5 Proven Tips for Selecting a Reputable Fulfillment & Shipping Service
After considering the many benefits of outsourcing fulfillment and shipping, you have decided to hand over the responsibility of moving your products to another company. Outsourcing fulfillment and shipping frees up more time for you and the team to handle other tasks. You also benefit from lower costs, as well as fewer fulfillment and shipping errors. The question is not whether your business should outsource fulfillment and shipping. Instead, the question is how does your business select the best company to move your products?
Here are five proven tips for selecting a reputable fulfillment and shipping service.
Shipping Speed
Early in the shipping war, Federal Express guaranteed some product orders could reach customers as fast as overnight. Amazon Prime has perfected its fulfillment and shipping system to make two-day delivery speeds the norm. Because of the new standards set for delivery speed, customers expect their orders to reach them as soon as the day after placing an order. At Complete Mailing and Printing, our team of fulfillment and shipping professionals has set one of the fastest delivery speeds in the industry.
Warehouse Location
One of the most important criteria that establishes delivery speeds for fulfillment and shipping orders concerns the location of the nearest warehouse to your business. To achieve super-fast delivery speed, you want to work with a company that has built a centrally located warehouse, preferably near major roads and highways. Centrally located warehouses translate into shorter shipping routes, which is a huge factor in getting customers the product they ordered on time.
Types of Features
The best fulfillment and shipping companies offer features that give them a competitive advantage. Advanced order fulfillment software should be highly organized and easy to learn. You want to confirm that the fulfillment and shipping company that you choose uses software that never encounters a glitch, as well as calculates accurate arrival times. A fulfillment and shipping company that offers digital printing services and customer mail services allows your company to take care of many of the logistical tasks in one convenient location.
Responsive Communication
You have several fulfillment companies to choose from when searching for the right partner. The search process might come down to a factor such as responsive communication. Your fulfillment and shipping partner should respond promptly to emails, as well as text and phone messages. This is an especially important factor when you receive word from an unsatisfied customer that a product order has not arrived in a timely manner. Responsive communication also is an indication of a fulfillment and shipping company’s commitment to transparency and visibility.
Cost
You have heard the timeless adage, “You get what you paid for.” The adage means that if you cut costs too much, you might end up with an inferior product or service. Cutting cost corners when selecting a fulfillment and shipping company can lead to delayed orders that upset customers. Cost is a factor when selecting a fulfillment and shipping company, but it should not be the only factor. Treat cost as a make-or-break factor after considering the other factors on our list.