Air, Sea, And Road Freight; The Choice Is Yours

Are you thinking about employing a freight method to your business? If you know you need to transport goods across the country and in some cases, even across the world, then you may be thinking about what choices you have. The three most popular freight choices include, air, sea and road.

To help you decide what freight method is right for you, I have listed some handy tips that may help make your decision.

Air Freight

Air freight basically means to ship your goods to another destination, via the air. In recent years, air freight has grown more popular, this is because of the advancements we have seen in this freight method.

A majority of businesses will choose this option because it is known as ‘express’ shipping, meaning it is one of the fastest ways to get your goods from one point to another. If you need to ship a large amount of goods on a regular basis, air freight can get rather expensive.

These services are usually aimed at small-medium sized businesses that do not use services on a regular basis, but when they do they like to achieve an effective fast result.

Just like another freight option that you will use when crossing borders, you will need to ensure that you document your goods properly; this will allow them to travel through customs.

 Sea Freight

Sae freight is the more popular choice when it comes to transporting good across the world; this is because it is much more affordable. Before you sign any contracts with a freight forwarding company, it is important that you understand where they travel to and where they are limited to.

Most freight forwarding companies will on travel on seas that they are familiar with, this means if you want to transport goods to somewhere unusual, you will need to hire a freight company that is specialised in this area.

The price of shipment is usually calculated per cubic metre of goods. It is likely you will also incur extra costs such as taxes and insurance surcharges and local terminal and port charges.

In the UK alone there are 120 ports, meaning it is possible to transport goods from almost anywhere.

Road Freight

Road freight is the most popular choice of freight services, with around 90% of freight travelling on the roads. Road freight services usually work closely with sea freight services; this is so that goods can get to their intended destination on time and in perfect condition.

If you need to transport goods over an extremely long distance, it probably would not be suitable to use road freight services, this is because it is not possible to drive to certain destinations and it can take a much longer time.

Kerry needed a freight company, so she contacted a number of different companies to find services that suited her needs. She found http://www.ccfreight.com was extremely helpful.

 

 

How To Find A Reliable Air Freight Company?

If you are exporting freight from the UK to it may be necessary to employ an air freight company to move your goods. You will want to choose an air freight company that handle all aspects of the export process and will ensure that the goods get to their destination, quickly, safely and securely.

Search Air Freight Companies

Finding a good air freight company is not a straight forward process. It would be worth considering several different companies and perhaps taking a look at their websites as a first step. Look for companies that have a depth of experience and that really understand international markets.

A follow up phone call or email will allow you to get a feel for how responsive the company is and whether you feel you could work with them. The air freight business is a people business, and you will need to understand whether the person you are speaking with will be directly responsible for handling your shipments, or is just another sales person.

Packaging

Prior to preparing your goods for export you should contact your air freight company to understand any size or weight restrictions that may apply for the destination you are shipping to. There is little point packing your goods and then finding out they are too big for security measures or too big or heavy for the available aircraft size.

It is essential that you package your goods properly for air export. If you don’t you may find that your cargo may not fly or may arrive damaged. Also bear in mind that insufficient or incorrect packaging can invalidate the insurance that you purchase for your goods to have the right to travel.

If you are unsure how to package your products then your freight company should be able to guide you or suggest a suitable export packing company. The packing company will design the packaging to ensure a safe transit and make sure that packing standards such as ISPM15 are complied with.

Air Freight Options

A good global freight company will be able to offer both economy and express services and will also offer a courier option for smaller shipments. It is also important that your freight company can offer freight insurance (if needed) and a full documentation service. It is essential your goods have the correct documents to travel with or could find that you can have a considerable loss to your company.

James works on behalf of Allenco, The Freight People who are a global freight company. They specialise in a variety of different export services, you can find a list of services at http://www.thefreightpeople.com/

 

 

5 Tips For Making Repeat Customers Out Of Online Shoppers

Okay you’ve finally opened your online shop.  How exciting!  Now all you need is shoppers.  Better yet, you need customers, repeat customers! Here are a few tips that will help you earn repeat customers.  Some of the tips are no different than if your store were a physical one yet some of are special to online shopping.

1. Be Attentive, Polite and Courteous

Online shopping can be a bit scary.  Reassure your shopper you are legit with the utmost customer service.  Always, when corresponding with a customer, either over the phone or the Internet, be polite and courteous; be attentive to their needs.  It doesn’t matter how many times it seems you’ve been asked the same question, answer it as though you’ve never heard it before.  Treat each and every shopper as you’d expect to be treated.  And, if needing to get back to a customer, do so in a timely manner.   Superior customer service will help lure shoppers back.

Always follow up with your customer feedback.  You may receive feedback on one of the many forms of social media, directly, or elsewhere, but whatever the case, always acknowledge it.  Take joy when you get complimented but take notice and learn from any negative feedback you may receive. Do not delete negative comments! It may be tempting, but this will only decrease trust in your company. It’s much better to acknowledge and see how you can right the situation.

2. Know Your Market

Know who your buyers are.  Promote your product or service by concentrating on that particular market.  Let people know about you.  Put yourself out there.  Use social media as a form of advertising and if blogging write enthusiastically.

Keep in touch with your customers.  Use email marketing (newsletters, promotions, specials) and again, social media to remind them who you are.  Just be sure not to over do it.  You want to be remembered and thought of not be a nuisance.

3. Have A Respectable Company Web Site

Make sure your site is easy to navigate.  Have it inviting yet simple.  A quality e-commerce platform helps to simplify the shopping process.  The verbiage should be in easy terms and easily understood.  Your return and refund policy needs to be precise and direct.  Keep everything simple and to the point.

When offering online discounts, free shipping, two for one specials, etc, again keep it simple and easy to use and navigate.  There is nothing more frustrating than a website that’s confusing and difficult to use making purchases difficult.  Be user friendly.

4. Offer Free Shipping

Shoppers love free shipping.  It’s a great promotional tool especially when your business is just starting up.  As your business grows, you can still offer free shipping but it is advised to offer it with a set minimum purchase in order to receive it.

5. Ship Internationally

Since you have an online business it may benefit you to ship not just locally but internationally as well.  Being online your store is available world wide; people from all over the globe can view it.  Hopefully, by shipping internationally you will gain recognition, repeat business, and increased revenue.

There are stipulations and additional cost associated with international shipping.  The delivery time and customs often delay the package a bit, but will make it there.  Check with you local post office for rules, regulations, and cost for exact details.

No matter what form your business is, superior customer service and quality products is key to the growth of any business and in getting repeat business.  It’s important to let your customers know you appreciate them and value their business.  Offer the occasional special promotion.  Make them want to purchase again and to spread the word about you.

Cathy West is a freelance writer from California.  She is a domestic diva and a physical fitness enthusiast.

 

Transport: A Dirty Business

So, you’ve turned your office into an eco-friendly haven, ensuring that you’ve taken all the necessary steps to become a more sustainable business, but it feels like there’s something you’ve forgotten… transport!

Business transport has a huge impact on the environment, the various types of shipping and transportation used by businesses increase greenhouse gases, CO2 emissions and oil pollution. Shipping aggregator, uShip, reported that, in Germany alone, 45.5 tonnes of Carbon and Greenhouse Gas emissions are produced by delivery vans and trucks.
What can we do as a business to offset this pollution?

The first step to making your business transportation climate neutral is working out how much CO2/Greenhouse gases your company produces through transportation. When you know how much carbon your business is responsible for producing you can look into options to offset this amount.
Many businesses are investing in climate-neutral projects to offset their usage, and many foundations that fund carbon-neutral projects crying out for sponsorship. Your investment will fund solar collectors, wind farms and other projects across the world.

Take a minute to think about your transportation options. What do you use? Have you ever thought about shipping via rail or water instead of by road? This small change could significantly reduce your emissions.

When shipping to local businesses, choose a local shipping company to reduce the amount of time delivery trucks will be on the road, subsequently reducing emissions.

Your employees can help too!
Suggest a car-pooling system and if you are using delivery trucks advise your drivers on the most environmentally friendly driving methods.

This post was written on behalf of the shipping aggregator, uShip. uShip recently announced that were offering 100% climate neutral transport across Germany, and Mainland Europe and also offer a ’man with a van’ service.