Being well-informed is essential for any business, particularly when you are managing a supply chain that involves freight movements. Not having timely information can not only generate an additional workload, it can also increase costs, delay deliveries and leave customers unsatisfied.

Proactive communication from your freight forwarder is the key to confidence and to navigating unforeseen challenges including space constraints, port congestion, changes to regulations or charges and supply chain bottlenecks. When you are kept informed, it gives you a chance to organise your way around problematic situations and protect your profitability.

Read on to learn how proactive communication from a freight forwarder can boost business confidence and assist you to avoid potential pitfalls and additional costs.

1) Secure cost-effective space easily

To obtain shipping space during peak season is a major challenge faced by many businesses. Getting your goods onboard requires either a prior booking or can mean paying premium charges for space, which increases the landed cost. The result, then, is either high product costs for your customers or lower profits for you. Delaying the shipment is not a solution, as it can result in stock shortages and unsatisfied customers.

Having the right information ahead of time about the market and potential congestion puts you in a better position to secure space at an economic rate.

2) Avoid detention due to incomplete documentation

For smooth deliveries, products and their accompanying documentation must be interchanged efficiently and accurately. Any error or delay in documentation can detain the shipment and interrupt delivery schedules. This means managers must be well informed about all the necessary documents prior to every shipment. The paperwork can include required certificates, permission letters or invoices and packaging lists. Having advice from an experienced freight forwarder can assist, as they have all the up-to-date information on documentation requirements.

3) Meet delivery commitments

Meeting your delivery timelines requires smooth execution of your freight forwarding operations including cargo bookings, handover, onboarding, customs clearance and end-to-end delivery activity. Misalignment of any of these elements can disturb your entire supply chain. Precise planning and execution of all these factors is crucial. It is also important to be aware of potential issues and disruptions such as port congestion, long delivery routes, multiple transhipments and natural disasters that can impact your freight movements so you can take effective and timely mitigation action to protect your business.

4) No last-minute cancellation

Whether you are a first-time shipper or ship regularly, fulfilling all the rules and regulations at the point of origin as well as the final destination is critical to avoid a last minute cancellation of your import or export consignments. The shipping rules can be complex, and are different for every country and mode of transportation. Receiving proactive communication from an expert freight forwarder about all the red tape and conditions such as packaging requirements is the key to ensuring you can meet your committed delivery time frames.

5) Be in the know so it’s all systems go

Proactive communication is a critical part of any freight forwarding operation and requires an active team and a well-established resource network that can provide essential market insights. Having a professional freight forwarder partnering with your business that keeps you informed is a valuable asset, and can help reduce unnecessary costs, navigate challenges and keep the supply chain moving smoothly.

How BCR keeps customers and visitors informed

To keep our customers informed, BCR offers various communication channels. We have a dedicated team of Customer Service and Account Managers, who are in direct contact with our customers. Further, we frequently send out emails to inform about updates concerning trade lanes, weather conditions, peak seasons, GRIs and many other topics. In addition, we provide industry knowledge and up-to-date information to our customers and to the public through the BCR blog, which assists in staying on top of it all. Sign up to the BCR blog to receive useful information to your inbox.

For more than a century, BCR has continued to help small, medium and large businesses achieve an optimum logistics solution with warehousing and transportation, including air freight and sea freight services to and from the major ports including Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Fremantle (Perth).

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