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The closest thing to a sure-fire path to growth and longevity involves hard work, vision, and more than a little good luck and timing. Building your own business from scratch, especially in the often turbulent economy, takes plenty of guts.
But as you begin your ecommerce business, it’s important to remember that opportunities exist that not everyone will become aware of. A successful small business must resemble a well-oiled machine. In the 21st Century, streamlining is the key to efficiency and, by extension, high performance.
By outsourcing your logistics management and order fulfillment needs to a third party logistics and order fulfillment provider you give your business the benefit of expert staffing, climate controlled warehouse facility storage, and all the savings that comes from having your back end fulfillment needs expertly and efficiently managed.
Once you enter into a logistics management partnership with an order fulfillment house, your product inventory will become delivered to their warehousing and processing facilities instead of your own, sparing you the hassles and paperwork associated with delivery and shipping times. The inventory will be safely kept in their climate controlled facilities, until such time as each product is needed to fill a particular order.
The warehouse staff then takes over, preparing each and every product sold with the best shipping materials. Once the package is ready, the designated shipping service is contacted and a pickup date is scheduled. A tracking number is also sometimes assigned, depending on the company and the customer’s specifications.
Some fulfillment houses also feature additional conveniences and services for their clients, including promotional mail processing and customer service staffing. Promotional mail processing involves the preparation of printed marketing materials delivered straight to the customers’ homes or offices. These materials can include catalogues, newsletters, or other informational missives.
Customer service staffing features trained, expert customer service representatives who can resolve issues and complaints levied by the customers about their products. This helps the client company maintain its reputation and also encourage repeat business.
