Indicators it’s time to change fulfillment providers
If you are running a successful e-commerce, you have spent countless hours perfecting your product, brand, and user experience from purchase to return. In addition, you likely partnered with a fulfillment company to help deliver and grow your business. You may have started to feel dissatisfied with how things are going. Here are five crucial indicators that signal it’s time to change fulfillment providers.
Limits on where orders can be shipped
Your fulfillment partner must be able to fulfill orders wherever your customers are! Ideally, your fulfillment warehouse is near your customers. This becomes difficult as e-commerce brands grow and reach a wider audience. Scaling your business with a 3PL might be a good idea. A change in fulfillment providers can help leverage a more comprehensive distribution network and ensure deliveries can be processed quickly.
Long order processing and shipping times
Customers are more demanding than ever when it comes to shipping times. The “Amazon Prime-Effect” has solidified the idea that any product ordered from anywhere shouldn’t take more than two days to process and never more than five to arrive. If your orders take more than three days to process and ship, it could indicate it is time to change fulfillment providers. Most 3PL partners that can genuinely help your company scale will be able to process and ship an order anywhere in the continently US within 2-days. Your business could suffer if your service provider cannot consistently meet this timeline.
Inventory is taking days or weeks to be stocked and added
Accurate inventory data is crucial to a successful e-commerce. Having inventory readily available within 24-36 hours is game-changing. Nothing frustrates an e-commerce business more than knowing a large product shipment has arrived at the warehouse but sits on a pallet waiting for stocking and addition to the inventory management system. This typically indicates a lack of staff or organization. The longer this process takes, the more sales potential you lose. If it takes more than a few days to get your inventory added, it might be time to change fulfillment providers.
Confusing invoicing or billing
Managing the financial reporting of a successful e-commerce is problematic on a good day and mind-numbing on a bad day. Top-rated 3PL providers offer complete itemized billing transparency. Having a financial report that details every charge with open-honest billing can help highlight advantages and opportunities for process change. When your fulfillment partner cannot give a detailed and accurate invoice about where their charges stem from, it is time to move on. The decisions you make are only as good as the data on which they are made.
Negative customer reviews regarding shipping
Negative customer reviews are an obvious indicator it is time to change fulfillment partners, because only one bad review can drive away up to 22% of potential customers. If you have noticed more than one poor review related to shipping or final delivery, your company cannot afford to ignore it.
Beginner’s Guide to Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
The world of e-commerce is always changing, therefore understanding the roll of Third-Party Logistics is integral to keeping up. In light of this our beginner’s guide to third-party logistics (3PL) will delve into the essential aspects, offering insights into fulfillment services, warehousing, and much more.
Read More…
Seeing that it might be time to change fulfillment providers can be daunting. The process involves confusion, overwhelm, and a lot of resources. However, at Falcon Fulfillment, we pride ourselves on onboarding new clients in days or weeks, not months. We offer a dedicated account manager throughout the onboarding process and beyond. Our team will do the heavy lifting so you can focus on growing your business. When our customers changed their fulfillment partner, we delivered!
