A customers positive delivery experience won't make their day, but a negative experience can put a stop to them ever ordering from you again and they might leave a bad review for others to see.
Source: Flow.IO
Time and time again, research shows that delivery issues are a major cause for dissatisfaction, and a lack of delivery options, high charges or slow services can put shoppers off from shopping with you at all.
As a proud established online business you’ll have delivery processes in place for your home country that will be well-rehearsed and a fantastic extension of your own business.
But how can you be sure you’ll be getting the same quality of service if you start expanding your customer base overseas?
It will be no surprise that how you get your products to your customers is very important. Any delays, errors or less-than-satisfactory service will diminish your reputation and reduce repeat orders, or worse, end up with negative public reviews.
So how can you be sure you have an international parcel service that understands what you need, but is also a trusted partner at the end of your customer journey?
Here are the top five things to look out for:
Experience:
It’s important to see if an international parcel service is already working in the countries you want to reach, and how long. Companies like Asendia, who have been proudly working across the world for many years, will have a page telling you exactly which territories they work within, if they use a local partner to finalise the delivery, and how they understand the destination’s local culture.
Cost:
Naturally you’ll want to keep your costs low, so delivery charges are not a barrier to finalising a sale with your customers, but if they are very low this could indicate the quality of service is low too. Shop around to get a good sense of what the average charge is* and then use this as a benchmark when judging the international parcel company on the other factors listed here.
*Don’t forget to look at any return delivery charges (are they already included) so you can be sure you (and your customers) won’t have any surprises.
Reputation:
Just as your customers will review your products and service, people will also review an international parcel service. Seek out reviews and look at how well they have performed with previous customers. Of course, you won’t want to take things on face value, but it may be that the reviews will give a good insight into which company will work the hardest for you.
International power, local care:
Large companies like Asendia have the experience and logistical support to get your items to customers all over the world. While this will get your package safely to a destination company, however, the final mile may well be in the hands of a local company. This company could be anything from a national carrier to a small independent family run business. The international parcel service you use will be able to tell you who their partners are at every stage and customers seeing their item will be delivered by a familiar brand could well encourage them to purchase from you.
Delivered on time:
There will always be unforeseen circumstances that may cause delays, but an experienced international parcel company will be able to keep these to a minimum. Most delays can occur at customs so an experienced international parcel company will be able to make sure you are able to manage expectations with a realistic delivery time, while also being best places to mitigate delays at customs with established processes at each border.
Of course, there is a lot to research to make sure you have peace of mind once you’ve sent out your international orders, but that research will pay dividends in the long run as your repeat orders increase and the positive reviews of your business come in.
Find out more about Asendia's e-PAQ international parcel services or get in touch and speak to a member of the team.
