After Packaging, What's Next? Select a Courier Service in Singapore

Making a sale is only half the battle won. The other half is ensuring that your products, well-packaged and all, are delivered safely into the hands of the recipient. From preparing your carton box shipments to making your branding stand out through unique packaging, the next thing you’ll need is to decide on a reliable courier service to handle the delivery tasks. Yet, with so many couriers to choose from, it’s understandable for businesses to suffer from some choice paralysis.

But what really makes a good courier service? How should you select a courier service based on your logistic chain? The answers to all that and more, as we look at some factors to consider regarding courier services in Singapore.

What Makes a Good Courier Service for Your Business

1. Type of delivery needed

Key to the courier service you choose for your business is the type of delivery most often used. Standard delivery, as its name would suggest, is the basic option for order fulfilment which typically takes 2-3 business days locally. Best suited for non-urgent and non-high value goods, standard courier delivery is the most cost-efficient way to ship bulk orders.

For priority items that require immediate fulfillment, it is important to determine if the selected courier service possesses the ability to make same-day deliveries. A shipping option normally meant for time-sensitive documents and goods, that level of speed tends to come with an increased cost as well.

Large companies that often ship internationally may consider a courier service with a stronger emphasis on delivery with insurance, reducing any potential risk of loss if packages go missing. However, some courier services have a limit on the value of goods that can be insured so speak to your courier service prior to shipping to get a proper estimate!

2. Size and weight requirements

As we might have alluded to earlier when deciding on couriers, the chief factor to consider is the type of products that your business is selling. Depending on the weight and size of your goods, couriers might impose additional fees or restrictions on shipping. In the worst-case scenario - your goods might be stuck in limbo at international customs due to a mismatch in duties paid versus size/weight declarations.

Along the same lines, handling fragile goods in cardboard packaging may not be the forte of every courier service selected. Couriers might charge a marginal fee for handling fragile goods, which might be okay for large corporations who leverage on bigger profit margins, but perhaps not for smaller boutiques with tighter budgets.

3. Ease of service

When handling bulk fulfilments, ease of service is paramount. Selecting a courier service that has a solid online platform with a smooth user interface (UI) can be the difference between success and failure. Being able to track your goods en route online is also a boon that many businesses may overlook.

These small perks, even extending to having proof of delivery for each customer, provides a systematic method of tracking each component of the logistic chain. The analogy most often used for logistics supply chains is that of a well-oiled machine. Every gear and cog should work in tandem and be visible to the user. If at any point something unfortunately goes awry, at least you’ll have the power to track down the mistake and fix it post-haste to mitigate its effects.

4. Cost to value

Last but not least, businesses cannot ignore the value proposition offered by each courier service. A practical tip would be to break down the costs of each courier, local and international. Prioritise what each service excels at and the cost to book them, and decide judiciously. Although established couriers and logistics chains might seem tempting, there are usually better cost-efficient options if an enterprise is on a tighter budget.

These same options might even cater more towards your needs on a local scale, some of which possess a stronger network of customer service here in Singapore.

Start with Packaging

Regardless of courier service, it is imperative that all organisations take pride in their product packaging. It doesn’t matter if mistakes were made by couriers, buyers place sole responsibility of the end product on the retailer.

With that in mind, head online now to MillionParcel for top-quality packaging in Singapore, with supplies ranging from durable carton boxes to packing tape dispensers.