If You Only Use 1 Parcel Carrier, You Are Leaving Money on the Table

At the National Conference on Operations and Fulfillment, in as session entitled, “Parcel Carriers Deliver”, moderator Jerry Hempstead asked executives from UPS, FedEx, DHL, United States Post Office, and Eastern Connection,

“What is the biggest mistake parcel shippers are making?”

Jim Cochrane, Vice President of the US Postal Service, responded, “If you only use one carrier, you are leaving money on the table.”

The message was clear. Shippers need to consider all their options.

Dave Loonam, Vice President of DHL Global Mail, answered, “Know where your packages are going and don’t pay for a service you don’t need.”

Keith Kellison, Corporate Strategy Manager of UPS, suggested when it comes to choosing shipping options that it is important for shippers to “Pick the right product.” He shared that some shippers tend to swing from making it a policy to ship everything ground to save money to shipping air to satisfy customers. His advice is to “find the optimal solution.”

Steve Noble,  Manager of Domestic Product Marketing for FedEx, suggested that shippers “take advantage of the full portfolio that carriers offer. He informed the audience that we are more mobile, “Customers want delivery options, evening deliveries, weekend deliveries, date and time specific appointments.”

Jack Mitchell, Vice President of Eastern Connection, a regional carrier in the Northeast, recommended that “shippers get everyone in the company involved in shipping the right way.” He was speaking about how companies create a policy of shipping in a specific way that will save the company on shipping costs but everyone in the company doesn’t follow the policy.

Most shippers are making mistakes and as a result are overpaying. I had the opportunity to video several of these executives.

Stay tuned; I will be posting their advice in upcoming blogs.