It’s an online world, and by now most companies are doing more business through the mail compared to in-person in a brick-and-mortar store.
Whether you run a home-based crafting business or ship hundreds of packages of industrial parts and products, you need to ensure your goods get into the hands of your clientele on time and in one piece. To ensure your packaging is safe, secure, and ready to be shipped and received right away, here are a few tips on how to ensure your packages arrive safely and on time.
Pick Your Packaging
Choosing the right container to ship your product is extremely important. For most packages, a standard brown corrugated cardboard box with a single wall is enough to protect near-unbreakable items. Still, consider upgrading the amount of reinforcement in the box’s walls for more delicate items so the box won’t easily break or be punctured. Give the contents a little wiggle room. If your item is pressing against the walls of the box, it could poke through. Keep in mind that while it’s unlikely your package will need to survive a drop from a great height, it will have to endure repeated short drops, jostles, and bumps. Protect the interior with bubble wrap, packing peanuts, or some other form of protection.
Tape It Up!
When you’re considering how to ensure your packages arrive safely and on time, keep in mind that a single strip of tape could be the difference between your item staying inside the box or spilling out of it. Most packing tape has a tensile strength of 22 pounds which means it can take that much pressure before bursting. Water-activated tape has up to 55 pounds of tensile strength and is difficult for a thief to penetrate. Whichever you choose, don’t skimp on applying it. It’ll help your packages and products keep it together.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered?
Addressing a package seems straightforward enough. Jot down the address, add your own in the return address corner, and send it off. However, many packages get lost because some people overlook the following steps.
Confirm the address—contact your customer directly if you have to—and ensure it’s recorded in your system. Next, write down the address and return address, then check them again. If you’re using stickers or fancy address labels, that’s a terrific way to employ branding—but ensure those labels stick. A label lost en route can lead to headaches for you, the carrier, and the client.
Online Tracking Is Go!
When you contract a shipper or delivery service, look for negative customer reviews and word of mouth about how the service handled (or didn’t handle) a shipping emergency or customer complaint. Get online tracking so you can monitor your package’s path and progress and catch any complications before they become a client’s problem. Use online tracking to keep an eye on your deliveries even when they’re out of sight.
