If you are in the e-commerce industry, partnering with a fulfillment service is one of the most rewarding business relationships that you can develop. Because most of the fulfillment service providers in Houston can adjust to suit your requirements as your firm expands, they can keep up with every step of your business development.
However, since your e-commerce business deserve the best, it is vital to ensure that fulfillment service provider that you choose to partner with is doing everything to help your business succeed and grow. In connection to this, below are some of the most important questions that you need to ask yourself to ensure that the company fulfills your logistics and order fulfillment requirements:
1. Are you getting regular updates?
The best fulfillment service provider should keep you updated and informed about their operations and relevant industry trends through email, newsletters, and occasional message. By keeping you ‘in the loop’, the provider maintains a clear channel of communication that run both ways along your fulfillment agreement.
2. What’s company’s customer service capability?
If you’ve been managing your own complaint resolution and other customer service tasks on your own, outsourcing some of the tasks to a fulfillment service provider may save you a lot of time and money in the long term. By outsourcing the responsibilities to a Houston fulfillment service, you will also give yourself a number of fringe benefits including less training expenses, reduced need for office space, and fewer payroll taxes among other benefits.
3. Do they value you?
Considering that most Houston fulfillment service companies serve several e-commerce businesses at a go, it is possible for one firm to unintentionally get ‘left in the cold’. Accordingly, if you feel that your order requirements or inventory management needs are getting ignored by your fulfillment company, never hesitate to speak up. Remember, opening communication channels with any company you are partnering is one of the most effective ways of optimizing whatever service that they are offering to your business.
4. Do they have fast turn-around time?
Lastly, you need to figure out the fulfillment service company’s turn-around time. At what time do they stop shipping? There are companies that have cut-off points of 2pm, meaning that any orders that they receive past 2pm are rescheduled for the next day. Such companies may interfere with your clients’ orders if they didn’t arrive on time or if your clients were expecting same day shipping.
Bottom-line
Houston fulfillment services can help your business grow fast. However, finding the right provider is a very critical decision. Remember, not all fulfillment service companies provide similar services.
