E-commerce is here to stay—and with rising demand for timely, accurate deliveries, it’s more important than ever for businesses to master parcel management. After all, transparency throughout the shipping process is no longer a perk; it’s an expectation. Proper shipping labels are foundational to meeting these expectations, enabling businesses to monitor parcels from the moment of purchase to the time of delivery.
But the labeling process also calls for the utmost precision—or else companies could face delays, damage relationships, or inflate costs. Parcel management tools help shippers master the labeling challenge, allowing them to verify label information, pinpoint the location of each order in one system, and adapt to any challenges that arise. By prioritizing proper labels, businesses not only take the first step toward supply chain success but also make a long-term investment in customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Manual label creation enables errors and misdeliveries
Misdeliveries not only frustrate customers and waste time, but they also lead to lost profits and potential damage to a shipper’s brand reputation. The modern customer experience encompasses the entire delivery process, and it’s difficult to recover from a negative first impression. While it may be possible to remedy misdeliveries in the short term, long-term damage control after the fact is costly. The next time customers need an order, they may look elsewhere for a shipper who can provide on-time, transparent deliveries.
In the United States, the average cost per failed delivery is $17.20—and that’s not counting the immeasurable price of customer dissatisfaction. Investigating who entered in the shipping information, where a package was delivered, which carrier transported it, and whether it can be recovered or replaced—while holding the correct parties accountable—consumes valuable resources.
Correct shipping labels help shippers prevent these problems. However, manual label creation is still time consuming and prone to errors. Mistyping a single digit in an address or parcel weight can disrupt the entire supply chain and prevent a parcel from reaching the right destination. Additionally, manual label workflows make it challenging to keep up with diverse carrier label requirements and evolving shipping regulations, especially at scale. Fortunately, shippers can mitigate these issues by bringing automation technology into the labeling process.
Centralized shipping labels and detailed monitoring are essential to success
Advanced logistics management technology, like a parcel management tool embedded in a transportation management system (TMS), can level up the process by automating labeling and allowing quick access to parcel and carrier information. This software consolidates data from across the supply chain in one central location, reducing opportunities for incorrect or missing label details and the costs of corrections.
For example, CTSI-Global’s parcel management system within Honeybee TMS gives shippers real-time insight into parcel movement through agile tracking capabilities, as well as extensive global directories to validate addresses. Prior to shipping, the system simplifies the process of creating shipping labels by enabling teams to quickly verify customer and carrier information then print labels from an integrated platform. Even with shipping disruptions beyond human control—such as weather events—the visibility Honeybee TMS provides means businesses can quickly assess next steps; pivot to different carriers, shipping modes, or routes; and proactively communicate updated ETAs to customers.
Robust parcel technology gives shippers a competitive edge
Proper labeling is a crucial but often time-consuming link in the supply chain. When one link breaks, the entire chain is at risk—so improving label workflows should be a business priority for shippers large and small, especially as e-commerce continues to dominate the market.
For more accurate and efficient parcel operations, shippers can turn to CTSI-Global’s parcel management system to stay competitive in a changing market. More and more consumers expect transparency in the shipping process. By using advanced technology to create shipping labels with speed and precision, businesses can deliver on this need and accelerate parcel shipments around the globe.
Strengthen your shipping label process for lower costs and fewer misdeliveries. Contact CTSI-Global to learn more about how our intuitive parcel management tool can streamline workflows and improve customer experiences.
