3 Shipping Mistakes to Avoid

Even the simplest shipping operation can be complicated by inefficient management processes, and when you’re shipping on an enterprise scale, complications have a tendency to multiply. An effective shipping strategy starts with understanding your business needs, identifying appropriate solutions, and avoiding these three common shipping mistakes.

1. Under- or overestimating shipping needs

Overestimating your shipping needs wastes business resources, but underestimating leaves your company scrambling to cover the difference amid ongoing supply chain disruptions, transport delays, and a challenging global economy. Add the approaching holiday season — along with peak carrier surcharges — and the need for strategic shipping and resource management is abundantly clear. A sound shipping strategy starts with an accurate assessment of your company’s shipping needs.

Information is a company’s most valuable resource, and accessible, real-time data is invaluable for a streamlined, cost-effective shipping operation. Reliable volume projections affect everything from packaging material inventory to carrier cost management and the overall agility of your business.

Don’t over- or underestimate your business shipping needs. Use smart technology and advanced data analytics to accurately forecast shipping volume, and address your shipping needs with streamlined processes, increased cost control, limited waste, and an overall improved experience.

2. Failing to account for all the variables

Enterprise shipping management comes with an extensive list of variables to consider. When strategies account for every variable and its potential effects — both isolated and cumulative — each plays a critical role in shipping management and operational efficiency.

A balanced shipping management equation includes obvious variables, such as:

Address and delivery verification assets to reduce errors and associated fees
Shipping materials inventory, especially during peak periods
Order deadlines and delivery guarantees
Real-time tracking capability for end-to-end shipment visibility

Essential, if less obvious, considerations include:

The relationship between carrier shipping costs and available delivery windows
Carrier rate increases and peak season surcharges
Inbound shipment tracking and package delivery management
The difference between average and seasonal shipping volume and shipment frequency
The overall scope and scalability of shipping management solutions

With the complexity of shipping and your business, including all the relevant variables in your strategic shipping calculations is essential to optimizing operational efficiency.

3. Relying on a single carrier strategy

Simplicity is the goal in a crowded and complex shipping landscape, but a single-carrier strategy does not simplify, so much as limit, your operational options. Efficient shipping demands flexibility and cost control, but at the scale of enterprise shipping, limited options aren’t as effective as smart technology solutions.

The simplicity of a single-carrier shipping strategy is attractive, but it doesn’t increase efficiency so much as convenience. With a comprehensive, cloud-based shipping management platform, your business receives dual benefits for efficiency and flexibility.

Automated cost-comparison features quickly scan carrier shipping cost and delivery window options to identify the ideal combination for your business needs. The customer experience is further enhanced with smart features for address and delivery verification, real-time inbound and outbound parcel tracking, and enhanced end-to-end shipment visibility.

With a multicarrier shipping strategy — and the technology to manage it with ease — shipping operations are flexible, streamlined, and optimized for cost-control. This is the power of options combined with the convenience of smart shipping management technology.

Shipping solutions

Enterprise shipping is complex, but managing it doesn’t have to be. Avoid common shipping management mistakes with smart technology solutions for:

Managing a multicarrier shipping strategy
Anticipating and assessing shipping challenges
Making data-driven shipping decisions
Optimizing every shipment from beginning to end
Easy scaling as your business continues to grow

Common doesn’t mean inevitable. Get proactive with your business’s shipping management strategy to avoid mistakes and streamline your shipping operations for maximum efficiency and cost-control.