Order Fulfillment: 5 Tips For Successful Outsourcing (Tip 3)

The third tip for successful outsourcing is to choose people you’d love to work with.

Order Fulfillment

Welcome to the third article in our series on successful order fulfillment outsourcing. In this installment, we want to talk about people. It takes “people skills” to achieve success in most areas of business, none more so than when you’re dealing directly with customers. If your order fulfillment isn’t customer-centric, it’s more likely to be counter-productive than successful.

Many otherwise savvy managers and execs think outsourcing is only a matter of hammering out SLAs and receiving monthly progress reports. But did you know that, in the majority of cases, when business outsourcing arrangements fail it’s due to poor relationships, not poor performance? That’s why you need to take a holistic approach to order fulfillment.

Tip #3: Choose people you’d love to work with

Life’s too short to work with people you don’t like, and successful order fulfillment is a partnership. It takes respect and a sense of camaraderie to build a close working relationship. You’re all in this together – working to give your company’s customers an ordering experience that keeps them coming back for more.

The right people understand that your customers are their customers. That every order starts with a customer contact and ends with a package delivery. That the details can make or break your brand – and your company’s future. That’s why here at USA Fulfillment, human touch is high touch.

Not only people skills, but skilled people

Back-end logistics requires attention to detail and commitment to ensuring every step of the process is handled as quickly and accurately as possible. Automated equipment and high-tech systems can boost efficiency and accuracy, but they cannot take the place of people.

Customers can see your dedication to order fulfillment excellence. It reflects beautifully on your company and elevates your brand. They see it when:

• Their order arrives on time – or ahead of schedule.
• Their package looks tidy and lovely – suggesting it was packed by someone who cares. It’s a joy to open.
• Their package contains exactly what they ordered – nothing wrong, nothing missing, nothing damaged.

Meet them in person before you decide.

Seriously. If you’re considering a fulfillment company that isn’t anxious to have you show up in person, ask yourself why. Here at USA Fulfillment, we love to show prospects and clients around. We’re 100% employee-owned and could not be more proud of our operation. You’ll feel that love the moment you enter the door. Your customers will feel it, too.

But there’s more. In our next article, we’ll discuss safety and security.

They can’t wait to order from you again. That’s successful order fulfillment. You can get a deeper understanding of why the human touch is so important by reading our free e-book, “How to Choose the Right Fulfillment House for Your Company.”