The backbone of sales nowadays is customer satisfaction. Every seller wants their clients to be happy with their purchase, which oftentimes includes complex planning when it comes to shipping. Here is a list of problems that often occur when shipping during summer.

Is it good for your business to invest in temperature-controlled shipping?

As we mentioned earlier, making sure that the customer gets the product in good condition is important. But protecting the goods when doing cargo export comes at a cost. If you are considering temperature controlling your cargo when shipping during summer, a cost-benefit analysis might help. A wide range of problems occurs as a result of damaged products. The most important are:

• The returned items need a place for disposal
• The customer is unsatisfied
• Shipping is more expensive (especially shipping during summer) to meet the customer expectation
• Delayed sending of other goods
• Insurance will raise premiums
• Bad reviews damage reputation

Unsatisfied customers can cost your business a lot. Because of that, investing in temperature-controlled shipping can save considerable amounts of money.

Common problems when shipping during summer

The results of your cost/benefit analysis are in the favor of upgrading your shipping game. Now you have to be on the lookout for a few common mistakes when it comes to shipping during summer.

Find temperature-controlled capacity when you need it

Temperature-controlled trailers or ships, offered by overseas shipping companies, are usually needed on a seasonal basis (imagine chocolate and beverage shipping during summer). A lot of shippers make the mistake of the time when to switch to refrigerated capacity. It goes without saying that it is more expensive than standard dry-shipping. But rejected damaged goods always turn out pricier than that. How can you overcome this? Planning in advance is a must in this case. If you wait for summertime to get your trailers, it goes without saying that costs will rise. Shortage of available trailers is also a possible scenario. Avoid all of this by simply monitoring the weather forecast, and get ready for the heatwave before it even starts.

Storage facilities are not temperature controlled when shipping during the summer

Your shipment will make several stops when in transit. Waiting to be transferred to another trailer, your cargo might spend hours in the heat of a terminal. Most of the year, this is not a problem. But when temperatures rise to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, it could put your goods at risk. You can solve this by making a deal with your provider, like Kokusai Express, to protect your cargo from heat. If this doesn’t work out, insulated thermal blankets might be your solution for some time.

The refrigerator unit will not work 24/7

Carriers usually follow the instruction of shippers, but some drivers make the mistake of turning the units off to save fuel. Then they turn it back on when making the delivery, but the damage could already have been made.

Equipment failure can also be a potential danger to your heat-sensitive cargo. Road transport is not seriously affected by this, since the drivers closely monitor the load. But when shipping refrigerated ocean freight, carriers put far less attention to every single unit. Therefore, a lot of damaged cargo can happen.

Because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of delays are happening. Bigger delays result in spending more fuel to keep the units running. Hot temperatures make the products go bad faster once there is no more fuel. Short delays don’t cause many problems, but long ones can be a problem.

Conclusion

Temperature-sensitive cargo shipping is a difficult task. But you have so many options to make it easier. Tracking systems can be a really useful tool when monitoring the shipping of your goods. Protect your goods in time because the heat is coming!