For e-commerce sellers and logistics managers using CNFANS, shipping efficiency is a critical component of customer satisfaction and operational success. One of the most effective, data-driven strategies to optimize this process is to systematically analyze your historical shipment data to identify which couriers consistently deliver the fastest. This guide will walk you through the process of leveraging your spreadsheet records to sort and rank carriers by their actual delivery performance.
The Power of Historical Delivery Data
Your past shipping spreadsheet is more than just a log; it's a goldmine of performance insights. By tracking key dates—order date, shipment date, and most importantly, delivery confirmation date—you can calculate the actual transit time for each package. Aggregating this data per carrier reveals consistent trends, separating truly efficient services from slower ones, regardless of their advertised speeds.
Step-by-Step: How to Sort Carriers by Delivery Time
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1. Ensure Your Data is Clean and Consistent
Start by reviewing your spreadsheet columns. You need, at minimum: Carrier Name, Destination Country/Region, Ship Date, and Delivery Date. Standardize carrier names (e.g., use "Courier A" instead of both "Cour A" and "Cour. A") to ensure accurate grouping.
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2. Calculate the Transit Time for Each Shipment
Create a new column labeled "Transit Days". Use a formula to calculate the difference between the Delivery Date and the Ship Date. In tools like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, this is typically:
=DELIVERY_DATE - SHIP_DATE. This gives you the raw elapsed time for each order. -
3. Segment Data by Destination (Crucial Step)
Speed is highly relative to the destination. A carrier fast to North America might be slow to Europe. Always filter your data by the destination country or region before analyzing. Compare carriers only within the same logistical lane for a fair assessment.
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4. Calculate Average Delivery Time per Carrier
Use the PivotTableAVERAGEIFaverage Transit Days. This single metric is your primary indicator of speed for that route.
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5. Sort and Rank the Carriers
Sort your list of carriers from the lowest (fastest) average transit time to the highest (slowest). This sorted ranking is your empirical guide to selecting the quickest option for future shipments on that specific route.
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6. Consider Consistency: Analyze Data Spread
Look beyond the average. Calculate the standard deviation
Beyond Simple Speed: Key Factors to Consider
- Cost vs. Speed Trade-off:
- Service Level:
- Seasonal Fluctuations:
- Service Level:
Taking Action on Your Insights
Once you have identified the top-performing carriers for your major destinations, integrate this intelligence into your CNFANS shipping workflow. Set these carriers as your default options for their respective routes. However, revisit and update your analysis quarterly. Courier performance can change due to new partnerships, network adjustments, or seasonal service variations.
By transforming raw historical data into a clear, sorted carrier ranking, you move from guessing to strategic decision-making. This proactive approach directly contributes to faster deliveries, happier customers, and a stronger competitive edge for your business.