As your business grows and more deliveries are sent through the door, the impact of logistics on your customer retention and your brand becomes ever more important. A few missed deliveries or damage to products due to limited space or poor handling can contribute to a drop in reputation and poor customer retention. If you are an international manufacturer growing sales in the UK, exporting individual orders is cumbersome, inefficient and expensive.
In either case, now may be the time to consider partnering with an order fulfilment service that can provide third-party logistics (3PL).
3PL and warehousing are more accessible and valuable to your business than you might think. If you’re manufacturing or distributing awkward or bulky items, or have delicate, high-value items and you need logistics and storage support, finding the right order fulfilment services can remove a significant weight from your daily operations and protect your brand.
If you’re struggling with your order fulfilment, storage, or delivery, then click here to speak to the Benchmark Services team.
How to identify when you’ve outgrown your current setup and need a 3PL provider
Regardless of the size of your organisation, if you’re growing sales but your storage space remains the same, then it’s time to revisit your logistics planning. Upgrading storage space is an option, but it requires a myriad of complications, from budgeting to insurance and recruitment. Often, businesses find logistics more profitable, cost-effective and easier to manage by working with a third-party order fulfilment services provider, such as Benchmark Services.
If your organisation is:
- Outgrowing your current storage space
- Increasing your deliveries into the UK from overseas and you need to increase efficiency
- Finding that customer satisfaction is dropping because of an increase in missed order deadlines, deliveries not being fulfilled, or products being damaged
- Losing track of products because inventory has become impossible to manage, and orders can’t be booked in
- An online seller with large products requiring storage and delivery expertise
Then it’s time to consider 3PL, warehousing and an order fulfilment partner and speak to the Benchmark Services team.
What can an order fulfilment service provide?
Whether you’re talking about 3rd party logistics, warehousing or dropshipping to fulfil your orders, the fundamentals are the same. A logistics partner, such as Benchmark Services, takes the processes of storing, managing inventory and delivering products off your hands. You can focus on growing sales and improving purchasing costs without worrying about storage space, delivery times or whether your inventory is running low. 3PL partners such as Benchmark Services will ensure your customers receive their orders on time and in-full from your stock stored in our fulfilment centres.
A good order fulfilment service will provide:
Warehousing and Storage
We will provide a secure, professionally managed facility and ensure your products are stored safely, securely and efficiently. Our warehouses are designed to house sensitive medical and laboratory equipment, which means we maintain them to a much higher standard than most 3PL providers. Whether you are looking to store bulky or awkward items or you need delicate goods delivered safely, we have warehousing to suit your business.
Inventory Management
We can provide you with comprehensive reporting on stock/inventory levels, plus integrate with any stock management platforms you already have incorporated in your order processes. We can manage your stock with clients or just provide the visibility you need to purchase and fulfil orders accurately.
Pick, Pack and Dispatch
The fundamental benefit of working with a third-party order fulfilment service comes from having experts pick, pack and dispatch your products. This means you don’t need to invest, train and maintain a team of warehouse staff; the Benchmark Services warehouse specialists will do it for you. Contact the team today.
We accurately choose the right products for each order, pack them in the safest and most efficient way we can and then deliver them with our logistics fleet. Perfect for organisations regularly delivering bulky, delicate items looking to grow without dramatically increasing overheads, transforming your day-to-day profitability and operations.
Specialist handling for awkward, bulky or unusual products
Benchmark Services has a well-earned reputation for handling specialist or delicate items thanks to over twenty years of experience in moving laboratories or delivering medical equipment.
We have transferred this expertise across to our order fulfilment service. Whether your items are bulky or awkward dimensions, such as outdoor kitchens, fridges, freezers, 3D printers or other appliances or oversized items, we have the equipment, inventory management tools, warehouse space and trained staff to help you fulfil orders in situations when traditional logistics providers would charge a premium or wouldn’t be able to deliver.
Returns Management
Especially relevant for eCommerce fulfilment or distance selling businesses, providing a robust and easy-to-access returns process is essential for any order fulfilment service. Customers who can return orders quickly are often more likely to re-order, and if your organisation can rely on a trusted 3PL partner to handle returns, you can improve the customer experience and grow your brand while focusing on other areas of the business.
Speak to the Benchmark Services team if you require any of the services mentioned above.
Which businesses benefit most from an order fulfilment service?
Organisations that require bulky or non-standard deliveries
Custom items, long products (such as ladders, for instance), or bulky appliances that take up more than a standard Europallet are hit with surcharges and expensive extras from mainstream delivery companies. They often don’t have the knowledge or expertise to handle sensitive equipment or products that require delicate handling or calibration. Suddenly, deliveries become a complex process, expensive and requiring a lot of in-house resources. They also become a source of complaints and bad reviews from customers, thanks to missed deliveries, damaged goods and the expensive resends or refunds that follow.
A specialist order fulfilment service, such as Benchmark Services, can alleviate the stress of delivering non-standard, delicate or custom products. We can store and move anything from an ultra-low temperature freezer, through to outdoor kitchens, to small consumables, but delicate items such as laboratory glass.
We can also provide a full end-to-end service, including installation if required.
Ecommerce or dropshipped products
Customer expectations for deliveries are higher than ever. Fundamental elements of a good delivery; speed, good customer care, communication, and a robust returns process, are now non-negotiable if your business wants to grow and retain its customer base.
Whether you’re running a start-up, Shopify, Etsy, or eBay business or your sales are taking off, and your space is rapidly running out, Benchmark Services can become your dependable, invisible fulfilment service. In partnership with your team, we can pick and pack your dropshipped goods, deliver them on time and in full, and provide a robust returns service that’s scalable to your growth.
3D Printers and other specialist products
Thanks to our decades of experience in storage and delivery for complex, calibrated products, we are an excellent partner for specialist machinery such as professional 3D printers. We ensure your products are in the right location in our fulfilment centres to avoid changes in temperature and issues with moisture etc, and we also know how to deliver products to avoid vibration, shock and climate control challenges as well.
Speak to our team to find out more
Read our case studies hereOrder Fulfilment Services: Frequently Asked Questions
Is an order fulfilment service only suitable for large businesses?
Many businesses are now relying on 3PL fulfilment, and large-scale is no longer the prerequisite it once was. Start-up businesses are now often turning to 3PL solutions early in their growth phase to ensure they don’t see valuable investment bogged down in costly warehousing, staff recruitment and training. If fulfilling orders is a drain on cash flow, impacting customer satisfaction and reputation or increasing costs on returns and re-deliveries, then consider speaking to Benchmark Services to find out how we can help.
What is the difference between 3PL and dropshipping?
Dropshipping is a way of fulfilling orders directly from the warehouse to the customer without passing through your hands or any of your distributors. It’s efficient, improves customer service, allows for quick delivery turnaround times and reduces the cost accrued every time the product moves to a new location.
3PL providers such as Benchmark Services can facilitate dropshipping, including inventory management, picking and packing, storage and direct-to-door delivery. If required, we can also install equipment at the point of delivery.
How do I get started with an order fulfilment service?
Every new project begins with a conversation with our team. We can help you define what your logistics objectives are and the expectations of your customers. Then we will work with you to define what products you need to store, for how long, and the specifications they need to be stored with.
Once this is completed, we can create your inventory management reports and begin delivering your orders!
Speak to us for more information.