Have peace of mind that your freight will be okay. Read more for how to find the right freight shipping service for you.
Safe and reliable shipping can have a massive effect on your business.
Choosing an LTL freight service that works for your company’s needs isn’t as easy as it sounds. There’s a lot to take into account if you’re going to ensure that your goods get to your clients quickly, safely, and at a fair cost.
In this post, we’re going to give you a few tips on how to find the right freight shipping service for your company. You don’t have to be an expert in all things freight, but you do have to be savvy and understand the importance of the relationship between your company and your freight forwarder.
You’re entering a business partnership with this company, to your mutual benefit. If you can trust them to get your freight from point A to point B and beyond, you’ll both be happy. Finding the right partner isn’t cakewalk though, so we’re here to help. Let’s get started.
Finding the Right Freight Shipping Service
If you’re going to find the right LTL freight shipping company, then you’re going to have to ask yourself a few questions. Can you rely on them to get your package from point A to point B? Do they comply with industry rules and regulations? How is their customer service?
These are just a few important things you need to know, but there are many others as well.
Can You Rely On Them?
First and foremost, you need to be able to rely on your freight forwarding company. You need the peace of mind knowing that your goods are going to arrive on time and in good condition.
But how do you know whether or not you can trust them before using them? You’ve got to do your research into their customer satisfaction. Your own reputation is tied to theirs when you go into business, so you’ve got to look at online reviews and even contact former customers to find out how their experience was.
You might even have to go through a couple of trial periods with different freight companies before you settle on one that you really love. It’s okay to cut ties if you’re not satisfied with their reliability. Compare LTL quotes and pick a few companies to try out.
Do They Comply With Industry Standards?
There are loads of regulations when it comes to shipping goods across far distances. Make sure that the company you choose is well versed in customs, border protection, and transportation regulations.
There’s a lot to know, so you have to see certifications and be able to trust that they’re doing things the right way. It would be impossible for you to learn everything there is to know about freight industry standards, so leave it up to them to tell you about their certifications.
Be wary when a business isn’t able to answer your questions about these types of things. You don’t want to end up in a shady situation with a bogus freight company.
Customer Service
Inevitably, you’ll need to deal with a freight forwarder’s customer service team. When you need to know where your shipments are and ETA’s on deliveries, you’ll have to talk to them.
For this reason, it’s hugely important to have pleasant interactions with the customer service people. If they’ve got good, helpful people on the front lines, everything will go much more smoothly.
If you have to deal with stubborn or standoffish customer service people, you probably won’t get the answers you’re looking for and it’ll leave a sour taste in your mouth. Why work with someone that you don’t like? If they’ve got bad customer service, leave them by the wayside.
How Do They Handle Emergencies?
Part of how you’ll deal with customer service will have to do with crisis management. You’re going to have emergencies come up, that’s part of the nature of shipping. How the customer service and the rest of the company deal with these things will say a lot about them.
Not every shipment is going to go according to plan. You’re going to have rush orders come in and you’ll need to trust that your freight company can prioritize your needs to get those types of shipments to the customer quickly.
You’ll also have traffic situations, long border searches, and pretty much anything you can think of that could slow a shipment down. There are so many things that are out of your control, but your freight company should be able to take certain measures to handle certain crises.
Insurance
When things go really wrong, you need to know that there’s insurance in place to cover your goods. In rare cases, products can get destroyed or go missing during a trip. It’s not ideal, but it happens sometimes.
The company that you choose should have a quality insurance policy in place to cover anything that gets damaged, lost, or stolen along the way. If they don’t, then you’re liable for your goods when they’re out of your hands. It’s not a good feeling to leave your products in the hands of a company that has no insurance plan.
Don’t Rush the Decision
It’s okay to take your time when you’re trying out a new freight shipping service. If you don’t want to enter in a contract with one, you can always work in a trial period first and find out first hand if they can do what you need them to.
Also, do lots of research beforehand, check out company reviews and testimonials, and bone up on all the rules and regulations, insurance policies, and industry standards. If you know your stuff when it comes to freight shipping, then you’re less likely to make regrettable decisions. Don’t rush and find the right shipper.
For more articles on tech, sports, and politics, check out The Urban Twist.
