Shipping can be a pretty stressful thing. Whether you’re trying to make sure something is able to make it down the street without any issues or you need to get it from one side of the country to the other, there’s a lot that can go wrong.
Many companies use national fulfillment services, but how does this work on a national level, and would it even be that useful for your company? These are valid questions that we’re going to answer for you today.
Throughout the duration of today’s article, we’re going to do our very best to make sure that you understand how fulfillment services can help your business on both a local and a national level. We’ll also touch on a few of the benefits that often come along with using these services.
What is a National Fulfillment Service?
There are a lot of different kinds of companies that can help your business with a number of different things. Some companies can help keep your cars continue to run, others can help you with your website, and some can even help you fulfill orders for your customers.
Fulfillment services are a type of company that helps to make sure that orders placed by customers are received by those customers in a timely manner. This process usually works like this:
- The customer places an order with your company:
- This will always be the first step, as you’re probably aware.
- You notify the fulfillment service of the order:
- Once you’ve received an order, you’ll need to let the fulfillment company know so that they can begin working on getting the product to your customer.
- The fulfillment service ships the product:
- This is usually done via a third party like UPS or FedEx.
- You receive confirmation that the product has been shipped:
- Once it’s left their facility, you’ll get a notification from the fulfillment company letting you know that your customer’s purchase is on its way.
- The customer receives their purchase:
- If you’ve done your homework and picked a good fulfillment service this will often happen without any issues.
Really, the process is rather simple, assuming that you’ve chosen a good company to work with. The company that you outsource to would handle most of the logistical issues and all you have to do is sit back and cut them a check each month. It’s really that easy!
There are a lot of different reasons why you might want to consider using a fulfillment service, but we’ll just touch on a few of them here today.
First and foremost, if you’re selling products online then it’s likely that you don’t have the space to store all of those products in your office or home. Fulfillment services have large warehouses where they can store your product until it needs to be shipped out.
Another reason why you might want to use these services is that they can help save you time and money in the long run. If fulfilling orders is taking up too much of your time, then it’s likely that you’re not able to focus on other important aspects of your business.
This can lead to a decline in sales and profit. However, if you outsource this process to someone else then you can free up your time and use it more wisely elsewhere.
Finally, using a fulfillment service can help improve the customer experience for those who purchase from you. If orders are fulfilled quickly and without any issues, then customers are much more likely to come back and make future purchases. In fact, many customers will only buy from companies that offer quick and reliable shipping services.
Are Fulfillment Services Expensive?
As a savvy business person, you’re definitely thinking about how much this will actually cost you. After all, you don’t want to spend money on something that isn’t going to help improve your bottom line.
The cost of fulfillment services can vary depending on a number of different factors, but we’ll touch on a few of the main ones here today:
- The size and weight of your products:
- This is usually the biggest factor when it comes to pricing. The larger and heavier your product is, the more it will cost to ship it out.
- Your shipping destination:
- If you’re shipping internationally then it’s likely that it will cost more than if you’re just shipping domestically.
- How quickly you need the product shipped out:
- If you need orders fulfilled within 24 hours then this is going to be more expensive than if you don’t mind waiting a few days for orders to be processed and shipped out.
- The packaging requirements for your products:
- If your products require special packaging (like fragile items) then this can also add to the overall cost.
As mentioned before, there are quite a few different factors that can affect how much money you end up spending on fulfillment services each month but these are some of the most common ones that businesses run into.
That being said, it’s important to remember that the cost of these services is usually worth it in the long run. If you’re able to save time and money by outsourcing this process, then it’s likely that your business will be more profitable as a result.
Not to mention, using a fulfillment service can actually help you make more sales in the long run. As we mentioned before, customers are much more likely to buy from companies that offer quick and reliable shipping services. So if you’re able to improve your shipping times (and keep them consistent), then you’re likely to see an increase in sales as well.
Picking the Right Fulfillment Service for Your Company
Now that we’ve answered some of the most common questions about fulfillment services, it’s time to start thinking about which one is right for your business. This can be a tough decision, as there are quite a few different companies out there that offer these kinds of services.
The first thing you’ll want to do is make a list of all the different companies that offer fulfillment services in your area. Once you have this list, you can start doing some research on each one to see which one would be the best fit for your business.
- What kind of products do they ship?
- How much experience do they have?
- Do they have any positive reviews?
- What kind of pricing do they offer?
- Do they have any hidden fees?
- What is their customer service like?
These are all important questions that you’ll need to answer before making a decision. Once you’ve done your research, you should have a pretty good idea of which company would be the best fit for your business.
From there, it’s just a matter of signing up for their services and getting started! Many fulfillment companies will offer some kind of trial period so that you can test out their services before actually committing to anything. This is definitely something worth taking advantage of if it’s available to you.
Once you’ve found a company that you’re happy with, it’s important to make sure that the transition goes smoothly. This means working closely with the fulfillment company (and your employees) to make sure that everyone is on the same page and knows what needs to be done in order for orders to be fulfilled correctly.
Tips for Getting Started
If you’ve been following along and have already been looking into fulfillment services, then you’re probably ready to get started. But before you do, we wanted to share a few tips that will help make the process go more smoothly.
One of the most important things you can do is clearly communicate your expectations with the fulfillment company. This means letting them know exactly what kind of products you’ll be shipping out, how often orders need to be fulfilled, and what your budget is. By doing this, they’ll be able to give you a better idea of whether or not their services are right for your business.
Just make sure you negotiate before contracts are signed so you can come to an agreement that everyone is happy with. This will ensure that both sides are able to hold up their end of the deal and that there are no surprises down the road.
Making Your Shipments Simpler
Getting all of your ducks in a row, as they say, can make your whole business run a lot more smoothly. There are a lot of ways that a company can go about this but using a fulfillment service is definitely one of the most popular (and effective) methods.
We hope that this article has helped to clear up some of the confusion surrounding these services and how they work on a national level. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to reach out to the fulfillment company you’re interested in working with so that you can get all the answers you need before making a decision.