The best delivery options for small businesses

When it comes to running a business, especially a small one, it is crucial to keep up with the best practices implemented by your competitors. This way, you stay in demand and don’t let the operational expenses get the best of your business. One of them is to consider different delivery options.

Nowadays, there are many shipping options for small businesses, both traditional and emerging. More traditional options include third-party delivery and shipping services that have been around for a few decades now. On the other hand, another delivery option has been introduced lately – delivery management software. Both of these options are perfectly functional, but pros and cons vary by business needs and goals. So, here comes a question – which are the best delivery options for small businesses?

As mentioned above, business delivery solutions differ by many factors. These include coverage area, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, etc. Therefore, it’s essential to examine all possibilities before settling on the best option. So, we’ll discuss the main options below to help you choose the best one.

Delivery option 1: Traditional delivery services 

Traditional delivery services fall into two main categories: third-party delivery and third-party shipping services. While these two options differ slightly, in essence, they work alike. A business hires a delivery or a shipping company to deliver products on its behalf. Well-known companies that provide such services include FedEx, UPS, USPS, Rakuten, and others. 

Most shipping companies for small businesses are safe to rely on, considering their fail-safe tracking systems, high standard of personal customer service, time-tested reputation in the transportation sector, comprehensive insurance, transport type multiplicity, and others. 

However, traditional options like these come with certain drawbacks. First and foremost – outsourcing deliveries to third-party services blocks your access to a very important asset – consumer data and overall delivery metrics. This information is invaluable when it comes to optimizing your products and delivery operations to boost customer satisfaction and, respectively, sales. 

Besides having next to no control over customer experience, traditional third-party shipping solutions have some other nuances as well. One of them has to do with specific product shipping. This means that some orders require specific treatment, which the third-party delivery service may not be able to provide. For example, if you’re delivering products that need to be kept at particular temperatures and your shipment company can’t offer a refrigerated van, your products may spoil even before reaching your customers.  

The other disadvantage of third-party delivery services for small business delivery is that mostly they aren’t cost-effective. Most companies charge commission fees that are often out of the small companies’ range. That’s why it is often less beneficial for small businesses to adopt a third-party delivery service in the long run.

Delivery option 2: Delivery management software

As opposed to traditional delivery management services, your small business can also benefit from other modern solutions. You can optimize your own delivery operations either by using a local business delivery service or implementing a small business delivery service. This way, you can cut down on commission fees and get better control over customer experience. 

Adopting delivery management software can help you manage the whole delivery process using the same vehicles and couriers as before. Although contrary to third-party shipping services, you get more flexibility with prices. 

Besides affordability, most delivery management applications, such as CayPilot, come with advanced tools that are as efficient as those of more traditional alternatives. For example, CayPilot offers precise package tracking, route-optimization, data analysis, reporting features, and other functionalities that make giant delivery companies so effective. 

Except, delivery management software is much more affordable – CayPilot comes in three pricing packages: free, per task, and customizable. This means you can try the service for free and scale up and down according to market demand and seasonal spikes in sales. 

CayPilot not only makes shipping for small businesses more cost-effective, it also gives you every tool and data to optimize your operations on the go, which translates into a customer satisfaction boost and sales growth.

Are you looking for a cost-effective and efficient delivery solution for your business? Look through our pricing plans and choose according to your business strategy, team size, and goals. You can try each one until you make sure that everything is transparent and flexible.