Choosing the Right 3rd Party Fulfillment Company

Your fulfillment services partner is an extension of your business. That means they must operate to the standards your business keeps. If they don’t, the first ones to notice will be your customers. In your customers’ eyes, you and your fulfillment services supplier are the same.

Choosing the wrong partner can seriously hinder your current business and reduce your opportunities for growth.

That makes choosing the right fulfillment services partner one of the most important decisions your company will make. Taking the following steps will help you choose well:

1. Find Complete and Specialized Fulfillment Services– As a partner that is closely aligned with your company, you don’t want to be changing fulfillment services suppliers too often, if ever.Fulfillment services can range from simple warehousing to complete third-party logistics (3PL) for your entire supply chain.There’s really only one sure thing when it comes to your fulfillment requirements, which is that those requirements will change.

   When they do, you want to rely on a quick ‘yes’ from your services partner so you don’t have to worry about last-minute scrambling, and the resulting consequences.

   In addition to core services, like warehousing, product assembly/packaging, and shipping, the following are among the specialized services that your fulfillment partner should provide:

   • Marketing & Promotion, including loyalty and mobile solutions
   • Sales & Order Management, including web, fax, email, phone, EDI, XML and direct-to-consumer orders
   • Branded Ecommerce Solutions
   • Inbound and Outbound Customer Interaction Services
   • Back Office Support, including database management, order entry, invoicing and reporting
   • Customized Inventory Tracking
   • Online Order/Shipment Tracking, including electronic proof-of-delivery
2. Double-Check Fees & Fee Structures – Even if the bottom-line looks good, you can still be met with unreasonable payment schedules or hidden charges. You’re the customer, you dictate the terms.
3. Check Turnaround Times – You might produce the greatest product in the world, but if it is not delivered to your customers consistently on time, and sooner when required, your markets will quickly shrink.
4. Location, Location, Location – If the supplier isn’t close to your current and future markets, they won’t be able to respond quickly to many demands – especially those placed on you by your customers.

 

Why you should choose Precision Total Fulfillment (PTF) services. PTF works with companies of all sizes, from Fortune 500s to basement start-ups, to make sure they have everything necessary to open, expand and take advantage of markets across North America.

PTF offers end-to-end ecommerce solutions, from website and shopping cart development, to advertising and credit card processing.

From a convenient, centralized location in Toronto, Canada, PTF offers discounted freight rates and fast delivery times. State-of-the-art Warehouse Management Software (WMS) gives you complete, private access to order status, inventory control, shipping information, order tracking and full reporting. PTF even offers custom-branded packing slips.

Natural Health Product Services: PTF’s operations meet the stringent requirements of Health Canada’s Standard for Good Manufacturing Practices, including:

• Temperature control in transit and in storage
• Careful inspection and sample retention
• Thorough record keeping
• Rigorous housekeeping and pest control
• Assured high quality of regulatory compliance

We are Precision – it’s what we do … it’s who we are