If you’re experiencing problems with your current fulfillment provider, you may be encouraged to learn that you’re not the only one. In our experience, there is a surprisingly large percentage of organizations working with 3PL partners that aren’t satisfied with the service they’re receiving.

The important question, of course, is this: Why do so many of those organizations continue working with their current 3PL provider even though they are aware of problems, many of which waste capital and negatively impact relationships with customers? There’s at least one big factor at play that prevents people from switching fulfillment partners, and that is the concern that a major change like that will interrupt business and threaten the ability of the company to continue moving forward. 

Continuity Concerns

This concern is, of course, very valid. Depending on how long your organization has been working with a fulfillment provider, there are procedures in place, software systems established, and information shared between companies that all need to be altered in order to terminate the current relationship and launch a new one. Even if there are obvious problems in the relationship, it can seem safer to keep grappling with those problems rather than start over with a new provider. However, that approach holds your company back from growing and places your client relationships in danger.

Small Problems are Large Threats

In reality, the danger of remaining in a partnership with a fulfillment provider is probably greater than you think. A mistake made with a small-scale customer’s account may seem like a “hiccup” along the way, but the same mistake made with a larger customer’s account could be much more significant and even lead to the loss of a contract and a damaged reputation in the industry. 

More importantly, but perhaps less visibly, fulfillment issues make it more difficult for your company to grow. If you don’t feel you can trust your 3PL partner to reliably accomplish the tasks they currently handle for you, you will not be prepared to expand your operations and give them more responsibilities with each of your customers. Opportunities for your company to grow and do more will simply not appear due to limitations in the fulfillment relationship.

Switching to Spectra

There’s good news, though! Organizations that finally decide to switch to using Spectra as their fulfillment partner discover that the transition is much simpler, easier, and worry-free than they anticipated. Best of all, Spectra’s expert team knows how to move operations from the old system to the new system while maintaining “business as usual.” 

Software Considerations

One of the biggest concerns for an organization switching 3PL partners is whether their current software used for customer management, inventory tracking, and other activities will work with their new 3PL partner’s systems. With Spectra, that’s not a problem. We are willing to incorporate your current system into our process, and in our 20+ years in the industry, we have gained plenty of experience working with all the systems that are out there as possibilities!

Once operations are running, Spectra can also make recommendations and assist with switching to new, more efficient software systems in order to help your organization get even better at what it does.

Avoiding Interruptions

How is Spectra able to take on a new fulfillment client and keep business moving during the transition? It’s all about knowledge and experience. With our depth of expertise in fulfillment, we know what steps need to be taken in order to set up a new client account, connect our systems to each other, and begin moving products along the fulfillment chain as smoothly as possible.

Driving Growth

If a relationship with an unreliable 3PL provider hinders the growth of your company, a relationship with Spectra does the exact opposite. We don’t look to simply follow the client’s instructions to the letter and get items in and out the door. Instead, we function as the client’s fulfillment department, fully invested in making their procedures as efficient and effective as they can possibly be.

We also look to give advice on what your organization could be doing in the area of fulfillment to attract new customers and expand your activities with current customers. A brief case study illustrates how this happens in real life.

A Fulfillment Success Story

A major national automotive parts distributor launched a project with Spectra several years ago, contracting with us to create several thousand kits containing marketing materials, branded auto shop equipment, print collateral, and other items that would then be made available to retail partners around the United States. This initial project was extremely successful, exceeding the client’s expectations and leading to an expansion of the project. 

With the expansion, Spectra not only continued the original project but worked in a very hands-on way with the client to suggest improvements, additional products and print materials, and alterations to packaging that would increase the effectiveness of the kits. Today the project continues to grow, with many more thousands of kits being created and sold to retail clients, where they provide powerful marketing value for the client every day.

The Switch to Spectra–An Easy Decision

If concerns about a smooth transition have been keeping you with a fulfillment provider that you’re not happy with, it’s time to set up a call with Spectra. There’s no reason to risk inventory mistakes, miscommunication with your team, or other problems that jeopardize your reputation with your B2C customers or B2B end users.

When you get Spectra on your side, dependable fulfillment is just the starting point. You’ll also get access to our decades of expertise to help you drive growth and further streamline your process. We can even make it easier for your customers or end users to order from you using fully customized online storefronts, increasing order volume while also giving end users a more enjoyable experience.

Book a call with one of our fulfillment experts to talk details of your fulfillment needs and find out how Spectra can make it easy to switch from your current provider.