9 minute read
Briefs
The Do’s and Don’ts of Shipping and Returning
Managing shipping and returns is an essential aspect of running an e-commerce business. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just putting the product in a box and adding a label. There are many elements that go into shipping a product, from having appropriate packaging to finding the best shipping rates and getting it to the customer in a timely manner.
According to Material Handling & Logistics, 87% of online shoppers listed shipping speed as a key factor in their decision to shop with an e-commerce brand again.* Therefore, as an e-commerce business, it is essential to know how to navigate these two concepts correctly.
Here are a few do’s and don’ts when having to deal with shipping to and returning from customers:
DO’S
Provide customers with shipping options
— Giving customers a range of shipping options allows them to get a breakdown of the premium they need to pay to get a product quicker. Some of them will be willing to pay a little extra for high-priority shipping.
Keep returns as simple and organized
as possible — Having an organized system of processing returns as they come through, such as a step-by-step process for the customer along with a smooth return operation, makes life easier for both the consumer and the company.
Provide customers with updates on their
packages — Keeping the customer updated on the whereabouts of their package is an excellent way to improve customer service. An order management system can handle everything from placing to tracking and delivering an order.
Add a business card or a personalized
note to each package — Having a personalized note goes a long way in improving customer relations. Having a business card in the package as well enables the customer to connect with the businessperson on social media, leave a review and potentially purchase more products.
DON’TS
Pay for overpriced shipping packaging —
Shipping boxes and packaging can be expensive; buying in bulk is one way to save. One option is to join a community that can buy packaging in bulk. Major carriers, like UPS, FedEx and USPS, also offer discounted packaging.
Package items carelessly — Shipping fragile items can feel risky. It’s important to use the right box and add enough protective layers before sending to the customer.
Forget to add a return policy on your site
— Having a return policy builds trust between a business and its customers. Businesses should b clear and concise about what that policy entails and always try and do right by the consumer.
Let customers leave things in their cart —
Making the checkout process more user-friendly can help avoid shopping-cart abandonment.
Understanding these do’s and don’ts of shipping and returns can be the defining difference between a business succeeding or folding over. —Andrew Runnette, director of operations for Portal Warehousing (join-portal.com), a rentable month-to-month warehouse providing flexible industrial space for the needs of today’s growing e-commerce companies at no long-term commitment DAILIES TOP STORIES
‘In Business Dailies’ Most Views Last 30 Days
Here are the stories with the most views over the past 30 days (prior to press time) that were features in our In Business Dailies. The In Business Dailies hit email inboxes twice each weekday — at 9:30 a.m. and updated at 4:30 p.m. Sign up today at www.inbusinessphx.com/dailies-signup
Healthcare & Wellness | Cover Story | October 2022
Ever-Changing Healthcare and the Impact It’s Having on Our Companies and Their People
by RaeAnne Marsh Healthcare continues to evolve, and with that evolution are changes not just in employee benefits but in how healthcare issues impact the workplace.
Leadership & Management | From the Top | October 2022
Ivan Royal Translates Military Leadership into Private-Sector Success
by Mary Little “Leadership is the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.”
For more than two decades, this official U.S. Army doctrine definition of leadership shaped Ivan Royal as he rose through the ranks of the U.S. Army. Today, they have become inextricably linked to him and his approach to leading OMEX, an Arizona-based commercial cleaning company.
Leadership & Management | Roundtable | October 2022
What Is Quantitative Intuition™ and How Do We Use It?
by Christopher Frank, Paul Magnone and Oded Netzer Striking the balance between intuition and information
Quantitative intuition™ (QI)—the combination of data and analytics with Intuition—might sound like an oxymoron at first, but it is actually the key to effective decision-making.
Healthcare & Wellness | Featured Cover | October 2022
from Laurie McCartney Health & Wellness Goes Beyond Nutrition & Exercise … and It’s a Growth Industry
There is a shift toward more interest around health and wellness in our society, which is serving as an opportunity to make the future of work more beneficial for both employees and employers.
LOOKING GOOD Local Standouts Recognized for Achievements and Philanthropy
ACHIEVEMENTS
Tri Pointe Homes Certified Great Place to Work
Tri Pointe Homes®, one of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., has been recognized for the second year in a row as a Great Place to Work-Certified™company. Tri Pointe Homes was also named to Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Millennials™ 2022, an honor that is especially significant as Millennials make up the majority of the U.S. labor force, according to the Pew Research Center1 and are, more than any other generation, seeking equity, transparency, flexibility and purpose, according to Great Place to Work. TriPointeHomes.com
MC Companies: A Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Champion
Scottsdale, Arizona-based multifamily investor, developer and manager MC Companies has been honored with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s coveted Corporate Champion Award, an honor given to just one company, once each year to recognize outstanding and steadfast contributions to the cystic fibrosis community. The Corporate Champion award was created to acknowledge a volunteer or corporation that successfully champions the cystic fibrosis cause within their company, resulting in significant dollars raised. cff.org • mccompanies.com
SRP Named an ‘Adoption Advocate’ for Employees
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption recently recognized SRP for its dedication to help its employees adopt and change lives. SRP ranked fourth in the nation among utility and energy companies and is named as an “adoption advocate” by the organization. Adoption costs in Arizona can range from $20,000 to $50,000, which often becomes the greatest barrier for adoptive parents. davethomasfoundation.org • srpnet.com
PHILANTHROPY
Delta Dental of Arizona Rolls Up Sleeves for St. Vincent de Paul
Recently, more than 30 Delta Dental of Arizona employees came together to support the critical work of St. Vincent de Paul. Throughout the day, volunteers prepared and served 237 meals to St. Vincent de Paul clients, and the team also handed out fresh to-go food bags they assembled. Dentists from the Delta Dental board also got involved, volunteering their time to the Delta Dental of Arizona Oral Health Center at the Virginia G. Piper Medical and Dental Clinic at St. Vincent de Paul, providing screenings and fluoride varnish to nearly 100 local children. deltadentalaz.com
Early Warning: Local Fintech Competes Nationally
Early Warning Services, LLC was founded in the 1990s, but little was known about the banking risk and fraud mitigation company. That is, until five years ago when the Scottsdale-based company launched its Zelle® brand, doubling its staff since that time.
Today, Zelle® is a household brand found in more than 1,700 banking apps and is available to more than 150 million consumers. Crossing its anniversary milestone, Zelle® recently announced more than five billion transactions and nearly $1.5 trillion moved since 2017.
Arizona employment is forecasted to continue to grow for the next two-plus years despite economic factors, and Early Warning is no exception. Owned by seven of the largest banks in the U.S., Early Warning offers benefits well above the national averages, like unlimited PTO, lowercost healthcare premiums, and paid parental leave for up to 12 weeks. It is one in just 23% of large companies (500 and more employees) that expanded voluntary benefits in 2022.
Many local organizations are competing for talent with employers not just in Greater Phoenix but nationally as well, as remote-first companies hire from anywhere in the U.S. Our recruitment team is constantly re-evaluating how we stack up to other employers nationwide as the highly competitive race continues for top talent skillsets in technology, data analytics, product and more.
The employer recently announced a new headquarters off the Loop 101 Freeway and McDonald Road. In addition, Early Warning has offices in San Francisco and Chicago, totaling more than 1,100 employees nationwide, with 70% based in Arizona.
We’re competitive nationally, although Scottsdale is our hometown. This area continues to be desirable for our team from a work-life balance and cost-of-living perspective, not to mention a favorable business environment. Our relationships with local universities serve as attractive opportunities to tap into new talent as we continue to evolve our fintech products and services. —Natalie Schwimer, chief people officer at Early Warning Services, LLC (www.earlywarning.com)
Recycling Programs in the Cannabis Industry
Each year, Americans throw away 1,200 pounds of organic waste while recycling only 67.2 million tons of 267.8 million tons of recyclable material, according to RTS. Given state-by-state packaging requirements in the cannabis industry, it’s no secret that excessive cannabis packaging waste plays a role in this number. According to a study from Re Waste, an estimated 12.7 to 14.1 million pounds of plastic from cannabis packaging ended up in landfills between October 2018 and August 2019. As a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis, Curaleaf is actively taking steps to address this matter on a local level.
In April, we partnered with Resinate, a recycling and remanufacturing company based in Phoenix, to launch a statewide program dedicated to reducing cannabis packaging waste. As part of the long-term partnership, all Curaleaf dispensaries in Arizona were outfitted with collection barrels where customers are able to drop off their cannabis packaging for recycling. Each month, Resinate collects the packaging and recycles it, using a portion of the material to create and sell plastic rolling trays.
Our partnership with Resinate has made an immediate impact in the local community by creating a convenient way for our customers to recycle. To date, we have recycled more than 620 pounds of plastic and saved more than 31,000 containers from landfills. More than 600 recyclers have signed up for rewards and it’s estimated more than 1,000 people have participated in the program at Curaleaf since it began.
The importance of environmental responsibility cannot be limited to one partnership or initiative. On the national level, our corporate social responsibility team partnered with Map Collective, a female-founded carbon tracking and supply chain transparency startup, to examine and establish a baseline of our environmental impact to compare against future efforts. With this ecological baseline determined, our team has begun the second phase of our sustainability efforts with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025. —Mayra Medina, senior marketing manager at Curaleaf (curaleaf.com)
