Category: SEO

The delivery service that a business provides is often one of the strongest impressions that they can give to a customer. It’s a big part of your customer service and this means it is one of the key factors that can not only lead to great feedback but also damage a companies reputation. This means it is important to create a smooth flowing and efficient delivery service for your customers. It doesn’t matter if you’re a small home-run business or a large corporation if you supply products you are going to have to have a good method in place. You will find that many of the businesses that struggle to get this vital area of their business under wraps fail, quite often in their first year. 

Take a look at some of the sure-fire ways you can improve your delivery service: 

Think About When The Order Arrives

Quite often you will find that a business will only start to think about the delivery service as the physical task of handing the parcel to the customer whereas. In reality, it should start from the moment the order comes in. As soon as the order is on your system you should start to deal with it. Think about having a process where you print the delivery label when you have the customer details and then it’s good to go when the order is picked. It should speed up the process and enable you to get the order out for delivery sooner. 

Picking And Packing

Another crucial step is the picking and packing of the item you are shipping. It’s important to have a process in place that means the order can be picked for delivery as quickly as possible and then also have the information to hand for the way it should be packed. You want to make sure that certain items such as those that are fragile are packed well. This will reduce the number of damages in transit and ultimately reduce costs. 

Method Of Delivery 

There are a few ways you can deliver your items to your customers, you could use a normal postage service, a courier or if it calls for it, have your own fleet of trucks. If you do decide to have your own fleet there are few things you need to consider. You need to make sure you allocated fund to purchasing vehicles, maintaining them and then think about the fact you will need drivers. You then need to have a plan in place for tracking deliveries and looking after your drivers on the road. Using drive cams has become a popular method of doing this as it allows you to watch the footage of any delivery route that is taken. You are also going to have to have a training programme in place to make sure the drivers are providing the level of customer service you want your customers to receive. 

These three ways to improve your delivery service should help you to also improve your customer service. Do you have any other ways that you can do this? Please share them in the comments below. 

If you have ever wondered how to make your life easier as a small business owner, then one thing you should be considering is outsourcing and automation. In this day and age with the advancement of technology, it is easier than ever to do what you need to do with the help of third-party apps or companies. Doing everything yourself will not only spread you too thin, but it will also take your focus away from where it needs to be.

There are many tools available for businesses of all sizes to help them do what they do but better and easier. Depending on your business and what you need to help you do your job, you can be sure to find something to slot into your company to enhance your working process and ultimately, make your life so much easier.

Automating your Business.

The last thing you want to be doing is spending time manually compiling reports or completing tasks that can be handled by putting an automated process in place. Whilst you will still need to set it up and with some apps, make sure all the relevant information is input correctly, a lot of the time, once it is up and running you can leave it to do its thing.

Installing business intelligence software will help you compile all the data you need from within your company efficiently and easier than doing it manually. Using apps such as Slack can provide a getter working experience for you and your team to be able to keep in touch and on top of your workload in an easier, more streamlined way. Think of all the things you can be doing in your business instead once you automate the parts of your business that take up a big chunk of your time! 

If you are looking at taking your business up a gear then making sure you have automated processes in place is essential to help you put your time and focus into other areas to achieve your goal.

Outsourcing.

The same way that automating your company can take away some of your workloads, outsourcing can help you maintain a more professional appearance by taking care of tasks that need more time devoted to them than you have or more expertise in certain areas.

This is especially useful for small business as outsourcing tasks can take away the need for hiring staff and still help you to make sure you are on top of everything.

But what should you be looking at outsourcing? 

• SEO
• Social Media
• Website Development and Maintenance,
• Call Handling
• HR
• Recruitment
• Accounting
• Emails
• Payroll

If there is a need for it in your business or you feel something is above your capabilities, then you would be doing yourself a disservice by not considering outsourcing tasks. Companies specialising in the above-mentioned specialities and more, retain staff who are not only fully qualified in their professions but also have the experience to provide you with high quality, professional service.

In order to get to the higher echelons of the business world, you need to have more about you than just your mind and body. When a business hits a bit of success, the focus is firmly on the leader of the pack – the CEO. It’s only right that they get the credit as it’s their creation, but they didn’t do it all on their own. Sure, some people create products or apps that boom and turn into an overnight success, but ninety-nine percent of businesses are slow burners that require a team effort. 

If you’re looking to start up a business, then you’re going to have to recruit the right people. We’re talking about your staff, of course, but also those from other firms that you feel can take you to a new level. Business contacts are absolutely vital if you want to constantly build on what you have. This is very much a case of ‘who you know,’ so you’re going to want to know all the right people. As there are many different sectors and verticals in the world of business, there are a seemingly endless amount of contacts that you can align yourself with. Here are a few that most businesses in the world should probably be in touch with.

Recruitment Agencies

You’re probably going to want to hire the brightest and best possible people. If you’re quite the interviewer and recruiter, then you might not worry about this kind of thing, but if you have neither the experience, the time, nor the skillset, then a recruitment agency would be perfect for you. You can get them to headhunt for you, or you could contact them and ask them for a temporary employee or two. Both of these avenues can be of great value.

IT Support

A lot of work is done on computers these days. The majority of your data will be stored on them, and the work you do will take place on them, too, so you need to make sure that you’re protected at all times. IT companies will be able to provide guardianship of your systems and data while you work – they’ll protect you from anything untoward, and alert when anything negative goings-on. It’s worth having them on your side. 

Suppliers 

If you’re in the likes of the manufacturing business, or the retail business, you’re going to need to have the materials or the parts delivered to you in order to work. You can’t get things done without the raw materials in your hands. The right suppliers are a necessary contact as they’ll be able to give you everything you need for the weeks and months of intense graft ahead. If you need a Rubber Sheet, extra packaging material, or special and specific parts, the right supplier(s) will be necessary.

Marketing Firms

There is an array of different companies out there that literally do your creative side for you. Marketing can be quite tricky – especially in this new digital age where everyone is vying for attention on the likes of social media. Having a marketing firm on your side might be the difference between attracting lots of receiving no traction.