TransGuardian’s Insured Parcel Software Solves the Problem of Last-Minute Shipping Crunch

Los Angeles, CA, July 27, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Jewelers shipping insured parcels via FedEx, UPS, or the US Postal Service often face an end-of-day crunch - getting the packages labeled and out the door for overnight delivery before the courier cutoff time.

On the West Coast, carrier cutoffs are earlier than on the East Coast. The West Coast time zone is three hours earlier than Eastern Standard Time. All carrier planes have to leave the West Coast by around 7 PM to rendezvous at the Louisville or Memphis shipping hubs with the cargo planes departing the East Coast. East Coast planes can take off at 9 PM or later and still make the 1 AM cargo sortation.

The difference in time zones allows the West Coast jewelry business to fill client orders three hours later than their East Coast counterparts. That’s a big advantage. But West Coast jewelers also have an earlier, tighter shipping window at the end of the business day. That’s a big problem.

In the jewelry business, suppliers frequently receive orders early in the day. They know what they want to send out before the day ends. The problem is that, with the high price of gold, few suppliers can afford to keep all possible styles of settings and mountings in stock. So when a buyer asks for an item, frequently the supplier orders the mounting or setting from another vendor. Often it is made from scratch to suit the order. That means that the supplier may place the order at 11 AM, supply the gemstones, and then nag the setting manufacturer all day to get the finished item cast, polished and packed before the tight parcel pick up deadline.

When the finished merchandise arrives at the shipping desk, the scramble begins - pack it, make the label, declare the correct and final value for shipping insurance, declare the correct weight, and get the carrier's acceptance scan in time to make the cutoff for overnight delivery. The last few minutes of the day can be chaos, especially knowing that if you can’t get the goods to the buyer overnight, your competitor will.

TransGuardian's shipping software solves the problem with two new features called Parcel Queuing and Parcel Templates. Here's how they work:

Parcel Queuing
1. You get an order at 11 AM.
2. You create the shipment label, including declared value for parcel insurance, at 11:15 AM.
3. Rather than buy and print the label, you save it as a Queued Parcel (with an easily recognizable nickname).
4. At 5:15 PM, the merchandise arrives.
5. You choose the Queued Parcel from the TransGuardian software drop-down menu.
6. Make any last-minute changes.
7. Buy the label, print it, affix it to the package, and ship. No more end-of-day shipping crunch.

You can create, save, edit, and delete a custom library of Parcel Templates and Queued Parcels.

Parcel Templates
1. You frequently ship to the same buyer.
2. You create a template shipment to that buyer - this is much more than just having the client's address in your online address book. You can save the recipient address, phone number, e-mail, preferred carrier (e.g., FedEx, UPS or Express Mail), preferred class of service (e.g., Overnight by 10:30, Overnight by 3 PM, 2 Day, Ground, etc.). You can even save 3rd Party Billing information for clients who want shipments under their FedEx or UPS account.
3. Give the template an easily recognizable nickname.
4. Save the Template in TransGuardian’s handy drop-down menu.
5. Next time you receive an order from that client, choose the Template, edit any variable details, and print the label. No more last-minute crunch. And no more having to remember (or make your employee remember) the client's preferences. You saved them once and for all.

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