Unlock 3 Benefits of Outsourcing Your Logistics to a Seattle Courier Delivery Service
Running a successful retail business in Seattle has always been challenging, but to successfully compete today, you must now provide customers with a reliable same-day or express delivery service.
Recent years have seen the face of retail change, and now far more customers buy online and expect a prompt Seattle courier delivery.
But how is this possible if you are one of the 100,000+ small businesses in Seattle on a tight budget?
Isn’t the cost of outsourcing to a Seattle delivery service too high?
Think again, as that’s not necessarily the case.
Outsourcing your deliveries can work out far more cost-effective. It can also free up your time to focus on other aspects of your business, like sales and product development, that can boost your profits and productivity long term.
How?
Let’s look and see.
Consider the following three benefits of outsourcing to a professional Seattle courier delivery service.
Speed: A Seattle Courier Delivery Service Ensures Customers Receive Their Goods on Time
When you need items delivered, say baked goods for a hotel in Ballard or artisan foods for a café in Freemont; time is of the essence.
There is little point in spending the time and effort producing a top-quality product for it to perish during delivery or turn up after the event.
Speed matters in logistics – but getting across town quickly can be a nightmare in Seattle due to the traffic.
Those who know Seattle will know that rush hour traffic, a collision on the I-5 downtown, or lane closures on the main commuter routes around First and Columbia frequently cause stop-and-go congestion.
These holdups can be a nightmare for drivers that don’t have access to the latest route optimization technology to help them avoid traffic jams and accidents.
Speed is where Seattle courier services excel, as they specialize in getting packages to their destination in hours or even minutes, depending on your chosen service.
A professional logistics company will have enough vehicles on the road, access to the right technology, and offer several timeframes for delivery.
Most local Seattle couriers provide standard overnight and same-day delivery services. Some also run express courier services catering to customers that need their goods urgently.
Premium Seattle courier services, like Metrobi, also offer industry-specific wholesale delivery options and bespoke services for those who supply food, beverages, flowers, or laundry to other businesses in the area.
This flexible approach to logistics is a great benefit as it ensures your goods arrive with customers on time and are correctly stored and handled, limiting the chance of damage and ultimately boosting the customer experience.
Cost: Outsourcing to A Local Seattle Courier Service Can Save You Time and Money
Nowadays, owning a successful retail business in Seattle is about more than supplying a good product; a lot needs to run efficiently behind the scenes to ensure you provide a first-class service.
One of these factors is deliveries.
Since the pandemic, it has become expected for a retailer or wholesaler to deliver goods quickly.
Although you may dream of expanding, not every retailer or coffee shop can grow to the size of Seattle’s home brand Starbucks without making savvy business decisions and forming relationships with reliable third parties.
If you’re a business start-up, it’s easy to assume that delivering the goods yourself or setting up an in-house delivery service is the best and most affordable option.
But managing deliveries yourself takes time, money, and planning.
First, you need to buy, insure, and maintain the vehicles. Then you need to hire and payroll enough drivers and equip them with the right technology to ensure they get the items to customers quickly.
This makes the cost of setting up an in-house delivery service extremely high compared to outsourcing to a Seattle courier, whereby you then pass on these expenses to them.
A professional Seattle delivery service will have enough vehicles, drivers, and the right technology to deliver the goods as requested.
In addition, aside from the costs saved on setting up a delivery service, you can recoup much of the courier’s charges as customers usually expect to pay a little more for quick delivery of their goods.
Technology: You Gain Access to Technology That Can Boost Your Customer Experience
All modern companies use technology to make their jobs more manageable, and logistics is no exception.
We have already looked at how important it is for a courier in Seattle to use route-optimization software to beat the city congestion, but that’s not the only technology you benefit from by outsourcing to a Seattle-based courier.
Better delivery services also use a combination of barcode technology and GPS to allow you to track where your items are in real time.
This emerging technology is an excellent advantage to you and your customer, as it means you can log in to an online platform or app, add the unique barcode number attached to the package, and locate where it is at any given time.
This reassures you that the item is safely on its way or can be used to troubleshoot delays or advise customers should they ask.
Another clever technology used by delivery services in Seattle is the drivers’ handheld devices to capture images of the items and allow the recipients to sign for their deliveries at the end location.
These signatures and pictures are then sent to your online account for reference and can be used as proof of delivery should ever the receipt of the item come into question.
Finally, to simplify organizing the pickup and delivery of goods, the best Seattle courier delivery companies now also have a website or easy-to-use online platform where you can quickly manage and monitor all your logistics.
With the Metrobi platform, you can arrange most of your deliveries online. Still, they also supply you with a dedicated operations manager to oversee the day-to-day running of your account.
Your Metrobi ops manager’s role is to support you with all your delivery requirements, suggest drivers and vehicles, and tailor the courier service to you.
To discover more about Metrobi’s Seattle courier service, please request a callback.
