Day: May 18, 2023

As people get older they’re less capable of managing daily tasks, such as grocery shopping, picking up prescription medicine, and more. Senior citizens often hire errand runners to do the tasks they no longer can, or want to, do. Errand businesses typically charge between $20 and $35 an hour, with a national average of about $30 an hour. As an errand runner you stand to make a nice profit. So what are the steps to getting started?

1. Legal Structure

First you need to decide on the legal structure of your business. Is it a sole proprietorship, partnership, or limited liability corporation? Whichever you choose will affect what taxes you pay and what your liability will be. Also, while you’re doing this, make sure you license your business based on whatever your state’s procedures are. You’ll also need to get a federal tax identification number.

2. Name Your Business

Now you’re ready to name your errand service business. Think of something catchy and memorable. Consider putting your city name in it, or even your own name. Make sure no one else is using your name and that it hasn’t been trademarked already.

3. Insurance

You must have insurance. It can protect you in the case of a lawsuit or claim. Check with your state about auto insurance. Some require it if you are using your car for commercial purposes. There are other insurances you might need, such as if you’ll be transporting seniors, driving one of your customer’s cars, or house and pet sitting. It’s best to check with your insurance company to learn what is required.

4. Gather Supplies

An errand business is great, because you won’t need a lot of supplies. In fact, most you probably have already. You’ll need a reliable car to get you to and from your customers and wherever the errands take you. You should also have a cell phone and computer as a way to be contacted. After this you should consider purchasing business cards as a great way to get your name and contact information to prospective customers. And don’t forget a day planner or other way to stay organized. You need some way to keep track of all your appointments and customers.

5. Choose Services

It’s a good idea to make a list of what services you offer. You should also put something that says, “If you don’t see the service you need – just call and ask if we offer it!” There are many errands you could consider offering: bank and car errands, dog walking, dry cleaning, grocery shopping, and many, many more.

6. Set Your Prices

Most errand runners charge by the hour, not the task. If the task involves a lot of driving, you might want to charge for mileage. You should also charge differently if you’re being asked to work outside your normal business hours or on a holiday. Consider offering package deals as a way to get customers. If they’re only using your services for grocery shopping, pick a special rate for that. Experiment and find out what works best for you.

Starting an errand service business is quite easy. In just six easy steps you could be up and running errands before you know it!

We understand that the failure of shipping companies to meet their on-time delivery promises is a common and unfortunate occurrence especially during peak shipping periods like the holidays and when supply chains experience difficulties. Let’s discuss in this article how to handle unexpected delivery issues.

Being an online merchant, it is essential to consider the potential effects of delivery delays

• During the holidays, up to 10% of packages may arrive late.
• After merely one instance of late delivery, over half of customers (45%) say they will not order from the business again.
• Customers who have their holiday orders delayed may vent their wrath on social media, discouraging potential new customers.

However, businesses aren’t always able to guarantee timely deliveries. And if you ignore customers’ questions and complaints about the delay, the situation will only get worse. So always to handle unexpected delivery issues wisely.

Shipping Delays—Why?

Delays can ruin an eCommerce store’s brand and lose clients’ trust. Online merchants hate delayed delivery, but they happen. Below are some of common causes.

International versus Domestic Shipping

Airport congestion and severe weather are major delays in international shipment. It’s crucial to fill out foreign customs paperwork accurately to avoid delays.

Traffic, construction, big bottlenecks and diversions, and accidents hurt domestic shipping more. Failed delivery attempts, large volumes (particularly during holidays and peak periods),

Holidays:

eCommerce peaks over holidays. This entails a large increase in shipping volumes that can rapidly surpass couriers’ capacities, especially if they don’t have a good delivery network or system. This can delay packages when customers need them most.

Supply Chain Logistics issues cause most delivery delays:

During holidays, peak eCommerce times, and significant sales, a lack of capacity to process orders or store items causes most supply chain limitations. If your shipping partners don’t have enough cars and workers, they can happen on the last mile to the customer’s door.

Customs International shipment requires customs clearance:

Customs may keep your package indefinitely or until the necessary documentation are attached and filled out.

Reliable courier services monitoring customs documents can avoid customs delays. Easy ship may automatically create customs paperwork for your shipments to minimize customs delays.

Address Mistake

The delivery provider may not have adequate information to deliver an item if a customer submits a misspelled or incorrect address or the shop doesn’t properly document the order. This may delay or prevent delivery.

How Do Shipping Delays can Damage Businesses?

When the customer receives their order, an eCommerce sale is final. Delays may ruin the eCommerce retail business. These indicators can help you understand the cost of late deliveries. So, always handle unexpected delivery issues professionally.

If their order doesn’t arrive in two days, 69% of customers won’t return. After one late delivery, 17% of purchasers will stop buying with an eCommerce retailer, and 55% will stop after two to three.

New customers pay five to 25 times more than current ones. A 5% client retention increase can enhance your earnings by 25% to 95%, and loyal customers are worth 10 times their first purchase.

Here are four ways to handle unexpected delivery issues and make amends with consumers who have experienced a late delivery and yet hope to do business with you in the future.

Recognize and Accept Your Limitations

• Don’t overextend your company’s delivery capabilities to the point where late deliveries are the norm.
• Give customers accurate shipping estimates, even if it means they may receive their orders from a competitor sooner.
• Customers appreciate fast shipping times, but they value knowing their items will arrive on time much more.
• Tell customers the truth about the estimated time of delivery. If you can’t make your delivery on schedule, it could hurt your relationship with them.

Communicate any delays openly

• The one important thing that you need to handle unexpected delivery issues is if the late delivery is caused not by you (for example that is due to weather or any other eternal factors), still contact the customers, inform them and apologize.
• Customers are more understanding when they are informed of the circumstances surrounding the delay and given updated shipping estimates.
• No one appreciates a late shipment, but customers do realize that natural disasters and supply chain issues can be to blame.

Be Generous With Your Time or Money

• A recent study of internet shoppers found that 90% of those who had a late delivery or other delivery issue publicly or privately complained about it.
• Social media criticism isn’t always a bad thing for business. When brands engage with consumers in the face of criticism, they earn good perceptions. If people are reading your comments and evaluations, you have a chance to get them to return as clients.
• Express gratitude to the dissatisfied consumers, assure them that their business is appreciated, and promise to do all possible to prevent future late delivery.
• When businesses invite dissatisfied customers to contact them personally, it’s often because they want to make up for the trouble they’ve caused.
• Customers will know you appreciate their business when you compensate them for delivery delays with store credit, shipping refunds, or freebies. Customers who might not have returned otherwise may be persuaded to do so by such seemingly insignificant actions.
• Take Initiative to Mitigate the Effects of a Delayed Shipment
• Delivery is always late. What if you could stop them from affecting your clients?
• Real-time tracking, predictive notifications, and marking late packages across many carriers and locations. If you contact customer service in advance, they can fix the issue before the client notices.
• Send customized, automated messages to your customers when bad weather delays their orders to keep them calm and informed.
• Even if the issue isn’t fixed, being proactive can improve customer relations and delivery.
• Customers whose orders are delayed might be kept by keeping them informed.
• Taking a customer-first approach to shipping might help you keep clients even if there are delays or problems.
• When shipments are late, your business may lose consumers.
• Your chances of retaining consumers who have had a negative delivery experience can be greatly improved via open, honest communication.
• Clutch is a B2B research, ratings, and reviews platform, and Riley Panko is the Marketing Communications Manager there. With the information provided by Clutch, company buyers are better able to choose a reliable business services or technology solutions partner.

 What do you say when a client complains that you were late with a shipment?

Here are some tips to handle unexpected delivery issues.

• Always tell customers the truth regarding the fastest shipping option available to you.
• Customers must be informed immediately of the shipping delay and given updated delivery estimates.
• Customers who have been affected by shipping delays should receive an apology letter and coupons for future discounts.
• Maintain your consumers’ confidence by keeping them apprised of the status of their packages via regular, individualized alerts that are tailored to the scenario.

To which consumers should you extend an apology for the wait?

Customers should be informed of the reason for the delay, given a choice of solutions, and offered savings like free shipping or discounted rates on their next order, in addition to other incentives.

Why do shipments of goods sometimes arrive late?

Common causes of delivery delays include miscommunications in transit, failed deliveries, inefficient warehouse management, a lack of communication between parties, problems clearing customs (in the case of international shipments), acts of nature, etc. Shipping companies often push their limits over the holidays, which might cause delays.