4 Key Questions to Ask a Fulfillment Partner Before Working With Them
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Properly managing your customer orders is essential when it comes to the long-term growth of your business. After all, providing a solid customer experience is one of the best ways to improve your revenue.
However, not everyone knows what to look for in a fulfillment partner. Listed below are key questions that you need to ask before working with one.
Let’s get started.
1. Do You Offer a Service Guarantee?
A service guarantee will provide insight into the experience you will have with your fulfillment company. When implementing outsourced fulfillment, you should never work with a provider that is not able to promise a certain level of satisfaction.
For instance, this guarantee should dictate a certain level of order accuracy, how quickly your orders will be shipped, etc. Otherwise, you will essentially be rolling the dice by working with a provider who cannot offer you one.
2. How Do You Handle Mistakes?
Unfortunately, mistakes are sometimes part of the outsourced order fulfillment process. This could be due to a miscommunication, or simply be a result of your fulfillment partner’s inadequacy.
Sometimes, these issues are entirely out of everyone’s control.
The fulfillment company you work with should have a process in place regarding how to deal with customer issues. One of the most common problems that customers face is not getting their orders on time.
You should look for a fulfillment partner that offers to refund the cost of the item and shipping. They should also be willing to pay for the shipment of a new product.
Put simply, the fulfillment company you work with should go out of their way to ensure that your customers are able to resolve their issues.
Otherwise, you might experience damage to the reputation of your brand.
3. What Are Your Minimum Order Requirements?
Most fulfillment companies have a minimum order requirement. This is an order volume threshold that determines whether or not it is profitable for them to work with you.
In some cases, your fulfillment provider may have penalties if you fall below a certain number of orders. Be sure to inquire about this factor when searching for a fulfillment partner.
You can check out this resource about Fulfilltopia to learn more about what to look for.
4. Do You Require Long-Term Agreements?
Locking yourself into a long-term agreement is often inadvisable. If your order fulfillment partner requires one, though, it may be in your best interest to search elsewhere.
Fortunately, a simple phone call or online inquiry can often answer this question for you.
Finding the Right Fulfillment Partner Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
The above questions will help ensure that you find the fulfillment partner who is ideal for you. Afterward, you can focus on other areas of your business and hit metrics like never before.
Want to learn more useful info that can help you out in the future? Be sure to check out the rest of our blog.