Signing up for fulfillment services is a great way to lower your day to day operating costs while increasing your ability to meet and exceed your customer’s expectations. But there are many different fulfillment centers out there and choosing the one that will be a good fit for your business can be tough. If you choose the wrong gift fulfillment company to process your orders, store your merchandise, and work directly with your customers you could end up hurting your business instead of helping it. Here are some tips to help you find the best fulfillment center for your business:
Track record – Look for a fulfillment center that has a proven track record. Call the Better Business Bureau to verify that the companies you’re considering have no outstanding complaints filed against them. Companies that have been in business for a long time are usually trustworthy or they would not have managed to stay in business.
Ask for a trial period – Ask the account manager that you’re working with for a trial period to try out the fulfillment company’s services. All the homework and preparation in the world won’t take the place of actually using the services that are offered to see if they are a good fit for your business. Most businesses are happy to give corporate customers a free trial period so that the customer can see the order fulfillment process works.
Pretend to be a customer- When you’re working with an order fulfillment company and you want to see how your customers are being treated call and order one of your own products. The best way to find out what your customers are experiencing when they place an order is to place one yourself. Then you will know if your customers are getting the kind of service that you want them to get.
Get recommendations – Most online retailers use fulfillment companies to fill their orders. Ask some of the other online shop owners that you are friendly with which fulfillment service they use and why they like or dislike that company. Personal recommendations are one of the best ways to find reliable fulfillment centers.
Ask your vendors- Chances are good that your vendors have worked with many different order fulfillment services over the years. Ask the vendors that you are friendly with which fulfillment services they recommend. After years of working in a particular industry your vendors will be a wealth of information about which companies are the best for you to use.