EDITOR’S NOTE

MAKE 2020 YOUR BEST YEAR YET By Amanda Armendariz

January always offers the opportunity for a fresh start, and whether you stick to your resolutions year-round or just do your best to incorporate good habits into your personal and professional lives (even if you fall short of your started goal), there’s something so exciting about a new year. It really is the perfect time to take stock of your objectives — and the challenges and obstacles that may be in your way — and fi gure out how you’re going to achieve them, especially for those of us in the small-package industry. Peak season has just ended, and now would be the ideal time to look at your package volumes, staffi ng sizes, and any customer service issues that arose during the infl ux. While this year’s peak season may be still months away, it’s best to address any issues now so that you can enter the holiday shopping season confi dent that all problems have been rectifi ed. After all, with more and more options available to consumers, you don’t have a lot of chances to get it right. One bad shopping experience can cause you to lose a customer for good, while an exceptional experience can keep them coming back. Shipping spend is another area to watch this year. Customers continue to expect fast and “free” delivery, but as we all know, nothing is ever actually free. Someone needs to pay for shipping costs, and those costs are falling on the company more and more. While consumer growth is a fantastic thing, increases in your shipping costs are the opposite of the desired effect. Make sure you take the time to really look at the ins and outs of your shipping spend, either on your own, or with a knowledgeable third party, to see if you are overspending in areas that could reduced. There are a lot of increases in fees and surcharges this year, so the sooner you can work on reducing them, the better. We continue to strive to provide the most relevant, engaging, and educational content for you as our readers. If there’s something you’d like to see us cover more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to let me know. Here’s to a fantastic 2020, and as always, thanks for reading PARCEL.

EDITOR’S PICK Here are some of the most-read articles on our site in recent weeks. If you haven’t already checked them out, you might want to — there is some great information in there!

Selecting a TMS? Several Dos and Don’ts to Keep in Mind By Geoff Milsom

Strategies for Remaining Competitive in a Changing Industry By Chad Thibodeaux

Improving the Customer Experience: 3 Ways to Make Your Supply Chain More Effi cient By Alex Jones