If you’ve partnered with the same fulfillment service company for a while now the time may be right to reevaluate the company’s efficiency as well as its range of services. The back end of your business operation is crucial to its continued success regardless of whether your operate a brick and mortar concern or engage in the cutting edge world of ecommerce. As you consider moving your outsourced fulfillment to a company that might possibly offer you more for your money, consider these questions about your current fulfillment services provider:
Do The Warehouse Facilities Remain Top of the Line?
Some companies promise fully climate controlled and secure warehousing space, but can let their standards fall during months with severely inclement weather. Don’t let your product inventory be the victim of poor standards. Make sure your fulfillment company keeps the warehousing standards you were promised up to par the entire year round, either from personal inspection or via webcam.
Does Your Service Company Stay In Touch?
Most fulfillment service companies will offer online tools that let business owners stay in constant alert about their product inventory levels and conditions. The best companies, however, will keep their client businesses informed about events within their company, including significant staffing changes as well as alterations to the facility’s physical plant. By making such information public and readily available to their clients, the fulfillment house allows both transparency and trust to develop.
Have Your Customer Service Issues Increased or Decreased?
An erosion in customer service satisfaction and successful order fulfillment is a sure sign that your outsourced company is dropping the fulfillment ball. As you monitor customer issues and questions, keep track of how many are directly related to the service company’s performance. Once that number passes your comfort threshold it’s time to begin shopping for a new provider.
Remember to Communicate
If you have issues, complaints, or questions, you owe it to yourself and to your business to get those questions addressed as soon as possible. Changing companies should be a last resort, not knee-jerk response, so you want to make sure when you do change that it’s for the most compelling of reasons.