01753 776000Whilst there are many companies involved in the shipment of your goods, the right courier will take full responsibility from start to finish.
If you’re looking for an international courier partner that will meet all of your specific needs, then here are some traits they should have.
- Well Managed From Start to Finish
- Has Relevant Accreditations
- Has Fast and Efficient Customs Clearance Methods
- Adopts a Proactive Approach
- Offers Real-Time Updates
- Flexible to Meet Your Needs
- Has Years of Experience and Expertise
- Is Committed to Building a Relationship With You
Well Managed From Start to Finish
A courier service that’s well managed from start to finish is likely to be able to fulfil your needs. You can rely on their continuity and consistency to run your business around them effectively. Plus, they can try and make sure that no mistakes are made through proactive and effective management.
As they prevent potential issues quickly, it reduces the chances of any frustrating mistakes - streamlining the delivery process.
Has Relevant Accreditations
Certifications, awards and accreditations. All of these things show that the international courier service you’re working with is a safe and secure partner and also has a track record of success to back them up. For good accreditations like AEO, ISO:9001 and ISO:14001, international couriers have to meet certain standards and quality levels.
It’s something that needs to be maintained throughout as they can just as easily be taken away. If the international courier you choose has these accreditations, then it’s a good sign that they’ll fulfil your needs like they have done for others before.
Has Fast and Efficient Customs Clearance Methods
Arguably the biggest point for those looking to ship internationally is what their courier service can do when customs come into play. A good courier should be renowned for helping to ensure their clients’ packages pass through customs smoothly.
If the international courier service you choose knows exactly what’s needed to make the process simple and straightforward, then your shipments are likely to arrive on time, every time, to keep your customers happy.
Adopts a Proactive Approach
Another big sign that an international courier can fulfil all of your shipping needs is if they take a proactive approach as opposed to a reactive one. There’s no denying that small mistakes can creep through when exporting goods. However, a courier you can rely on is one that proactively manages your deliveries rather than waiting for issues to arise and then fix them.
At Crossflight, for example, we have a dedicated customer service team on hand. They consistently monitor your shipments to ensure that issues are dealt with before they can become problems. That means it’s one less headache for you as they should take care of everything.
Offers Real-Time Updates
With exporting goods being a time-sensitive task, the international courier service you choose should be able to offer you real-time updates and shipment status. With the right service, it can go far beyond the usual vague updates.
An international courier should be able to update your business with the exact status of your goods and not just what was reported earlier in an update. It gives you the extra peace of mind that you have full visibility over your deliveries.
Flexible to Meet Your Needs
An international courier that’s flexible is one that can help fulfil all of your shipping needs. This can include anything from accepting last-minute shipments to turning quotations around quickly.
Look for one that offers a ‘can-do’ attitude so they always look to meet your ever-changing needs, rather than trying to make you compromise.
Has Years of Experience and Expertise
You can’t be blamed for overlooking newer courier services or those without accreditations. When it comes to international shipments, it’s likely that you’ll want to work with a courier service that has years of experience and are industry leaders. Plenty of success helping businesses worldwide suggests that they’re more reliable and a risk-free option compared to other alternatives.
This experience and expertise links into other points as well. For example, an international courier service with both of these things will likely have a comprehensive understanding of customs clearance requirements to make the process more streamlined. So, you don’t have to worry about security controls as they should take care of it all.
Not only that, but their expertise also means you should be able to rely on them to provide any answers or assistance you need.
Is Committed to Building a Relationship With You
If you’re regularly shipping goods internationally, then try to find a courier service that puts an emphasis on building a relationship with you. It’s sometimes nice to put a face to a name which isn’t always achievable with other alternatives.
Working with the right international courier service can lead to many more benefits that will help to fulfil all of your shipping needs. Whether it’s ad-hoc requests or the willingness to take on complex projects, you might find that these types of courier services are open to providing tailored solutions, so there’s no harm in asking.
See If You’re Working With the Right Courier or If It’s Time for a Change
Whether you have a favoured courier already or you’re looking to find a new one that can fulfil all of your shipping needs, you’ll benefit from considering all of your options before making a choice.
To help you with that, we’ve created a free checklist to help your search. It’s full of useful tips on what to look out for, how to choose the right international courier and much more. Get your free copy using the link below.
