Reason 7 to Use a Multiple Carrier Shipping System - Are You Making Installment Payments on Your Shipping System But Don’t Know It?

Here is an aspect of the ‘free’, carrier provided shipping systems that might not be obvious. When a carrier gives out a shipping system, it’s not out of the goodness of their heart. There is a cost attached to developing and providing the ‘free’ shipping system and this cost must be recouped. The ‘free’ shipping system’s cost is not just written off as a cost of doing business. The carriers expect to make money from your shipping and to make enough additional income to pay for the shipping software being used. Each of these is reasonable, but if you are paying for shipping software, why not buy a shipping system that gives you shipping choices and power when negotiating your rate contract?

Companies that have changed from the ‘free’ carrier software to our CPS shipping software tell us they are better able to negotiate their rate contracts when using CPS. Part of this is due to the carrier knowing they can easily make shipping choices since they are not “locked in” by software to a specific carrier. In addition, the carrier does not need to cover the cost of providing software in the rate contract. Each of these works to the good of the shipper.

This additional savings when using a multiple carrier shipping system may not be immediately obvious, but it’s another way a multi-carrier system can put money on the bottom line. For more information about CPS, visit www.HarveySoft.com.

Reason 6 to Use a Multiple Carrier Shipping System – Provide More Accurate Financial Data Back to Your Accounting Systems

A multiple carrier shipping system can help with many operational issues in the shipping department. But what about helping the bean counters? Let’s look at the accounting side of shipping for a minute. Using a multiple carrier shipping system, one system controls all the shipping choices, carriers and processes. If you ship with multiple carriers and use different shipping systems for each, your shipping processes become spread out and the data integration to the accounting system substantially more complicated. The combination of complicating both package processing and data integration means that data returned to accounting may not be completely accurate, causing widespread problems from customer billing to sales forecasts. And who wants accounting data that always needs adjusting?

Here is a “real life” example that just occurred. This company discovered that one of their carriers was the better choice for their entire day’s shipping. Unfortunately, they had already shipped everything (120 packages) with another carrier and they used separate systems for each carrier. To fix this, they had to delete each package in the first system, then ship each package again in the second system. In addition to the delete/re-ship procedure, they also had to back out the now doubled shipping charges from their accounting system. Finally, they also needed to monitor the original carrier’s bill to be sure they were not billed for the packages that were actually shipped with the other carrier. To correct all of this took hours, but made them focus on their entire shipping procedure. They called us the day after this happened, saying they never wanted to be in that situation again. They are solving this by purchasing our multi-carrier CPS shipping software.

It is always easier to work with just one system, especially when integrating data with an accounting or order system. To get the most accurate data possible from your shipping system, using a multiple carrier shipping system simplifies the integration between shipping and accounting, greatly reducing the opportunities for error. For more information about CPS, visit www.HarveySoft.com.

Reason 5 to Use a Multiple Carrier Shipping System - Increase Visibility to Your Customer Service Department

“Where is my package?” That’s something you don’t want to say about a package that you are expecting. And it’s something that you never want to hear from a customer. So let’s look at how you can provide the best package visibility to your customer service department and your customers. If you use multiple carriers with different shipping systems for each, this can become complicated.

Shipping departments report shipping results in different ways. Some will print a package shipping record “document label” and attach it to the paperwork for an order. That works, but it means that finding the answer to “Did the package ship?” means going through paperwork, which can be time consuming even when the paperwork is filed correctly. Maybe the office staff collects the paperwork and then updates each record in the order system. That is better visibility since the shipping status can be found in the order system. But different shipping systems print different labels, and it’s easy to make a mistake when you are looking “here” for the shipping data on this label but “there” for the shipping data from another label. And hand updating tracking numbers? Definitely an area where mistakes can be made. It is so much better if the shipping system sends data directly to the order system. But using different carriers, each with its own shipping system that sends data in different ways, can present substantial challenges when making each system communicate with the order system. There has to be a better way.

This is where a multiple carrier shipping system can really make the entire shipment visibility process smoother and easier for both the company and the customer. Let’s use our CPS shipping software as an example. Whether you ship with FedEx, UPS or the Post Office, CPS provides shipping data in the same way for every carrier. If the shipping system gets data directly from and sends data directly to the order system, it’s a clear advantage when only one shipping system needs to be integrated with the order system - a clear “plus” for a multi-carrier shipping system. Even if you update shipping data manually in your order system, each shipment document label has its data in the same place for each carrier, speeding entry and minimizing mistakes. Another plus for a multi-carrier shipping system. There are other visibility advantages, too. CPS can send an email shipping notification, the CPS SHIP eLERT®, for every package that is shipped. When a company uses different carrier provided shipping systems, each carrier’s shipping email notification looks different from the other’s, and none are clearly from your company. Every CPS SHIP eLERT has the same format, and they are sent from the shipper’s email account, so the customer knows who it’s from. That’s better visibility and customer service.

Finally, with every package you ship in just one system, it’s easy to find and track a package if there is a question. With CPS, you can easily track one package or a group of packages right from the shipping history. You never have to find out which carrier was used, then go to this system or that system to track the package.

Package visibility is a big concern in today’s “I want it NOW!” world. A multiple carrier shipping system offers the smoothest path for the quick, easy shipment visibility that is expected by today’s shippers and customers. For more information about how CPS can help with this and many other aspects of today’s shipping, visit www.HarveySoft.com.

Reason 4 to Use a Multiple Carrier Shipping System - Improve Your Business Processes By Using Just One Shipping System vs. 2 or More

This is part 4 in the series about using a multiple carrier shipping system. If you ship with more than one carrier and use the ‘free’ individual shipping systems from each carrier, you substantially complicate your shipping processes. From the very start, if you use two or more single carrier shipping systems, the initial installation is harder. You have to set up two systems. You need to allocate the physical space to accommodate each separate system. You need double the computer and shipping hardware.

Next, each system will have its own method to connect to your existing data. This means the IT staff needs to learn how to make multiple, outside systems read data from and write data to your existing data tables. Using two or more systems mean training needs increase. More training time is needed for everyone who uses the shipping systems (initial system users and new hires) because there are multiple systems to learn. This includes IT staff, too. When updates occur, each system will be updated on a different schedule, so there is more work needed to keep the systems current.

And that’s just to make the systems ready to ship packages. If you think that sounds hard, wait until you use them. Using separate systems means that it’s just about impossible to efficiently choose shipping by one carrier or another at the point of shipping. If you are looking for the best carrier, best rate, best anything, you have to check out each package in each system. If you shipped a package by one carrier and you need to change the carrier, first you delete the package from one system, then add it to the other system. Unless your order system can accurately predetermine the carrier and service needed every time for every package, choosing the best carrier and service for any package can mean more work for this shipping system operator, which slows down the shipping process.

An excellent solution for these issues is using a multiple carrier shipping system. Our CPS shipping software easily ships with the 3 major US package carriers. With CPS, there is just one system to setup, one system to learn and one system to update. Streamlining those processes is a tremendous efficiency gain. In the actual shipping process, the shipping system operator uses one system for everything - no jumping from here to there to there. This is faster with far less chance of errors. Using just one system means more packages can be shipped in a given period of time with fewer shipping mistakes (such as wrong carrier or wrong service) made. These are all clear “wins” in the shipping department.

Put these multiple carrier shipping system advantages together and they add up to more packages out the door, an easier connection between the shipping system and your data, and a smoother way to use and choose the best carrier and service for every package. In fact, the hardest thing about using a multiple carrier system is making sure you put each completed, labeled package in the right pick up stack for its carrier.

There’s more, but let’s keep this blog length, not book length. For more information about CPS, visit http://www.harveysoft.com/.

Reason 3 to Use a Multiple Carrier Shipping System - Shipping Choices for Your Customers

If you use just one carrier for your shipping, you could be shortchanging your customers AND your company. Today’s shoppers are savvy enough to know that if they are only offered a single carrier as their shipping choice, they could be paying too much for shipping. It’s well established that many shoppers cancel their purchase if they are not satisfied with the shipping options they see. And when orders are cancelled, your company loses out. That’s not all.

Other customers or potential customers may have special accounts with a carrier and require all packages shipped for their orders to be done by a specific carrier on a “bill receiver” or “bill 3rd party” basis. If you use just one carrier and it’s not this potential customer’s carrier, you could miss out on gaining that business.

These are two very different situations that have the same result - lost business if you cannot provide carrier choices. A multiple carrier shipping system can solve these issues forever. When you use a multiple carrier shipping system like our CPS shipping software, you have the freedom to offer your customers the shipping choices they want. This includes being able to ship with multiple carriers, but also goes a lot farther than “Ship by your choice of FedEx/UPS/USPS”.

With the right multiple carrier shipping system, you can offer free shipping or flat-rate shipping offers, which are proven to build sales. Since free shipping or flat-rate shipping offers are not tied to a carrier, the right multiple carrier shipping system can choose the best carrier and service for each package shipped with the “standard shipping” choice. If other shipping options are offered, such as expedited service, one-day delivery, two-day delivery or delivery by a specific carrier, a multiple carrier shipping system lets you control these, too.

Equip your shipping department to be ready when carrier choices are needed, whether it’s to make better shipping offers or be prepared when a customer has a carrier requirement. It could be the advantage that makes the difference in your profits. For more information about CPS, visit www.HarveySoft.com.

Reason 2 to Use a Multi-Carrier Shipping System – You Have More Power in Rate Negotiations

This week, here is reason number two for using a multi-carrier shipping system. The competition between the carriers can be intense. They fight for your business each and every day. When you look at the main players, each offers good, reliable transportation services. So what sets them apart? Obviously, the price you pay for their services. If you use a “free” carrier provided shipping system and it is integrated to your order entry or other back-end system, changing carriers can be difficult, even when another carrier offers better rates.

When the carrier knows their “free” shipping system locks you in to using that carrier, how motivated are they to give you their best rate offer? Use a multi-carrier shipping system and the carriers know you can easily change, giving them substantial incentive to provide their best rate offers when negotiating. There are many so good reasons to use a multi-carrier system versus one that is provided by a carrier at “no direct cost to you.”

If you are using a multi-carrier system like our CPS shipping software, if you negotiate a better rate with a different carrier, it’s a snap to change carriers. Using a multi-carrier system places you in a better negotiating position and that means dollars to your bottom line. Your shipping will never miss a beat!

Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at more ways that multi-carrier shipping systems can bring benefits to your shipping, accounting, customer service, sales and carrier relationship processes. Right now, visit www.HarveySoft.com if you would like to know more about CPS.

This Week, Let’s Look at the Number 1 Reason to Use a Multi-Carrier Shipping System

There are many good reasons to use a multi-carrier system versus one that you can obtain from a carrier for ‘free.’ A multi-carrier system is designed to meet the needs of its customers and not the needs of the carriers. Carriers developed these systems to enable them to capture specific data on each package and produce carrier compliant labels. These needs are what drive the carriers to provide these ‘free’ systems to their customers which number in the hundreds of thousands; so what they give away is not designed for specific industries or for specific types of customers. They are designed to provide specific data and carrier compliant labels.

A multi-carrier system is designed with the customer in mind. That’s why they bundle the carriers into one system with one user interface with one repository for your shipping data. That’s why a multi-carrier system provides tools that help you to better manage your customers and help you to increase sales and satisfy customers. That’s why a multi-carrier system like the CPS shipping software provides tools that help you connect to a variety of systems like your order entry system, providing important shipping data. In short, multi-carrier shipping was designed for YOU, the one that depends on shipping products to YOUR customers.

Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at lots of ways that multi-carrier shipping systems can bring benefits to your shipping, accounting, customer service, sales and carrier relationship processes. Right now, visit www.HarveySoft.com if you would like to know more about CPS.