Not all fulfillment and logistics providers were created equally, and not all fulfillment and logistics providers are equally committed to serving your business. On the upper end of the spectrum, you may have a fulfillment provider that leaves your customers feeling happy, confident, and ready to do business with you at any time. On the lower end, you’ll have incompetence, delays, and an endless supply of careless and unnecessary mistakes.
Is It Time to Change Fulfillment and Logistics Providers?
The truth? Most fulfillment and logistics providers probably fall somewhere in the middle. However, that may simply not be good enough for your business. When is it time to seriously consider switching over to a new fulfillment and logistics provider?
1. Your Fulfillment Provider Won’t Accommodate Your Individual Needs
The best fulfillment solutions are flexible, with providers expanding their scope of service as the needs of your business grow. Does your fulfillment provider offer one out-of-the-box service to all its clients, without being able to provide any significant level of personalization? If so, they will not be able to help your business thrive over the longer term.
2. Your Fulfillment Provider Has a Track Record of Preventable Errors
This one speaks for itself. If your fulfillment provider sounds Utopian on paper, but they have repeatedly made errors in shipping and inventory, it is time for a change. Does your fulfillment provider make empty promises while never optimizing their workflow? If so, change providers — yesterday, if possible.
3. Your Fulfillment Provider Is Not Keeping up with the Times
Your business is evolving constantly, along with your entire industry. The right fulfillment and logistics providers will ride the wave and shift course to keep up with demand. They will enhance and optimize their software solutions all the time, improve to aim for better integration, expand shipping options, and transform warehouse flow. Failing to improve means stagnating and falling behind.
4. Your Fulfillment Provider Has All Their Eggs in One Basket
Operating multiple facilities in multiple different locations efficiently is a must in today’s world. Without a strong and flexible network, a provider that may be stuck at a single location is vulnerable to natural and human-driven barriers and problems alike. Centralizing in one place always causes undue risk.
5. You Have Recently Grown Exponentially
Not all reasons to reevaluate your fulfillment and logistics solutions lie with the providers themselves. Has your business recently gained expected boosts in sales? To keep the momentum going, you may well require a new strategy. Having a close look at your fulfillment provider to determine whether they are still the right answer for your company, and if they are able to meet the growing demands of your business, is more than warranted.
6. The Grass Is Greener Elsewhere
Maybe you are perfectly happy with your current fulfillment and logistics solution. Everything about your agreement unfolds smoothly and as agreed, and you have no complaints. It can still pay to research alternative options from time to time. You may just find out that other providers offer better and more comprehensive services that would serve your business even better. You may find out that you can save on costs by looking elsewhere, or that you may be able to be just that much faster or more efficient.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” doesn’t hold true in this case. If you have a better option elsewhere, there is no reason not to make the move.
Additional helpful reading: US Retailer Survey: Revealing the Hidden Costs of Poor Inventory Management
What can Fortress Nutrition LLC do for you?
Rest assured that you’re in good hands with Fortress Nutrition. To learn more about how we tailor our blending, ingredient sourcing, logistics, consumer packaging, and other services to meet customer needs, and find out how we can partner with you to ensure compliance with new GMO laws, contact us today.