How to arrange a delivery service for online store

With the organization of delivery will have to face any online store. And then there are only two ways: either create their own delivery service or give delivery to outsource. Each approach has its pros and cons. But if 3-4 years ago the creation of its delivery service chosen by most beginners stores, but now the focus has shifted towards outsourcing.

Suppose you also decided to hand deliver his shop contractor. That'S Perfect! But if in 2007, companies specializing in the delivery of online stores were few, but now there are about fifty. In addition, the market for the delivery of online shops trying to get those companies that have historically engaged in express delivery of letters, correspondence.

And how do you choose a contractor in such conditions? From representatives stores often hear: "Yes, they're all the same, these courier companies. Looked at ten sites, all offering the same thing on the same terms. " In fact, a lot of nuances.

And, perhaps, the most correct way to select service delivery is carefully study the sites of the companies, to make a preliminary selection of 3-5 companies, and then carefully subtract 15-20 paged agreement of each company. In rare enough for a beginner magazinschika is patience. So I will try to highlight the main points that you need to look at.

The quality of service delivery.

Quality of service delivery is made up of three things:
1. The quality of the delivery, which is evaluated by the following criteria

 - Percentage of deliverability from the first time (a good indicator: 93%)
 - The total percentage of deliverability (a good indicator: 97%)
 - The percentage of cancellations / transfers through the fault of the delivery service (a good indicator: up to 1%)
 - Reaction of the complaints

2. Quality of customer service, which is characterized by

 - Method of application delivery (Excel, XML, integration API, with Personal account)
 - Reaction time to incoming requests
 - A method for receiving requests (phone, e-mail, ticket system).
 - Speed ​​of delivery reports. When you get information about the status of supplies: a few days after delivery, the next day, in the evening on the day of delivery, or in real time.
 - Availability of e-mail, SMS notifications of changes in the status of delivery and / or other important events for the store
 - Terms of returning the goods and money

3. The list of services provided.
 - Possibility of a partial refund, fitting, return of documents. Are there any of these services extra money. If charged, how much and in what order.
 - Ability to fence orders from a warehouse store
 - Ability to fence the goods from the supplier's warehouse
 - Secure storage
 - Predpochtovaya preparing and sending parcels by post of the Russian Federation and / or EMS

Not having worked with virtually delivery service is quite difficult to assess the quality of the delivery. It is necessary to try to find reviews about the company. Despite the fact that interest in a review deliverability almost nobody publishes reviews is an invaluable source of information. And above all, on the approach of your future partner to work with complaints.

For any company, you will find both positive and negative feedback. And in this there is nothing surprising. Because it can not work perfectly, no company. And sooner or later, the problem arises. The only difference is in the number of problems and in reaction to the problem situation.

If you see that the representatives of the company will simply ignore the negative reviews or behave aggressively and expands the discussion in the key of "the fool", then probably with a company is better not to get involved. If, in response to a negative review, you see the constructive responses, it is on the contrary suggests that such a company can and should be treated.

Opportunity to fence goods from suppliers.

At this service, I would like to stay alone.

In case you need not only shipping skomplektovat you order, but the fence goods from suppliers followed by a complete set of orders, have to choose from a much more restricted number of proposals. Companies that make fences from the supplier, still one. This is due to the fact that the service itself from the fence supplier of complex and often unprofitable for the courier company. It requires an automated warehouse with a powerful WMS (Warehouse Management System).

The main differences of the fence from a warehouse store are from the fence to the supplier's warehouse
In stock shop courier usually spends 15-30 minutes. From suppliers Courier spends 30 minutes 1, 5:00.
To collect from the warehouse of the Supplier is required power of attorney or print shop. If you can not make a general power of attorney then there are additional difficulties on powers of attorney transmitted to the delivery service. Imagine for a moment. Fence for 200 customers (even if on average only 2 suppliers for each store) requires 400 different attorney. They must be stored separately, take them into account residue so they do not run out at the most appropriate time is not, and separately issue couriers. Whole separate problem for service delivery.
And the most important thing. From a warehouse store courier service gets to complete the order, warehouse provider, it receives the goods, rather than orders. Of which only have to collect orders. Receiving goods at the warehouse, order picking, accounting regrading, subsequent storage of returns - all this falls on the shoulders of the shipping service.

What is the complexity of the putaway for the courier service?

A simple example. On the product can be applied to a single article, in the register of the assembly from the store everyday life can specify another article in the supplier's invoice - the third. To store representative who knows your product - it's not a problem. For employees of the courier company warehouse, which should take thousands of products for different stores in one night - it becomes extremely difficult.

Geography delivery and the number of points of issue.

All analysts unanimously repeat the growing demand in the region. Therefore, the focus of sales with a competitive market between the two capitals will inevitably shift towards regions. If you just open your online store, you will be quite possible delivery service that delivers only in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Still, it is better to focus on the entire market, the whole of Russia.

Coverage of "All Russia" only gives Mail RF with its 40 thousand. Offices. Therefore it is necessary to contact the courier services that are ready along with express delivery perform predpochtovuyu preparation and sending parcels through the Post.

It also makes sense to pay attention to the number of regions in which service delivery can make delivery by courier (or issue orders through the points of issue in the region).

If the company is right for you to work in the capital, but there is no express delivery by region, it makes sense to clarify the company plans to release the regions. Since 2012, many companies operating in the market just before the two capitals, will flock to the regions, followed by the demand for online purchases.

Furthermore, it makes sense to combine the service delivery. That is not to enter into a contract with a service, and with two or more. Maybe it's more complex organizational and lead to a slightly more expensive shipping cost in the end, but it will
Reduce the dependence of your business from a single contractor.
Allow a comparison of the quality of work is at your orders and re-delivery services volumes between services.
Will provide access to a wider geography and delivery to more points of issue.

The combination can be useful, for example, in such a case. In some service delivery rather low prices in Moscow in conjunction with very high customer service. But the regions represented. We can conclude a contract with a company to Moscow and the regions send through another company in which the network is very wide, but the prices are, for example, higher or customer service not up to par.

Prices

Price - definitely important. But tariff grid in delivery services are very similar. And the use of different boundaries in terms of deliveries to access the next price difficult to compare "on the fly". Therefore it is necessary to take their volume of deliveries and not be lazy about calculate how much it will cost you one delivery.

Particular attention should be paid to the so-called hidden charges. Some shops in the contract are guided only by rate schedule, and then are surprised at the sight of the final score.

What is meant by hidden fees
 - Pay the return of goods
 - Pay storage refunds
 - Paid fence orders.
 - Commission for accepting funds
 - If you cancel the delivery if you pay the money. If you pay, how much? The full cost or some other agreed price? In some cases pay? Always? Or just after the departure of the courier at the address?
 - Separate fee extra. services (labeling, kitting, sms alerts)

You need to go to their statistics, if available, and see what your percentage of cancellations, the average number you pass orders for delivery in the day, what percentage of a partial refund. With these statistics, you can estimate the final cost of delivery. And it can be significantly different from that specified in the tariff schedule of the company.

Responsibility

An important section of the contract of any service delivery. Look, what is the responsibility courier service in the event of loss of your order. Some treaties courier companies spelled responsibility "for the purchase price," and not by acts of acceptance and transfer of the courier service. Go figure it out then, in the event of a problem, what is the purchase price and how to define it.