The Best Fulfillment Companies Provide Lift

What company doesn’t want more sales? If you’re like many executives, you’ve never thought of fulfillment companies as a potential sales source. Yet certain fulfillment partners can generate substantial sales lift.

How do they do that?

Product knowledge

Sales-oriented fulfillment companies are able to answer questions without having to make your customer wait while the agent looks it up or goes to ask someone else. Agents have a product “store” at hand to quickly double-check labels, etc. They are backed by fully-integrated inventory and order management technology that puts real-time information at their fingertips. And fellow agents are nearby, in case a consult is needed.

That means they can make recommendations that help customers choose wisely. They can also encourage additional or upgraded sales.

The result? More closed sales and higher revenue.

Smooth, positive customer experience

Sales-oriented fulfillment companies enable customers to order their way, whether it’s by phone, live chat or email. They’re all about customer care.

Every customer touch is high-touch, to provide an overall experience that impresses. There are ways to measure this – indicators that predict the likelihood of sales lift. Look for consistently better than industry average rates for:

answer time
abandon rate
order processing time
order accuracy
delivery speed

Result? Greater brand loyalty that produces future sales and higher customer lifetime value

Each of these factors contributes to a customer’s impression of your brand. Fulfillment companies that concentrate on merely getting the job done cannot claim to be customer-centric. If they drop the ball, even in one or two of these areas, that hinders your ability to achieve sales lift. It can also damage your reputation with customers, driving sales down instead of up.

Amazing deliveries

Some fulfillment companies believe a good customer experience isn’t good enough. To them, nothing short of exceptional will do, whether it’s traditional commerce or ecommerce. That starts with customer contacts and ends with a package delivery that turns “unboxing” into an event. Actually, it never ends, because customer care is a continuous circle.

The result? All the sales lifts already noted, plus brand advocacy money cannot buy. Impressed customers become “brand advocates” — not-so-silent salespeople for your company and your individual products. Happy customers share their purchasing experiences with friends and family. Pictures of their package and unboxing go viral. The value for your company is incalculable, all thanks to fulfillment companies that know what it takes to generate sales lift.

How are you doing?