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Filling orders can be a real game of catch up for small business owners trying to operate a home business. Ecommerce fulfillment can take the stress of making sure that orders are packed and shipped in a timely manner off your shoulders so that you can focus on marketing your business and planning out growth strategies.
Ecommerce fulfillment companies know how to address the special needs of an online business, like accepting orders 24 hours a day and being able to ship products within 24 hours of when the order is placed.
Hiring an ecommerce fulfillment company is the best way to make sure that your customers receive consistent service. Even when you’re working with an order fulfillment house there are still some important aspects of ecommerce fulfillment that you will need to handle. These tips will help you work with your order fulfillment company to ensure a seamless order process for your customers:
Check your inventory levels: Maintaining your inventory levels is still your responsibility. You can use the fulfillment service’s online tracking and management tools to check your inventory levels, schedule deliveries, and arrange for warehouse space. You can even set alerts to let you know when your inventory drops below a specified level so that you don’t run out of products to be shipped. If your inventory does run low make sure to let your account manager know when you will be ordering new products.
Follow up with your customers – Ensuring that your customers are getting the best possible service is ultimately your responsibility. Invite your customers to email you through your website and let you know how they were treated during the order process and whether or not their items arrived promptly. Customer feedback will tell you how well the fulfillment service is doing getting orders out and providing customer service.
Plan ahead – If you’re planning on launching a big advertising push for the holidays let the ecommerce fulfillment company that you’re working with know to expect more orders after the campaign launches. Make sure that you order plenty of products and alert the fulfillment house that you might need more warehouse space for holiday products. By letting the fulfillment company know in advance what your plans your account manager can be sure to have all the tools in place to handle increased orders for your business like extra warehouse space and extra customer service staff.
