If it’s time for your company to expand with a new international fulfillment service partner, there’s a long journey ahead of you. This article will walk you through some of the big questions to ask and things to think about before signing on the dotted line. Selecting exceptional global shipping and logistics can be a huge win for your company. And on the flip side, making a poor choice can be bad news for the long term. Social Imprints can help you make the best decision for your needs.
Here Are 9 Things To Think About Before Confirming New International Fulfillment Services
1. Know Your Needs For International Fulfillment
The first thing to do when shopping for international fulfillment services is to assess what your needs are. Before you even set your first meetings with prospective partners, get together with your internal team. You should all have a crystal clear idea of what your needs are. This is vital for the negotiation process and making sure that you are going with an optimal partner.
Brainstorm with your team about the types of services you need. Here are just a few typical services that can come with order fulfillment services:
- Planning logistics
- Shipping and expedited services
- Inventory management
- Order processing and management
- Regulations compliance
- Customer service
- Return services and processing
- Business growth potential and needs
- Cost optimization
After thinking deeply about your needs with your team, you may find that you just need a few of these services. Or just the opposite. Maybe your team needs to be relieved of extra work, and you are looking for a one-stop shop at an affordable price. These are questions that you need to know the answers to before your first meetings with prospective new collaborators.
2. Find Compatible Fulfillment Service Providers
Once you’ve established what precisely you are shopping for, you need to find a good match with your needs. There are countless companies out there as options for partners. You need to make sure that the companies you are arranging meetings with are offering the right kind of services for your company. This process can be time-consuming and tedious. Every hour that your team spends looking for an ideal partner is putting your company at a loss. Be sure not to set up meetings with fulfillment services that are not a good fit for your needs
Just like any other potential business partner, you are going to want to investigate a handful of companies. As a rule of thumb, no less than three. They will all have different offerings, missions, and, of course, price points. You want to make sure that you have the best deal for your e-commerce fulfillment services.
3. Make Sure That Your Potential Partners’ Values Align With Yours, Such As Sustainability
Your new partner in e-commerce fulfillment is going to be a representative of your company. You must know that they are putting your brand into the world in the best way possible. That means that they care about sustainability and ethical business. Eco-friendly promotional products and marketing are very in right now. Turning your back on sustainability as a way of life and business could be a vital mistake for the growth of your company. Be sure that your international fulfillment service is aware that you want to be environmentally friendly in your practices.
4. Confirm That Your Partners’ Order Fulfillment Services Are top-notch
Once you narrow down your new potential partners for fulfillment service providers, be sure to check the reviews. It’s a small world, and you want to ask around to see what their track record is. It’s often not that hard to assess if a company has ethical business practices based on its reviews. However, sometimes reviews can be purchased and fraudulent. So, having multiple points of data to assess their business practices is wise.
5. Evaluate If Their Global Warehousing Solutions Are Effective
In those first few meetings with your potential partners, ask many questions. You want to know how they are doing their global warehousing solutions. Do they have flushed out processes and systems in place to prevent errors? There is a lot of potential for human error in every step of the process. You want to know what their plan is when things go wrong. In this industry, it’s not “if†things go wrong. It’s “whenâ€. You need to know that they will have your back and not shirk their responsibility as your global shipping and logistics provider.
6. Confirm That Their Technology Is Compatible With Yours For E Commerce Fulfillment
Everything is automated these days. Your company likely has a suite of software and synchronization tools. You need to confirm that your programs will be compatible with theirs. Having effective technology can save a lot of time and effort. And on the contrary, if it’s clunky and doesn’t work well, it can be a huge headache. Make sure you’re looking ahead to be sure that technology will work in your favor
7. Know Their Processes For Global Shipping And Logistics
When it comes to global shipping and logistics, it can be a complex process. Ask questions so that you know exactly what their processes are. You want to know who their vendors are, how they’re finding them, and if they’re shopping around to find the best pricing. Your international order fulfillment company will be shopping on your behalf and selecting shipping partners for your precious product. Make sure they are going to make the best decision on your behalf.
8. Follow Your Gut And Look For Transparency With International Order Fulfillment
Just like any other business or personal relationship, it’s important to listen to your gut instinct. If you’re in a meeting with your potential new partner, and you just have a feeling that they aren’t telling the whole truth, or notice some subtle inconsistencies, pay attention to that. Often, poor business relationships start off with a bad feeling. Save yourself a headache and just cancel the relationship before it gets messy. When you’re asking questions, pay attention to what their answers are and make sure that they’re consistent throughout the entire process
9. Assess Their Customer Service For International Fulfillment Services
Customer service for you, and also for your customers, is vital. Having poor customer service or none at all can be devastating for your company. You want to know what the phone number is and who will be picking up the phone on the other end. Do they have good training? Do they have the capabilities of actually helping when things go wrong? You want to make sure that the customer service that your international fulfillment service is providing is adequate, so that your company looks good.
Be Smart When It Comes To Selecting An International Fulfillment Partner!
Shopping around for order fulfillment services is a huge business endeavor. Take the time to brainstorm what your needs are, and the best questions to ask. Do your due diligence and research. You need to shop around for a minimum of three competitors to be sure that you are making the best decision. The growth of your company depends on the success or failure of your new global warehousing solutions partner. For help with international fulfillment, reach out to bizdev@socialimprints.com, and one of our product specialists will be in touch!