What You Should Consider When Looking At a New Carrier

Scenario:-

You’ve been with your current service provider for a long period of time, perhaps there have been a number of issues which has pressured you into wanting to open up communication with the rest of the market place.

But what should you be looking for? Where is best to start and perhaps there are new services that you weren’t previously aware of.

I am going to talk you through what our experience here at Translink Express has taught us to look out for, and how we keep our customers informed of new services.

Pricing Structures

It doesn’t matter which service provider you are looking at for your palletised distribution, every single network offers a niche service, or their post code break downs are completely different!

Don’t let this deter you from moving, it just means that your potential savings may not be across the board. But if they are overall then surely you should be satisfied right?

It’s not all about price…

Completely right, you may come across a service provider that is offering lower than average rates (Majority of us will be there or thereabouts in prices as we are mainly governed by our networks) this should raise some red flags, so err on the side of caution.

There are a number of reasons some companies release these low prices, could be they are a new company and trying to establish their business by undercutting the market place. If you think this is the case, more often than not 6 months to a year down the line you are going to receive a hefty increase.

Alternatively the business could be struggling. I would always recommend credit checking any transport company you are looking to go into business with. You are trusting these companies to ensure your goods arrive with your clients, if anything happens to them you could end up in a sticky situation waiting for your delivery to arrive.

Choosing a reputable company that has been around for a number of years, that is happy with face to face communication and won’t hide behind email is a good bet. Surely you want to build a relationship with the company you are trusting to complete your customer’s journey with you? Make sure they have the same values that you hold in your business, similar concepts and goals can only help.

Other Services

It is easy to get stuck using the same old services, but there are alternative options available to you. It is also worth receiving other information on them, as this could help you offer your clients a service that they may be unable to get from any of your competitors.

Comparisons

Normally I would recommend any customer that wishes to open an account, sending out large volumes of freight, do a thorough comparison of prices and services. This isn’t just on the pricing aspect but also for service options, pallet sizes differ within all networks and this could offer you a bigger saving than your first anticipate.

When I do this with our potential new customers, this normally helps me understand where we as a business can offer a saving, perhaps on a different pallet size or service.

Don’t shy away from sending some data over, I understand not wanting to send invoices with your prices you currently pay, but remember the more data we have the better we can price up a package for your business individually.

Help

If you are in the boat above, looking at the market place anew, why not let me help you and offer a brief chat on our services?

Perhaps we can offer you the solution you have been looking for!

For more information call me on 0116 275 1555.

Author: Callie Walker

Title: Sales & Marketing Manager