Delivery is a big part of the business process – even when you’re not running a delivery based business, you’re going to be selling items that need to be packed up and shipped out, and that’s a process that can be hard to refine. Especially if you’re running your business from home. 

A home business is something that’s up to you. As a result, all of the decisions are made by you. Because of that, you’re the one who has to get a handle on keeping up with customer demand, and that’s tricky! However, it’s not impossible, and once you’ve learnt the ropes, your logistics issues will be a thing of the past. So, let’s go through some of the most common logistics issues involved in running a home based business below. 

The Cost is Just Too Much

Sometimes, it’s going to cost a lot of money to ship some items. Maybe you’ve got a large order to get out there, and even with how happy you are to sell this much of your inventory, you’re dreading what the postman is going to say! Because the more weight you have to shift, the bigger the cost.

Sure, you could make the majority of your deliveries, if you’ve got the time and car space. But this isn’t as viable as it sounds. It’s why you need to think a little smarter here. You’re a small business, with a smaller (in comparison!) inventory than other companies, and that means using a link such as https://www.shiply.com/us/ltl-freight-shipping could be a good move for you. A smaller cost for a smaller shipment, simply because you’re filling in the gaps! 

The Customers are Left in the Dark

If your customers have no clue about your shipping process, they’re never going to know where their orders are, not until the packages turn up in front of them! And from a customer service point of view, this is a bad move. You need your customers to respect your business, and to do that, you need to be transparent about what’s going on. 

Make sure you tell your customers how their orders are shipped, who they’re handled by, and even provide tracking details for their own convenience. It’ll certainly cut down the email backlog, and that’ll make logistics a lot easier to deal with. 

You Just Don’t Know What’ll Be Needed Next

And finally, going forward, you’re going to need a plan. You need to know the monthly average, in terms of what you sell and what you keep, to make sure you’re never under or overstocking, and you know what days are best for shipping and delivery. Because once you have a plan in place, you won’t have to worry about what’s coming next, or what you’ll do about tomorrow’s orders, and that’ll save you a lot more time and money than you think. 

Logistics shouldn’t be the nail in the coffin for your home business – put a plan together!