Overview of Better World Books
Better World Books (“BWB” or the “Company”) is a for-profit socially conscious business and a global online bookseller that collects and sells new and used books online matching each purchase with a book donation. Each sale generates funds for literacy and education initiatives in the UK, U.S. and around the world. Since its launch in 2003, Better World Books has raised close to $32 million for libraries and literacy, has sold over 100 million books, has donated almost 29 million books and has reused or recycled more than 373 million books. BWB is now owned by Better World Libraries, a mission-aligned, not-for-profit organization that is affiliated with longtime partner, the Internet Archive. This groundbreaking partnership allows both organizations to pursue their collective mission of making knowledge universally accessible to readers everywhere.
Simplifying the Shipping Process
Since June of 2017, Better World Books has partnered with OSM to ship millions of packages every year. According to President and CEO of Better World Books Dustin Holland, using OSM’s Bound Printed Matter (BPM) shipping service helps streamline their entire shipping process.
“Prior to OSM, we completed all sorting ourselves. By partnering with OSM, we have been able to eliminate the complexity of doing that work in house. Out of our primary distribution center, all of the product is fulfilled, packaged and sent to the OSM facility where it is sorted and injected into the U.S. Postal Service’s network for last-mile delivery.”
Competitive Rates and Consistent Delivery
Throughout their partnership, Better World Books has relied on OSM for economical rates and fast, reliable delivery. “The rates have always been very competitive, especially for the level of service we get,” Holland said. “When it comes time to negotiate rates, OSM has always been very fair and transparent.”
“We also pay close attention to time to delivery and that metric is also extremely competitive. It’s remarkable that we’re able to deliver packages in as few as four days and our customers appreciate the fast delivery times that we offer as a used bookseller.”
Smarter Tracking and Reporting with OSMART
OSM’s OSMART technology suite allows customers to track, trace and manage shipments 24/7 and helps Better World Books stay on top of cost analysis and reporting procedures.
“That technology allows us to publish tracking information to our customers so we can push out delivery notifications and set clear expectations. On the cost side, we’re able to track everything between our system and theirs, which helps us streamline the administrative aspect of our business. OSM has been upgrading their technology over the past few years, so it’s exciting to see what’s coming on the horizon,” Holland said.
Superior Service and Rave Reviews
What sets OSM apart from the competition, according to Holland, is the level of professionalism and exceptional customer service that OSM provides.
“We’ve worked with other providers in the past, but there was a lack of service, deliveries were not being made and they weren’t reinvesting into their businesses. OSM has a team of postal experts who can predict trends and the future direction of pricing, which helps us steer our business and make changes proactively rather than reactively. The feedback from our customers is a direct reflection of OSM’s stellar service. Based on over 300,000 reviews, we have an overall satisfaction rating of 4.8 out of 5. OSM has been integral to the positive feedback we receive from customers and we’re truly grateful for our partnership,” Holland said.
A variety of industries trust OSM for eCommerce shipping to deliver packages quickly, reliably and at reduced shipping rates. Contact us today to learn how OSM Worldwide’s flexible, data-driven shipping solutions can help companies like yours ship faster, more efficiently and at a lower total cost.
Want to see more? Check out this case study featuring our relationship with SFG, a leading technology solutions company. Learn how OSM’s shipping solutions empowered SFG, streamlining operations, reducing costs and ensuring timely delivery.