How to select the right logistics partner?
Order fulfilment is one of the biggest challenges for every production company or sales organisation, big or small. What are the advantages of outsourcing your distribution? And how do you select the right logistics partner?
Selecting the right logistics partner is a choice based on many factors. Location, price, and feeling about an organisation are the most obvious things to keep in mind when choosing a certain logistics partner. However, many more factors should be taken into consideration for making the right partner choice.
Access to technology and information
Yes, admittedly, the average logistics company will be perfectly able to send the orders. But in order to be able to grow, you want insight into the handling of your product and the entire order fulfilment process. Data, data, and more data. How many products are being sent, and why? In what condition are the products returned? What do they look like? How often are orders being placed? At what time are most of those orders placed? What is the order lead time? Outsourcing the execution does not mean losing control. Realtime information is the norm. Ask a logistics provider for the possibilities.
Scalability
A location around the corner where you can quickly take a look how things are going with the product and the process? Or a big organisation where sending orders is mass production and all challenges of the process are a piece of cake? Or something exactly in the middle of those two ends? Always ask yourself: what kind of organisation matches our DNA and growth phase? Find a logistics service provider that matches your corporate culture so that your product is being handled in the manner you would do it yourself. Outsourcing the logistics at a reliable, flexible partner will allow you to focus on growth and have confidence that you are in the right spot, even with explosive growth. In short, find a partner that grows with you.
Service level
How important is the lead time of your order? What do you guarantee the customer, and what are therefore the requirements for a logistics service provider? What type of communication do you expect from your logistics partner? What should the processes look like? What is acceptable and what is not? Although it may seem natural that everything is taken care of in a similar way at any 3PL or fulfilment service provider, in practice this does not appear to be the case. Think of a list of requirements in advance and come to appropriate agreements in a service level agreement.
Curious about what you can expect at New-fulfilment and whether we are able to shape your fulfilment process according to your desires? We believe in personal contact. Contact us quickly. Or have a look on our official fulfilment website: New-fulfilment
