Best UK courier in the UK – a small business guide

Missing parcel – what to do as a small business owner

Sometimes parcels go missing – in fact, the UK saw the number of claims for missing parcels rise by 59 per cent in the year to June 2023 compared with the previous 12 months. As a small business owner, lost or missing parcels can have a major effect on your business.

While there’s no sure way to avoid your parcels going missing, here are a couple of ways you and your customers can try to avoid missing parcels:

• get proof of postage – this is often provided for free by your courier – you can get online proof or ask for it when you drop your parcel off

• offer tracked shipping – this can give both you and your customers peace of mind

• use a signed for service – this way your customers will have to physically sign for their item to receive it – this is always recommended for expensive parcels

• encourage your customers to nominate a safe space – selecting a safe space for deliveries means orders won’t be left outside on your customers’ doorsteps

Customer still not received their parcel? Here’s what to do…

If your customer says they haven’t received their order, don’t panic and follow these simple steps:

1. Check their order details are correct

The first thing to do is double check with the customer if their order details are correct. Maybe there was a typo in the address line, or the order was sent to the billing address rather than the delivery address. Confirming with your customer that the correct delivery address was entered will help troubleshoot the problem.

2. Check for information on strikes

Double check there are no strikes going on that could have caused a delay in posting, or see if your chosen courier has announced any known delays. Even if there haven’t been any announcements, sometimes delays do happen. Tell your customer to wait a few days – after all, the parcel may still turn up.

3. Contact your courier

If you’ve worked out that the problem isn’t on your customer’s end, the next step is to contact your courier. They may be able to locate your parcel in the system or, at the very least, confirm that the order has been lost.

4. Offer a refund or replacement

Customer service is key, so once you know the order has gone missing, it’s best to get in touch with your customer straight away to let them know. You can offer a refund or replacement – and perhaps offer to send the next order with a tracked service if this wasn’t used before. This can offer peace of mind to your customer, as well as build a reputation as a considerate brand.

Creating a returns policy for a small business

Even if your parcel does arrive, sometimes your customer may need to submit a return, which is included as part of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

And if you’re selling online, you’ll also need to be aware of distance selling regulations, which gives consumers a 14-day ‘cooling off period’ as part of most distance and off-premises contracts. During the cooling off period, a customer can cancel for any reason and get their money back.

Outside of these regulations, you have no legal obligation to offer returns. Business Companion states that, when it comes to returns policies, ‘the best notice is no notice’ – meaning you don’t need to list a returns policy unless you’re offering more than the minimum entitlement. And that if you are offering more than those requirements, it’s always a good idea to say something like ‘this policy is offered in addition to your legal rights’.

If you do decide to build on the standard minimum returns policy, some things you can consider including in your policy are:

• a hard deadline for receiving returns

• the original invoice or receipt

• making sure the products are unused or in unopened packaging

You don’t need to offer a return when the customer:

• knew an item was faulty when they bought it (such as if you’re selling second-hand or vintage items)

• damaged the item when trying to repair it themselves

How to package a parcel

No matter which courier you choose, one way you can make sure your package stays safe in transit is to properly package any orders you send out. Some ways you can help keep your items safe include:

• using high quality boxes

• wrapping items individually, when shipping multiple items

• use materials such as bubble wrap, paper, or foam peanuts to protect your items

• don’t overfill boxes

• leave enough space for the label

But remember that this is also the perfect opportunity to embrace your branding. Whether it’s branded boxes or you include logo stickers and business cards, you can use your packaging as another marketing tool.

There are also sustainable packaging options to use if this is important to you as a small business owner (or your customers).