When it comes to taking on the entire fulfillment services responsibility of a business there can be many trying circumstances that could lead to loss of money and sleepless nights. On the surface, the fulfillment side of a company can seem like just another ordinary part of business, but with a deep look into what all really goes on behind the scenes, it is easy to see that fulfillment is nothing near ordinary.
What Are Fulfillment Services?
The fulfillment side of a business is when the order that the customer makes is fulfilled. Most businesses have a fulfillment goal for every transaction, however, since there are literally millions of different types of businesses, the way that the fulfillment takes place will be different for each transaction.
For example, if you go to a restaurant and order a meal the fulfillment of the transaction is that you get your food, then get your check and pay for the meal. Once the entire transaction has taken its course from entering the restaurant until exiting it after paying, the customer experience has been fulfilled.
When a company hires a fulfillment service provider to take care of the fulfillment needs it is usually because the company is some sort of online store that sells merchandise that gets shipped to the customer.
A fulfillment service provider will accept and process orders in the way that is specified by the company. For example, if the company is an online store that sells clothing the company will have a certain way that the orders are fulfilled in order to correctly conduct their business.
- A customer places an order online
- A service rep gets the order and checks it
- The rep will take steps to locate the ordered item
- Once the item is located it will be processed
- After processing the item will be packaged
- After packaging, the item will be shipped to the customer
- Once the customer receives the package, the order is fulfilled
The difference between a service provider and a fulfillment department is that the service provider will be separate from the company unless it concerns the agreements of the contract. Where an on-site department will be comprised of fully burdened employees, the service provider will provide its own employees that are paid by the company.
Ultimately the costs of hiring a third party to cover the fulfillment side of orders can cost much less than creating an entire department to handle all of it.
Warehouse Storage and Shipping Equipment
One of the perks of hiring a fulfillment service company is that the good ones will provide warehouse space and equipment so that the merchandise can be stored and managed appropriately.
Depending on how much business the company does on a regular basis there could be a large demand for certain items that are not always available, or that require a forklift to move around. Between warehouse storage, forklifts, pallets, pallet wrappers, and everything else that involves a finely tuned shipping and receiving department the costs can get pretty high.
The way that it works is that a high-quality provider will have its own warehouses and supplies to run them. In this way, your company is only using a portion of the resources, so the service provider can house several clients in one warehouse. This works best for some companies because they only pay a flat rate, not the full cost of the warehouse and equipment.
If you think about all of the components that make up a good fulfillment solution it is easy to understand why hiring a third party is a wise choice. From the workers to the computers to the pens, the storage, the shipping and receiving, then everything in between, several companies share the cost of the physical building and equipment while each client gets taken care of by professionals that are trained to be experts in their client’s businesses.
Customer Care
One of the biggest assets that a fulfillment service provider can offer is the way that it handles the customers. It is the ultimate goal of every business to establish the kind of customers that keep coming back and continuing to support the business.
In addition to the fulfillment service elements that get the orders out to the customers, when the customers call or email for answers a customer care representative that has experience dealing with customers will be on the front line of customer service relations.
There is a big difference between a person that has experience and has been trained in customer service and a person that has not. The average person does not know how to handle a customer that is confused or disgruntled. When there is a professional customer care agent on the other end of the phone, or an email, the quality of the customer experience becomes more pleasant and less threatening because a professional knows how to talk to customers.
How Fulfillment Services Work
There is a variety of ways that a fulfillment service could work, depending on the type of service provider they are. There are companies that provide full-service duties such as warehousing, staffing, customer call center, package delivery, and other services.
Not all companies that provide fulfillment services provide the same things. However, the main goal for all of them is to ensure customer fulfillment in a timely manner. Where one operation may only be a liaison between the customer and the company where they communicate through email and chat, other companies may wear uniforms with the company logo on it as if they were actually employees.
In any event, the more determined to provide excellent customer service the service provider is, the better the services will be.
Pick and Pack Fulfillment Services
Many of the companies that sell items online have a need for immediate delivery 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is known as on-demand services. In most cases, these orders are prescription medication, or other health needs such as dialysis kits, or parts for the kits.
Oftentimes companies like gambling casinos or 24-hour markets will order emergency parts for their electronic equipment that have an urgent need for fulfillment. In every business scenario fulfilling customer orders on an emergency, basis can be a lot of work.
The fulfillment service provider will be familiar with the items that are usually high in demand, where they are located, how to process them, and how to get them sent to a courier or other parcel carrier and get the item delivered as soon as possible.
When it comes to prescription medications there can be laws, regulations, and stipulations that have to be carried out to the tee when fulfilling an order. However, in an industry that processes meds on an on-call basis, it is common for all of the red tape to be dealt with before the transaction even takes place.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that a high-quality fulfillment service center will take care of all of the needs of the customer in order to facilitate a seamless transaction from start to finish. All the customer has to do is place an order and pay without any other hassles or troublesome steps.
