Choosing a Partner From the Top Fulfillment Companies 

7-point Checklist to Finding Top Fulfillment Companies

Comparing potential fulfillment partners among the top fulfillment companies in the U.S. can be complicated. This 7-point checklist will help you identify and examine the most “telling” factors, so you can make the best long-term choice for your company.

1. Know yourself first

What matters most to your company and your customers? If you aren’t clear on this, you won’t be able to evaluate top fulfillment companies or know if your current fulfillment company is truly delivering what you need.

Do you need help with:

• Call center/customer care?
• Warehousing, packing and shipping?
• The whole enchilada?

Some companies just want to get the job done. Someone has to field customer calls and emails, box up their orders and send them on their way. It can be much more efficient – and perhaps cheaper — to let a fulfillment company handle this work than trying to wrangle the details in-house.

However, for some companies, that isn’t enough. No one wants to overpay, but there are intangible costs and opportunities associated with using the right fulfillment partner. If quality is brand-critical for you, these details can make the difference between an OK customer experience and a fantastic, memorable experience. Fantastic and memorable are brand-builders.

2. Top Fulfillment Companies Have Top-Notch Facilities

What kind of facilities do they have? Do they have state-of-the-art equipment and systems in place to handle all your fulfillment needs quickly and accurately? Perhaps more on point, will they be able to handle your future needs, too? Certainly you expect your company to grow, and many businesses have sales that fluctuate throughout the year. Scalability is critical. The right partner will help you scale from small to large, whether that’s seasonal fluctuations or over the long-haul.

Are all their operations located at a single facility, or do they have to communicate and move inventory from one location to another to complete your fulfillment process? Can you pay them a visit to see for yourself?

3. Top Fulfillment Companies Retain Talented People

Up-to-date physical facilities are important, but it’s people who run the show. They may have direct contact with your customers, and they will surely be involved in packing and shipping orders. So what kind of people work there? What is their turnover rate? Are customer contact agents US-based and available 24/7? Can you visit to meet the people who will be the voice of your company for customers? Is the company employee-owned? You need to know just how vested they are in your company’s success.

4. Top Security

Choosing a fulfillment partner requires absolute trust. They will be responsible for protecting your inventory from shrinkage, costly returns and so on. If you’re in a regulated industry, they will be responsible for protecting the efficacy of products, too. Are they FDA-registered? ISO certified? What kind of access and related protocols are in place?

A fulfillment partner has to protect confidential company and customer data, too. Are they PCI-compliant? Top fulfillment companies are PCI-compliant. Insist on it.

5. Customization

Your company may have specialized fulfillment needs. Can they handle unusual requests or fluctuating volumes with ease, without up-charging you unnecessarily? Top fulfillment companies have policies & procedures that accommodate for customization

6. That “special something”

What sets this potential fulfillment partner apart from others? There are numerous industry performance standards you can review to learn how each company rates and compares when it comes to efficiency of ordering, shipping and delivery. Does the company meet – or consistently exceed – these metrics? Would you describe them as a “high touch” operation?

7. Confidence

Do you believe this fulfillment partner will consistently deliver the highest possible service to your company and customers?

Now that you’ve learned 7 things to look for, you can take one of the following three steps to continue journey in finding the top fulfillment companies.

• Download this free e-book on Choosing a Fulfillment Partner.
• Take a Fulfillment Needs Assessment to score your current state of affairs.
• Contact a fulfillment expert to have a live one-on-one conversation

Don’t just choose any fulfillment company, check out one of the Top Fulfillment Companies in the USA. There are many Fulfillment Companies out there, but not all of them are right for you.