If you are reading this it means you have experienced the worst moments as an exporter or an importer when products or services fail to meet delivery standards. As an experienced exporter of ornamental live fish, part of the job requirement is to meet industry standards of quality, and the best way to be sure of this is through customer feedback.
Below are # five shipping problems exporters of live fish experience and their solutions
#1 Arrival Time
Shipping goods across an international platform requires attention and knowledge of different time zones in the world. The best time in this case is the time the client is comfortable with receiving his shipment. However, the burden on the exporter is not only limited to finding a good flight solution but also finding the flight in itself can be a challenge. Most freight companies avoid shipping out live animals and these results to a limited option to choose from.
How do you overcome this?
Plan with the client and with the freight agents in time and advice the client in due time of the options available and the best way forward. Be in total control of communication from the time the shipment leaves your hands to the time the client receives it.
#2 Shipping Capacity
Sometimes floodgates open and the sales and customer service desk receive a lot of buzz from prospective clients wanting to order from you and each demanding for your product as soon as possible. This is usually not a bad thing as it is always an exporters wish to have more clients. But this can turn out to be an exporter’s nightmare if not carefully handled. As stated before, the problem lies with airlines that are not willing to undertake shipping of live animals. This can be a headache to an exporter as the thought of losing clients should never be entertained.
The solution lies in networking, creating good relations and conducting target marketing strategies aimed at airlines. A good marketing team will ensure that you always find accommodation on all popular flights. Having a professional team around you will always yield results.
#3 Size Of Shipments
Exporters always wish of shipping out huge orders from established importers but it does not mean they should shun “small” orders from importers who are trying to find their roots. Usually, importers who aim for minimum orders are usually overwhelmed by the shipping costs involved. They get discouraged and may opt out if they see the “financial burden” is not worth the effort of receiving the shipment.
As an exporter thinking about the client should be the priority. Advising the client to increase the size of the shipment in a manner that will be fruitful to both parties requires both skills and experience. Research and financial calculations conducted on behalf of the client will build confidence on the importer and cement future relations.
#4 Poor handling of shipments
A variety of reasons can make a client get disappointed with his shipment; the most common is if he receives a shipment in conditions that may interfere with the product being shipped. The causes of poor shipments could be due to poor handling by airport officials or delay of a flight. Should the client incur any loss from this, it is the airlines that will cover the cost of compensating the client. It is in the interest of an exporter to try and avoid such a scenario as the paperwork involved is usually tedious.
To make sure our client values our policy of delivering quality, we first compensate the client and send new shipment to them as we lay a claim with the airline concerned. Also conducting a thorough research on the airlines may prevent this problem before it occurs to establish reliability of airlines to honor their time of flights. Sometimes the reasons are beyond human control, like changing weather patterns but we always keep ahead by knowing the weather updates to all the places we ship out to.
#5 100% fulfillment of all orders
It is never the desire of an exporter to miss out on anything the clients has requested to have in his order. Sometimes the weather and the intensity of tides will determine what can be delivered.
Another main reason is when a client orders for a seasonal fish. But in all these cases, we notify the client of the alternatives we have and wait for his consent before shipping.
