your reputation, but you will likely also lose some of the customers you have already acquired.
Be prepared for the holiday season
As we said, customers hate it when their goods are late. The chances of this happening are especially high during the holiday season. As many packages are being shipped at this time of year, courier services may be struggling with the amount of work, increasing the risk of them being late with deliveries. This is one of the common shipping problems that, unfortunately, cannot be completely eliminated, but still, with some planning, you may adapt to holiday season shipping problems and lower the chances of deliveries being late.
Even before the holidays arrive, emphasize the fact that it is very important for your customers to place their orders early, and inform them of the possibly longer period of time it will take for the ordered goods to arrive (especially if they have waited too long before placing the order).
If there is a chance of goods being late after the order was placed, inform your customers about this problem so that they know what to expect. In general, customers value transparency, and it is better if they are aware of the delay right away, instead of making them wonder what's happening with their items.
Choose adequate shipping carrier(s)
Choosing the right shipping carrier is vital to any business involved in selling and shipping goods. Therefore, do enough research and think hard about whether the carrier that you are thinking of doing business with is the right one for your company. An unprofessional carrier that's charging unrealistically large shipping fees is a serious problem that could greatly reduce your profits, so avoiding such carriers is essential for the future of your business, and also for improving delivery speeds.
Apart from finding a reliable carrier, you can do yourself a favor and find several such carriers. Doing business with a few different carrier companies can turn out to be a very wise decision. Competitive shipping rates mean that you will save some money, and it is useful to have a backup carrier in case the one you are usually working with experiences severe problems, such as, for example, a strike.
How to handle customer dissatisfaction
Unfortunately, no matter the number of precautions taken, the goods may still arrive late or damaged. In this case, the customer needs to feel taken care of. Apart from apologizing, you can offer to send the goods again or to provide the customer with a full refund. Also, sending them a gift from your selection of products or providing them with a discount for future purchases is a good token of apology that could somewhat mitigate the damage done.
Similarly, the customer needs to feel taken care of even if there wasn't anything wrong with the shipment, but he/she would still like to return the goods. In this case, offering to pay for the transportation fees will help your reputation as a company that cares about its customers.
However, you can also let the customers pay for shipping the goods back. As this is one of the common shipping problems for which there is no universal solution, the decision is up to you. Just remember that, as we said, customers care greatly about the quality of your service, and making them feel important can hardly be bad for business.
