It’s no secret that without delivery partners, shippers could not supply goods regularly or easily to customers. They would suffer and eventually lose business.
A delivery partner is the one that will be responsible for transporting a shipper’s products to the customers. That’s why it’s important that shippers take the time to find the right one that works for them.
But not all delivery partners have the shipper’s best interest in mind, according to Chris Grey, vice president of business development at SmartKargo.
Webinar: How “Alternative Delivery Networks” disrupt and benefit the bottom line
COVID-19 uncovered a lot of issues and allowed for disrupters to enter the market and do things in a different way to meet the needs of the consumer and shipper, Grey said. The status quo no longer works.
“Now, there are other options out there, and [shippers] don’t have to do it the way they’ve always done it,” Grey said. “It is not necessary to limit ourselves to the way things have always been done. We are no longer limited to having to choose between two options, when it comes to delivery partners.”
With a background of working for a big-name carrier, Grey was able to identify the pain points of many in the industry, particularly those that partner with traditional carriers.
“Because these big-name companies are so large and so old, they’re not quick and nimble,” Grey said. “They can’t pivot to new strategies to meet the evolving needs of the customer. They grow and change by acquisition, which has its own set of challenges. And implementing something new is a five- or a 10-year plan. Post-COVID, that’s not acceptable. Demands of the shipper and the receiver change quicker than five or 10 years.”
Grey noticed the traditional carriers continuously raised their rates, increasing 7%-15% yearly. With only two to choose from, shippers don’t have much of an option, so they must pay these rates or their goods won’t be moved — and no one wants unnecessary shipping delays. The traditional carriers also have slower time in transit, as long as seven days for a ground movement, are experiencing decreases in on-time performance and provide a less personable customer experience.
“All of this works against the shipper,” Grey said. “When shippers leave themselves only two options to choose from, this takes them out of the driver seat completely.”
He said SmartKargo is changing the status quo by providing its customers with global top-of-the-line service and delivery through its dedicated and strategic partnerships.
Other advantages of partnering with SmartKargo include no accessorial fees, enhanced time and transit (two-day delivery), unconventional and advantageous pricing, price certainty, flexibility and sustainable shipping practices.
Recently, the company has partnered with a big-name passenger airline to more efficiently ship small packages (retail, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and other goods) across the U.S. on behalf of its customers. The partnership allows SmartKargo to ship on roughly 800 flights a day.
“The [airlines] have extra space,” Grey said. “We just put our [customers’ small-parcel] packages on that flight underneath the passengers’ feet. Most of the cost of the movement is accounted for because it’s a passenger airline, so me putting a bunch of [small-parcel] packages on that flight really doesn’t have much increased cost. As a result, we can offer this two-day service at an affordable rate.”
With a presence in many countries and many more to come, dedicated partnerships allow SmartKargo to maintain its promise of affordable two-day shipping to its customers.
“Shippers want to meet the needs of the customer,” Grey said. “They want to be effective and to operate outside of the boundaries that these big names put on them. We provide options, transparent pricing and fast service — a great alternative to these traditional carriers. And because of how we are structured, we can quickly adapt to meet these changing needs.”
Grey maintains the traditional way of doing things is broken and does not work in the shippers’ or the customers’ favor. If shippers continue to do things the way they have been, they’re going to get the same old results.
“The world has changed and has opened the door to new opportunities and new disrupters,” he said. “The time is right to take advantage of this time of change to strengthen your supply chain and be better than you were before.”
Fillogic couldn’t be happier being a SmartKargo customer.
“We at Fillogic are great fans of what SmartKargo has built,” said Bill Thayer, CEO of Fillogic. “Great partner, great team and, most importantly, great tech. Both the Fillogic and SmartKargo engineering teams built out our integrations in under two weeks. We look forward to working together to expand to more regions to support our growth plans.”
SmartKargo is slated to see both product and global expansions over the next five years. According to Grey, the company will eventually boast a presence in many more countries, with numerous more service levels, such as same-day and next-day shipping, as well as options for its own fleet of trucks.
“This is the goal, and we plan for people to see us everywhere,” Grey said.
For more information about SmartKargo, visit its website.