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One of the hardest tasks couriers have is to transport delicate goods. Transporting delicate goods is difficult because if the items being transported are damaged, then the courier could be charged a lot of money or be given a bad review. Both of these things can damage a courier’s reputation and lose them a lot of business.
If you are responsible for transporting goods, independently or because you work for a company, then it’s a good idea to educate yourself on the proper handling of delicate items. This post will tell you everything that you need to know.
Table of Contents
Fleet Investment
You need to make sure that you have the right vehicles in your fleet. If you do not have spacious, large transportation vehicles then it’s highly likely that parcels will slide around and become damaged. Inside each van, there also needs to be a cord that you can use to tie down especially heavy objects. If you are transporting food, then you need a reefer van. If you want to know what is a reefer truck, then it is a nickname for refrigerated trucks, which are used to transport food. A refrigerated truck will ensure that the food you are transporting does not expire while in your care.
Proper Packaging
The items that you handle and transport need to be packaged properly. If you are a new business owner, then packaging is one of the first things that you need to master. Usually, the packaging isn’t the job of the courier company. If you are not a courier company however and are shipping goods for your company, then you need to make sure that you pack each item properly, using bubble wrap inside, and then carefully wrapping the outside of the box with tape. If you are a courier and receive items that aren’t properly packed, then don’t hesitate to return them to the sender and request them to be repackaged.
Staff Handling
Your staff’s parcel handling is very important. A lot of businesses don’t train their staff on how to handle parcels, which results in them being careless and making mistakes. A good way to ensure that your staff knows how to handle parcels is to train them, which will be explored in the next section. You should also put cameras up in your warehouse’s handling areas so that you can watch and identify staff members who are carelessly handling your client’s parcels so that you can then discipline them.
Expert Training
Your staff needs to be expertly trained in parcel handling. The best way to ensure that they are trained in parcel handling is to hire a professional company or individual to come in and hold training seminars in your warehouse. You can also appoint a supervisor who has experience in handling parcels, who can then watch over and monitor employees, ensuring that they are handling and lifting them the right way. It is important for their own sake that they lift parcels properly so that they do not injure their backs. You can get sued if you do not train your staff to lift properly.
Labeling Packages
Packages should always be labeled as delicate if they are. By labeling parcels as delicate, you will be able to ensure that your staff all know to take great care with them. While they should be delicate with every parcel that they handle, they should be especially delicate with ones that are labeled as delicate. You can ask clients to label their packages as delicate, or you can do it yourself. When clients are sending items to you to be shipped, you should give them the option on your website to specify whether or not their parcel contains delicate items or not. If they say that it does, then put a ‘delicate’ stamp on it yourself.
Condition Reports
A good way of ensuring that your staff doesn’t mishandle parcels is to request condition reports from each stage of the delivery process. When the parcel first arrives, have a photograph taken of it. When it is processed, take a photograph, and then take a photograph when it is loaded into the delivery van, and finally when it has arrived. You should also ask your staff to write a little note explaining the parcel’s condition at each stage along the way.
Delivery Photographs
Photographs at the delivery stage are very important. The reason for this is that it’s not uncommon, unfortunately, for recipients of parcels to pretend that their parcels were damaged or even to say that they have not received them. Taking a photograph of parcels when they are handed over to their recipients will help to ensure that this doesn’t happen. All of the world’s leading parcel delivery companies do this nowadays. Delivery photographs will also ensure that clients can’t say that their parcels were received damaged since a photograph will prove that the parcel’s box was intact.
Punishing Employees
Any employees who are found to be mishandling parcels or treating them carelessly should be punished. By punishing these employees, you set an example for all of your business’s other employees. It is always good to make an example out of careless employees since your other staff will watch and then avoid making the same mistakes as the employee that you have made an example. If parcels aren’t handled correctly and the items are damaged, then it can destroy your reputation, which is why you need to take it so seriously. Allowing staff to mishandle parcels could reduce the amount of business that you get.
Van Storage
Finally, ensure that at the final stage of the process, when parcels are being loaded into vans for delivery, they are carefully loaded in and that any large parcels are tied down if needs be. A lot of companies fail at this stage, by overloading vans and leaving parcels strewn all over their vans’ interiors. Ensure that the vans are loaded expertly so that parcels aren’t damaged during the transportation process. You should also install fleet management chips in your vans, so you can see how fast your staff are driving and where they are going.
Transporting delicate goods can be tricky. If you are in charge of a courier company, then it’s essential that you learn how to, so that you can fulfill orders and ensure that your clients aren’t left unhappy.
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