When Is It the Right Time to Use 3PL Fulfillment Services?
What is 3PL Fulfillment Services?
In today’s business world, a lot of business owners rely on outsourcing various areas to alleviate demanding attention to tasks that a third-party could handle. One of these things is what’s known as a 3PL (third-party-logistics) Fulfillment Services Provider. These 3PL’s take the burden of inventory management, filling and shipping customer orders, and handling returns off the shoulders of a business. The amount of time a business once invested in juggling inventory, getting orders filled, and dealing with returns is restored to redirect to other areas of the business.The 3PL Fulfillment Service Process Model
- Your inventory is sent to a 3PL fulfillment service warehouse.
- That inventory is updated into the 3PL Inventory Management System.
- The inventory is assigned space within the 3PL warehouse.
- Order data is communicated to the 3PL.
- The 3PL picks, packs, and ships orders to the customer.
- The customer receives the order.
- Shipping confirmation is sent to the 3PL and you.
- Inventory is updated with 3PL and you.
- The 3PL handles any customer returns.
How a 3PL fulfillment service provider provides solutions to a business’ “pain points.”
Growing businesses need to find solutions quickly to pain points that crop up. Procrastination is your worst enemy because those pain points will grow and snowball, affecting other areas of your business. Even worse, unidentified pain points affect your customers, which results in complaints, returns, bad reviews, and blemishes on your reputation. To identify pain points in your business, it helps to look at the things presenting challenges. To discover what these things are; it helps by asking yourself two questions.- Which part of your overall business consumes the most time?
- What are the obstacles that stand in front of your business, keeping it from reaching its full potential?
- Warehousing for your inventory to free up space in your business.
- Inventory management to prevent running out of a product.
- Order fulfillment that frees up your staff to focus on other areas of your business.
- Happy (return/repeat) customers
- Rave reviews bringing in even more business.
- Restoration of your sanity!
10 Indicators It’s Time To Partner With A 3PL Fulfillment Service Provider
When you begin to notice certain things happening in your business, it’s time to partner with a 3PL.- Not enough hours in the day to do everything.
- My staff is overworked and overwhelmed.
- No idea where to turn or how to train new staff.
- Productivity is no longer efficient.
- My business is growing faster than I can keep up with.
- I have run out of room to store my inventory.
- Inventory runs out, or there’s too much.
- Orders are going out late.
- Customers are complaining.
- Returns are increasing.
Leveraging a 3PL Fulfillment Service Provider to Help Your Business Be Successful and Grow
Are you ready to take your business to an all-new level where the door opens for more growth?The Benefits of Having a 3PL Fulfillment Service Provider
The moment you partner with a 3PL, you feel a heavy weight lifted off your shoulders. Your 3PL will streamline the entire process of inventory and fulfillment that enables your business to spread its wings and fly.- You don’t have to invest in acquiring costly technology and innovations to strategically run the complex mechanics of inventory management and order fulfillment. A 3PL already has that in place.
- Your existing staff can be used more efficiently within your business. You aren’t faced with having to hire new employees to keep up with the growing fulfillment tasks (saving you money.)
- Seasonal volume changes don’t drag the operation of your business down as it once did (saving you money on overtime.)
- Your customer base grows, leading to the continued overall growth of your business!
- A 3PL grows and adapts to your business growth.
Spectra Will Grow Your Business
We want to be a part of growing your business. Our team of professionals is specially trained in every aspect of 3PL fulfillment services. When you partner with us, you gain access to fulfillment services that exceed your expectations.Services Spectra Offers
- Warehouse fulfillment center: inventory storage, inventory management
- Fulfillment: picking, packing, kitting, shipping, and returns
- In-house printing
- Branded promotional items
My company sells tea. Are you certified to store teas?
Yes, our fulfillment center is registered with the FDA for the warehousing of nonperishable goods. Our fulfillment center is climate controlled. We have several clients that sell food items and we would love to handle yours.
My company is global and we have locations all over the world. Are you able to ship internationally?
Yes, we presently ship to locations all over the world. There is a slight up-charge for international shipping, as there is customs paperwork that must be completed for each shipment.
Our company’s inventory is presently stored on pallets and in bins. Do you have the capability to store in both?
Yes, we can store your inventory in a variety of ways. We have racks, pallets and bins. If for some reason you need some type of customization, we’re happy to work that out with you as well.
What happens if my inventory increases and I need more space than I originally contracted for?
We practice scalability at our fulfillment centers. If you have the need for growth, we will provide you with more space. At the same token, if your inventory declines so will your cost. We only charge you for what you use.
Some of my inventory doesn’t move that much. Do you have special charges for inventory that doesn’t sell very often?
No, we only charge for the space that you use. I know some companies have what they call a “slow movers fee”, but we don’t charge any special fees for inventory that doesn’t move.
If I wanted to warehouse some inventory and only ship some goods on occasion, can your company do that?
Absolutely, we offer many different types of services. We can store your goods for you and ship them whenever needed.
I read your blog and I found it to have a lot of good information. My question is, don’t you have to have a warehouse to do fulfillment?
That’s a great question and I can see where it gets confusing. Yes, you have to have a warehouse in order to be a fulfillment center. The difference between the two is that a fulfillment center fulfills orders, whereas a warehouse is just for storage of goods.