What happens if you don’t have sufficient logistics management resources? In a word, your business suffers. No matter if your company is brick and mortar or situated online, your order fulfillment and warehousing resources define the shape and timeline of your financial success.
Early Warning Signs
One of the first early warning signs that your business has outgrown its logistics capabilities concerns the time management of your business’ senior staff. If you find more of your time and man-hours getting consumed simply by arranging and problem solving your shipping, order processing, and delivery issues, your business has likely grown past the point of logistics self-sustainment. Fortunately, there’s hope.
Order Fulfillment Outsourcing
Many companies, faced with such a dilemma, choose to employ the services of a third party, independent logistics and order fulfillment management company. By consigning their delivery, processing, and shipment needs to a provider who specializes in highly efficient and expert fulfillment processes, the company effectively dispenses with further logistics considerations. In short, the company no longer has to concern itself with its order processing, shipping, and delivery, past the costs of employing the logistics provider’s services.
The benefits of such cost reduction are hard to succinctly describe. Businesses that employ a third party logistics management no longer need concern themselves with accepting or storing inventory, paying and training the warehouse staff, and managing the dozens of details that make up inventory maintenance and order processing and shipment.
Instead, the fulfillment service company is able to ship every product requested of them directly to the customers, using shipping information provided by their client companies. The logistics company even ships packages to the customers using the client business’ drop shipment address and letterhead, giving the impression that the client company’s size and resources are much larger. This helps the business’ public image, which in turn boosts the chances of repeat patronage.
Growing Your Business After Outsourcing
Once the outsourcing is complete, business owners will be able to focus on developing the front end of their companies with an attention and freedom previously impossible. For example, many small business owners choose to develop an aggressive marketing strategy that helps them increase their public awareness. Online businesses are able to focus on developing their SEO footprint, moving their websites to the top of the search engine page rankings. With their fulfillment needs met, the time and the energy is at last there.