Table of contents:
- Introduction to Shipping and Receiving Clerk
- What are the typical duties of a shipping and receiving clerk?
- What are the qualifications to being a good shipping and receiving clerk?
- How can you make yourself stand out as a shipping and receiving clerk?
- What is the difference between courier and carrier?
- Why use a courier service vs. carrier service?
- Get more shipping and receiving clerk training for FREE
Introduction to Shipping and Receiving Clerk
I wanted to do a post about a very important role in any organization. Mostly every company ships out or receives packages. If you run a small business then the shipping and receiving role or function is most likely part of the many hats you wear. In a bigger organization or warehouse, this role due to volume is usually a standalone position. This blog post will not only help you learn more about this role but will arm you with the knowledge to pursue this kind of role for employment or as a career. My goal is to create full insight into what it takes to be or become a successful shipping and receiving clerk. As this platform is a knowledge based site, whatever you learn will allow you to be able to confidently put it on your resume. This post will also be a preview into the absolutely FREE Shipping and Receiving Clerk course that I am creating. This will be open to all Next Level Gurus who sign up for the FREE membership. More details at the end of this post.
What are the typical duties of a shipping and receiving clerk?
Here is a basic shipping and receiving job description. Responsibilities can include but not limited to the following:
Tracking of Inventory
One of the biggest roles of the shipping and receiving clerk is keeping accurate tracking of materials that are available to be shipped out. They are also in charge of making sure company materials are put away in the proper place.
Verifying Shipments
When shipments come in either via courier or carriers, the shipping and receiving clerk is responsible for making sure that the shipment received is in fact for that business. Normally matching the packing slip to referenced items.
Shipping out items
Verifying shipments coming in the receiving end of things but there is also a duty of shipping items out to customers or suppliers or partners. Receiving and shipping will go hand in hand as part of your duties. You will ship out either using a courier or carrier company.
Loading and unloading shipments
Packaging up shipments to go out either in boxes or on a skid is a big part of what the shipping and receiving clerk will do- this is the shipping part. Unloading shipments once they come in and putting them away into inventory is part of the receiving function of this job.
What are the qualifications to being a good shipping and receiving clerk?
With any job, there are soft and hard skills that you will need to possess.
What are soft skills? Soft Skills are personal descriptions or attributes that help you interact well with others in the workforce. Here are 5 Essential Soft Skills to have on your resume in 2024.
What are hard skills? Hard skills are the technical requirements you will need for a job. In the case of a shipping and receiving clerk, here are some key ones:
Computer literacy- you should be able to use a computer comfortably. Starting from the basics of how to turn it on, how to access shipping platforms such as Purolator, UPS, Fedex etc, how to compose and send emails.
Math literacy- basic math is essential. You will be doing such things as calculating dimensional weight, understanding how cubic weight works, looking at shipping costs and calculating markup to the customer if applicable.
Clerical knowledge- You should have an understanding on how to fill out shipping documents such as bills of lading, commercial invoices and packing slips. You should also have an understanding as to how to file documents and keep your working documents organized. Also, how to answer phone calls and transfer individuals to different departments if possible. Or accept transfers from other departments.
License/certification- In some cases you will be required to have your forklift certification or have a valid driver's license. This will depend on what you signed up or were hired to do.
How can you make yourself stand out as a shipping and receiving clerk?
Every organization is different but here are some things you can do and should not do as a shipping and receiving clerk to make yourself stand out:
Do's
Do create a consistent method for handling incoming and outgoing shipments. It should always be consistent with the policies of the company you are working with.
Do double-check all your documents before shipping out any item. This means verifying that the postal code or zip code is accurate. This is crucial as a typo on a street address or postal code can mean the difference between on-time delivery and delays.
Do remove old labels from boxes before shipping out new items. This will ensure that the carrier or courier company does not mistakenly send your items back to you. Trust me, this happens more than you think.
Do apply additional labels besides the waybill. This will ensure that if the waybill drops off or goes missing that you have back up labels to ensure the shipment can be sent to the right place.
Do allow a day or two buffer when shipping important shipments. This will allow you to adjust or react to any shipping delays or hiccups.
Do keep on top of time sensitive or highly important shipments by tracking them or setting up tracking notifications.
Do communicate with the customer any issues with shipping products or materials and or any shipping delays.
Don'ts
Don't assume things- clarify any communication barriers that you have whether internally or externally with the customer.
Don't use unreliable carriers or couriers. You know what they say if someone shows you who they are, you better believe them. Same thing for your shipping provider. If they are always missing shipping deadlines, then why continue using them.
Don't choose a carrier or courier solely based on price. Choose a carrier based on a value added relationship. Yes, cost is important but there is a difference between costs and value. Understand the difference by reading the related post below.
Related post: 10 Ways to save on shipping costs
Don't over promise and under deliver- over promising and under delivering creates trust and integrity issues. Do what you say you are going to do. This helps to build trust with your internal customers(co-workers) and the external customer.
Don't stop learning- knowledge is pretty important in anything that you wish to accomplish. Find ways to gain more knowledge about your job and the industry that you are in. Find out more about how important the shipping and receiving function is within any organization. Always be learning something new.
Related post: Top reasons why ignorance is the #1 cause of death
What is the difference between courier and carrier?
In order to do your job well as a shipping and receiving clerk, it is important to understand what the difference is between a courier and a common carrier and also when to use which one.
Courier
A courier company is used for shipping packages or items that do not require skidding. These companies are usually Fedex, Purolator, UPS, Canpar or DHL. They usually offer several levels of service and price points to help you decide which one to use. Most if not all will allow you to schedule shipments through their online portal. Usually straightforward and all you do is answer questions about your package. At the end, you will receive a waybill at the end.
Related content: watch here how to create a shipment on Purolator
Here is what you will need to schedule a shipment with any courier company:
- Company name
- Contact name
- Contact phone number
- Delivery address(Street name/city/postal code or zip code)
- Dimension of item shipping- watch calculating dimensional weight
- Description of item shipping
Common Carrier
Common carriers usually ship out large items or pieces. These kinds of shipments are usually put on a skid or loose depending on the item or items. Common carriers take shipments that are LTL( Less than truckload) or FTL( Full truck load). Just like with sending courier shipments, these shipments also require the following information:
- Company name
- Contact name
- Contact phone number
- Delivery address(Street name/city/postal code or zip code)
- Dimension of item shipping- watch calculating dimensional weight
- Description of item shipping
Common carriers might also require additional information such as:
Does the consignee( person/company receiving the shipment) have a dock at their end? This will determine if a liftgate is required or if the driver will have to hand bomb the shipment for delivery. The more difficult it is to deliver, the higher the costs might be.
Why use a courier service vs. carrier service?
Here is a list of criteria to use to help you determine whether to use courier or carrier service and also which service level makes sense when using a courier company.
Package Size:
If your package is small then courier service is the way to go. Shipping via courier is good for such items such as letters, envelopes and shipping boxes. Vice versa, if the package you are shipping is large then using a common carrier is the way to go. Courier companies will quite often have restrictions on the size of what they will ship. Furthermore, if they do ship larger size packages, then there is usually a special handling charge that goes with it.
Number of pieces
As I mentioned above, courier shipments are for small packages. If you are just shipping one item, it only makes sense to use a courier company. But, if you have a single item but it is considered large in size. For example, a single item measuring 82"h x 42"w x 30" deep weighing 400 lbs should most likely go by common carrier. Even though it is a single item, it falls outside of what the courier companies like to take. Shipping this via courier, you would most likely be hit with several special handling charges such as a large package surcharge. The costs to ship it via courier if they take it in the first place would far exceed the costs to put this item on a carrier truck.
Delivery options
Use couriers for items that require more delivery options, especially if your delivery is time sensitive. Couriers usually offer several kinds of service levels. Such as same day(specialty couriers) delivery, next day delivery, early am delivery, mid day delivery or end of day delivery. Common carriers are typically a bit slower in their delivery of freight. Depending on where your freight is going, it can take anywhere between 1- 7 days. Although some specialized shipping companies will offer same day, mid day and end of day service levels for skidded freight. This mainly happens with localized freight. For example, you might be able to ship a skid in Toronto, Canada and have it delivered the same day within Toronto, Canada. You would never get same day delivery for a skid for example from Toronto to Vancouver.
Customer requested:
There will be times as a shipping and receiving clerk where the customer will dictate how items are shipped to them. Especially, if they are paying for the freight. They might tell you to ship their items via courier or loose to them. Other times, they might request that you skid the items, even if there aren't a lot of pieces. It is important even if you don't always agree with them to ship to the customer how they requested the shipping.
Consignee/Venue Restrictions
Sometimes, the consignee or the venue such as a hotel will only accept packages either by courier only or by carrier only. Follow their requests at all times to avoid your shipment being denied or unnecessary delays. A hotel for example might not have the right height in an elevator or might not even have a dock to accept skidded items. These restrictions are important in how you determine the costs that you pass unto the customer. Some hotels might accept skids but the driver might have to break down the skid and hand bomb the item for delivery. This will most likely cost more. For these reasons, it is important to know what the consignee or venue restrictions are when you are shipping things out.
Package Separation Issues
When shipping via courier with loose pieces, you run the risk sometimes of some pieces arriving before others. You might track your shipment and realize that only two of five pieces were delivered on a particular day and the other three are still on a truck to be delivered. When shipping by skid or by crate via a common carrier, package separation becomes less of an issue. If you can live with your packages being delivered at separate times then still use courier, just remember to keep an eye on the pieces that are yet to be delivered. Also, reach out to the courier company and find out why they were not delivered together and more importantly, when will they be delivered.
Extra care needed
If what you are shipping requires a personal touch or extra care in handling, then courier is the better choice. The courier driver will most likely deliver your packages right to an individual to sign for it. Whereas delivery for skidded or LTL or TL will most likely be dropped at the back of the warehouse and have to be broken down and distributed accordingly or put away accordingly.
Get more shipping and receiving clerk training for FREE.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I am working on a FREE follow-up course to this post. Get more shipping and receiving clerk training and knowledge and insight into what a shipping and receiving clerk does on a daily basis. I am a big fan of learning by doing or by sight. That's why I am creating a free course for members only. This course will go in depth as on the following topics:
- Shipping documents and terminology 101
- Why actual weight and dimensional weight different?
- How to calculate dimensional weight?
- How to schedule shipments via courier service- all the popular ones(Fedex/UPS/Purolator)- Including how use a centralized system such as Flagship. An authorized reseller for the major courier companies.
- What to look for in a common carrier? Characteristics that will save you headaches.
- What documents are needed for international shipments?
- And more...
To get notified when this course is ready- Click here. This will absolutely be a FREE course, no need to buy anything. After this course, you will be able to confidently put this new skill on your resume and open up more career opportunities for yourself. If you are looking for a shipping and receiving job, then this course will be a great starting point for you. Click here to become a member of Next Level Gurus and start learning new and useful things.
Related Post: FREE Bookkeeping Essentials Course- Click here to gain access.
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