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Need Help with Shipping Solution for Small Business

Posted on 3/25/22 at 3:44 pm
Posted by Droplinebacker
Member since Jan 2004
848 posts
Posted on 3/25/22 at 3:44 pm
I own a small (but growing) retail brand. I recently set up a call center inside my facility and hired several telephone salespeople who call shops all day to pitch our products. (Thanks to the baws on the OT Lounge for recommendations on VOIP providers.) Our orders are starting to pick up and my poor shipping guy is getting crushed.

Our shipping process is really time-consuming right now....salespeople email him the orders at the end of the day, he packs the order up for shipment, hand writes the customer's address info on package, etc., then carries 20 boxes to post office and has to punch information all over again thru the self service kiosk. Needless to say, due to how much time this is taking (and the pissed off post office employees), this isn't working anymore.

My sales guys are using Zoho for their CRM solution. Is there a particular shipping solution anyone can recommend that integrates with Zoho CRM (besides Ship Station)? Ideally, I would like the sales people to input the information into CRM and process the order, and then an invoice gets generated and prints on a standalone printer in my shipping area, where the shipping guy can pick up the invoice and shipping labels from the printer, pack the order, slap the printed shipping labels onto the package, and send them out for shipment. (He can still bring them to post office every day, but I want him just dropping them off in the bin, not standing in line for help with shipping labels, etc.) I know it's probably not reasonable to think I can fully automate this, but I would like to streamline the process as much as possible.

Also, I'm looking for something besides ShipStation, which doesn't seem to integrate well with Zoho CRM.

Any help/recommendations/guidance would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by BabySam
FL
Member since Oct 2010
1528 posts
Posted on 3/25/22 at 4:48 pm to
Try the Zoho service desk free version (i use it for my personal IT business) and sales can forward orders via email to a the ticket system. He can process them almost live and could print the shipping labels with Dymo label printer. Sorry i dont know enough of the business to provide more. Just a quick response that could possibly be easily implemented. Or maybe Zoho has something more targeted for shipping.
Posted by Weekend Warrior79
Member since Aug 2014
19021 posts
Posted on 3/25/22 at 7:12 pm to
Does it have to be w USPS? Have you considered reaching out to UPS or FedEx to see what they may be able to do for you?

My team is able to use either and print the labels from their office. If they are done by a certain time, FedEx & UPS will automatically pickup. If not we can drop off in way home.

And they both offer discounts based on volume of business
Posted by broadhead
Member since Oct 2014
2384 posts
Posted on 3/25/22 at 8:18 pm to
UPS has a system that allows you to print the labels locally and a driver picks up.
Posted by NOLAGT
Over there
Member since Dec 2012
13781 posts
Posted on 3/26/22 at 5:48 am to
Ups has world ship and FedEx has shrimp manager I think. If you do either of those make sure you tell them you want to be able to ship to PO Box’s. It’s a feature you have to actively have turned on.

Also USPS has some sort of service they call cube priority I think it is. Might be a discounted type of priority where you use your own box and it’s a flat rate up to a certain LB. Check with them on that.
Posted by bluebarracuda
Member since Oct 2011
18840 posts
Posted on 3/26/22 at 9:11 am to
You do all shipping through PayPal. Electronic labels through USPS, FedEx, UPS, and it's cheaper then going into the post office.

PayPal shipping link

And I have one of these thermal label printers that works amazing (finding the right drivers for it were tough) LINK
Posted by TAMU-93
Sachse, TX
Member since Oct 2012
1073 posts
Posted on 3/26/22 at 12:26 pm to
What you're looking for is already built into Zoho.

Integrate your inventory software with shipping carriers.
Posted by LSUlove
Louisiana
Member since Oct 2003
574 posts
Posted on 3/27/22 at 4:26 pm to
Consider outsourcing fulfillment. There are some local (NOLA) companies that are great.
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