It’s not just big corporations that have gone international with their business. Globalization has enabled easy international market access to the SMEs and proprietary businesses as well. While this sounds progressive, there is a big challenge that comes along – how will your goods reach the International Market?

Evaluate Freight Forwarders Based On Your Need

Who are freight forwarders? Freight forwarders are companies that help you take your business to places through their network and associations with logistics companies and agents. They can help you a great deal by simplifying this process and ensuring various aspects like compliance, customs, import / export regulations and documentations are taken care of – be it road, air or ocean. With high momentum in the freight forwarding industry in Middle East, particularly in the UAE, you will find at least 10 companies that seem to be a good fit for your requirement – but how will you finalize on one? Is cost the only determining factor to select the best freight forwarder for your business? Only if it had been so easy! There are multiple factors that you need to evaluate before choosing a freight forwarder, we listed some of the most important ones that will help you decide.

Some Top Tips To Evaluate and Choose the Right Freight Forwarder

Expertise – There are many freight forwarders around, each with a different offering, operation style and expertise; it is important to know which of them best suit your needs before shortlisting them. It is also important to understand what kind of goods they deal in – dangerous goods, perishable goods, dairy, temperature-controlled goods, etc. There are many that cater to all kind of needs. If your goods require specific storage and handling then deciding to go with a field expert freight forwarder would be your best bet, if not, consider the metrics of all the tips listed here before deciding. Agent Network – A freight forwarder with a wide network of agents tends to have a good reach and better accountability. While evaluating a freight forwarder, know if they have agents in the transit and in the destination country to ensure compliance, timely arrival of goods and more. This is an important factor to be considered particularly if you have to choose multi modal freight forwarding. Global Presence – A wide network contributes to a bigger presence, hence the global presence of a freight forwarding company. It can help you determine the scalability of the company and in turn can help your business reach other destinations as well. You don’t want to be evaluating freight forwarders each time you look for a shipment requirement! Market Experience – A company can have a wide reach and global presence through agent associations, but it is important not to undermine their experience in the market. This will help you determine how the freight forwarder will handle tough, unforeseen situations like port shutdowns, customs issues, dockwater strikes, re-routing, change of transport method, etc. Value Added Services – While every company would offer added services, it is important you evaluate which of those would matter the most to your shipping requirements. Example, ProConnect offers value added services like warehousing, insurance, custom clearance, kit assembly, labelling, bunding and de-bundling, packaging, back end technology, etc. It is important you consider the services that will benefit you. Reliability – Always evaluate the credibility and the ability of the freight forwarder you choose, after all they will handle your goods until they reach the destination. Is the freight forwarder certified to handle your goods category, is it recognized by some of the top industry associations, what clauses do they have for delays, misplacement or lost goods – answer to these would help you further shortlist. Responsiveness and Support – Customer service is a vital factor to be considered. A prompt freight forwarder will ensure you are at peace while your goods are in transit with structured communication, timely updates and assistance in times of uncertain situations.

Finalizing On That One Freight Forwarder

The Freight Forwarder you choose will be the one you will entrust your goods with from one country to the other, or even multiple countries. Having said that, you will want to select a freight forwarder that takes care of your current need and those in the future – you don’t want to be evaluating freight forwarders every now and then.

Why Choose ProConnect As Your Freight Forwarder?

ProConnect has vast experience and presence in many prominent countries. Local know how, global reach, custom solution and customer support – we are ideal to cater to all your freight forwarding needs – anywhere, anytime and on time. In addition to logistics, we offer smooth custom clearance, warehousing and inventory management, timely update and express service to our customers. Request us for a Free Quote and try ProConnect logistics services for a fruitful, long term association.
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