Logistics are a vital part of every business whether it’s large or small. A logistics plan can help your business run efficiently and most importantly, cost effectively. Without a strategic plan in place, your costs will rise. Therefore, we’ve compiled 5 key logistics tips for small business owners looking to increase productivity and cost effectiveness.
- Focus On Services Your Customers Want: Even though your company may be focused on cost controls, it’s still so important to service the customer. Find innovative ways within the boundaries of the strategy to ensure customer satisfaction. Your customers will value communication about status changes on shipments more than fast delivery and you will save money by providing the valued service.
- Understand The Objective: Before you can put your plan in place, you have to understand overall what your company’s strategy is. If the corporate strategy is to offer the fastest delivery times then in to make that happen, you’ll have to spend more on logistics. If the strategy is to be the low-cost provider, then you’ll have to find ways to cut costs even if this is at the expense of lead time.
- Keep Track of Cost Details: You should know how much you spend on each aspect of your logistics operation. The best way to control costs is to know exactly how much you’re spending.
- Plan: It’s very helpful to take some time to analyze the shipping plan for the month and to plan ahead for full truckload shipping whenever possible. If your business has material deliveries then put some contingency plans in place just in case there happens to be delays.
- Improve Sales and Operations: Proper sales and operations planning can help you to understand when your business may need new equipment or overtime. Doing this can help to plan inventory so that you know you have enough of the right products in place to meet demands.
By considering these 5 guidelines, you can help to put your business in a position that makes it much more organized and efficient for both you and your customers so that everybody wins! Contact us today to discuss how Hughes Custom Logistics can help you with logistics management as the best logistic company in Gainesville FL.