Category: Ideas

Carrier Diversification: Keep it Simple

January 7, 2022

According to the trade publication Freight Waves, “the parcel-delivery world of 2022 will look very much like it did in 2021…

According to the trade publication Freight Waves, “the parcel-delivery world of 2022 will look very much like it did in 2021…big carriers will hold the upper hand, and they will use their leverage to make hay while the sun shines. Volumes will remain elevated as e-commerce activity escalates to unprecedented levels. Demand will continue to exceed supply even though the national carriers are adding meaningful capacity to their networks and migrating to seven-day-a-week deliveries to improve fluidity.”

The article asserted that “last year, parcel shippers were advised to diversify their carrier bases in order to reduce their reliance on FedEx Corp. and UPS Inc. Heeding that call, however, was easier said than done.”

What they got wrong is the prediction that “it will likely be just as challenging next year,” because 2022 will actually be the year that the supply chain is disrupted. The big carriers will lose their stranglehold on small and mid-size retailers who are discovering that carrier diversification is now not only necessary but simple.

How can carrier diversification be simplified to offer a level playing field to small and mid-size retailers? AirTerra has found the way forward.

AirTerra is an innovative parcel shipping company that solves ecommerce challenges in a unique way so retailers and brands of all sizes can compete against the “big guys,” with:

  •   Access to more capacity
  •   Greater flexibility
  •   Simplified pricing, contracts, onboarding and carrier management
  •   No additional costs

By aggregating demand, utilizing a point-to-point network, and providing a choice of regional and last-mile delivery options, AirTerra deploys carrier diversification simplified for an efficient, cost-effective, end-to-end supply chain solution.

The new year will bring anything but the same-old for the supply chain. Carrier diversification simplified is ringing out the old with something new and better.

 

The Importance of Localized Service

December 16, 2021

AirTerra has the capability to deliver packages more quickly, with greater reliability and at lower cost for brands and retailers. It delivers parcel carrier diversity with a simplified model to provide capacity and flexibility for shippers of all sizes.

AirTerra has the capability to deliver packages more quickly, with greater reliability and at lower cost for brands and retailers. It delivers parcel carrier diversity with a simplified model to provide capacity and flexibility for shippers of all sizes. AirTerra also provides shippers with more transparency on their items locations by providing real time location tracking of all packages via GPS during the shipping process.

AirTerra provides customer service support for consumers that prefer to work directly with the company shipping their parcels rather than with the brands or underlying carriers. This localized service isn’t just a differentiator for AirTerra in terms of providing reliable, best-in-class delivery for the end-consumer, it’s a market-centric, service-level commitment and mindset catered to each client.

Filling an industry gap in carrier diversity, AirTerra aggregates packages from multiple shippers through its own network in major metropolitan areas. The company’s “point-to-point” network is designed to ship parcels across long zones faster and with a greater degree of control than what is offered through legacy carriers. The end result is shippers will see the time from click-to-deliver reduced along with lower costs for those deliveries.

As global supply chain disruption persists, threatening timely delivery to customers in advance of shippers’ pivotal peak season, AirTerra’s client-approach remains unchanged: providing a local presence, putting customers’ needs first and preparing for the unexpected.

At AirTerra, everywhere there’s a customer, there’s a local rep.

In planning for the 2021 peak season, Adam Cody, AirTerra Customer Operations Manager, partnered closely with his client to align visions and capacities, troubleshoot challenges and create contingency plans.

“At this time, and in this environment, plans can fall through quickly,” Adam notes— and that’s precisely why the AirTerra standard includes providing plans B, C and D… just in case.

A seasoned veteran of the Los Angeles market, Adam not only makes himself accessible to his clients 24/7, but he also offers open office time twice a week and incorporates 1-2 monthly site visits to his customers into his schedule to ensure all needs are being met– and to witness operational workflows firsthand. With his support, the $10B retailer has already successfully delivered more than 250,000 parcels.

Capacity Across Every Mile

December 11, 2021

In today’s growing Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) supply chain, it’s essential to explore the benefits of diversity in first, middle and last-mile carriers.

Logistics executives measure success in miles: first, middle and last. In today’s growing Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) supply chain, it’s essential to explore the benefits of diversity in first, middle and last-mile carriers. In fact, the new DTC business model makes access and control of daily parcel capacity an urgent industry imperative.

The future of the supply chain is carrier diversity. However, utilizing different carriers can mean extra contracts and paperwork, higher costs and surprise fees. But what if the separate carrier entities could act as one national carrier with a platform that integrates several carriers, quickly adding carrier diversification and increasing capacity with one single contract? This simplicity is how transportation diversification can succeed – and it’s already happening.

AirTerra is an innovative parcel shipping company that solves ecommerce challenges in a unique way so retailers and brands of all sizes can compete on a level playing field. AirTerra is a single national parcel and postal carrier that has integrated Regional Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service, adding more to last-mile capacity. They were one of the first to market a point-to-point network built to handle the growth and transportation capacity, built for the DTC digital market.

With AirTerra, you get access to more capacity, greater flexibility, and benefit from simplified pricing, contracts, onboarding and carrier management, all without the additional cost required to manage multiple carriers. We provide Diversification Simplified.

It’s time to get in front of the parcel carriers that capping capacity and meet all the capacity, flexibility and transparency needs of the DTC supply chain.

5 Tips to Improve Customer Service Experience with Ecommerce Deliveries

Consumers have so many options these days. Once you have a great product and a solid ecommerce strategy, customer service has to be the competitive advantage you offer your customers.

The best customer experience is one where the consumer does not have to reach out to a support group at all! When you do need assistance from an ecommerce customer service team, not all experiences are created equal. Here are 5 ways you can improve your customer service experience and set yourself apart:

 

1.      Make It Easy
Customer ease is what yields customer loyalty. While it is important to delight your customers with your product offering and capability, what is even more valuable is making sure that their experience is low effort when they need to contact you. Make it easy to get in touch with your support team and state their issue. Make sure that your services do not require your customer to switch channels or repeat their issue more than once.

 

2.      Provide Options
In order to tailor the support experience to varied preference, meet your customer where they are and provide several options for assistance. This could include Omni-channel options like live chat and social media as well as self-service options.

 

3.      Be Transparent
Your customers don’t know what they don’t know (about your processes). Be transparent about when they should expect to hear back from your team and what your estimated resolution time frame looks like. Better still, be proactive – if you can notify your customers in advance of a delay or impact of their package, you have saved them the effort of looking into it themselves.

 

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    4.      Personalize the Experience

    Just because we are living in a virtual world does not mean our customer experience interactions have to be devoid of personalization. In fact, a personal touch should be even more top of mind. Even if you have decided to utilize chat bots or templates to provide a more efficient experience, there are still ways to make sure your customers feel valued and important – starting with using their name and making sure that your teams are taking care to spell customer names correctly and accurately.

     

    5.      Follow Up and Follow Through
    Remember the old adage ‘say what you mean, mean what you say?’ This certainly applies when it comes to customer support. Make sure that you are closing the loop with your customers and even anticipating what questions they may ask next. If you do not yet have a resolution, keep your customer updated so that they feel confident that you are advocating for their issue.