The Holiday Season Is Here!

The holiday season is here, have you prepared? If not, it’s not too late or you can start planning ahead for next year! For a fulfillment company, maximizing holiday work time can be tricky. One of the main responsibilities is deciding what is the right process and procedure for one client—or even one product might not be the right process for another. This is why Fulfillment Plus Inc. specializes in customizing packages for each individual client based on their needs. Below are some useful ideas that can help reduce time and in some cases, expenses. They include the following:

• Use advanced shipping notification. Companies would do well to remember that if they have specific items being delivered somewhere, call the recipient. Give them the PO number, or order number, or at least an email to let them know what’s coming their way.
• Implement a vendor compliance program. You want notification ahead of time, and you also want to communicate with vendors exactly how their product should arrive. For example, include specific labeling requirements, and standard case quantities for each individual item when ordering from a manufacturer.
• Integrate your operations with your suppliers. This way, suppliers can help you achieve maximum efficiency. Make sure your suppliers include your PO number and item codes into their packing list. This makes it easy for your fulfillment partner to recognize and receive your inventory.
• Pre-Plan whenever possible. This includes staying organized which will help you fully prepare for the holiday season. Have a process in order that is flexible and scalable. If needed, change it up or eliminate unneeded steps if you see that it’s not working for you. By doing this in advance it gives you time for any errors needing to be fixed.
• Continually evaluate requirements. You can’t design an operation and walk away for five years before you look at it again. Customer requirements keep changing and accelerating. That means you need to be looking at your customers’ requirements every few months to see how they are changing.
• Think out of the box. Virtual kits are continuing to grow in popularity and have been a huge hit! A great example is for companies that have remote clients and still want to send a little holiday cheer even if they can’t be in person. Or, another popular idea is – ‘tis the season for gifting! Donation based kits are great to put together and have clients donate to their favorite charity. This is a feel good all around!

These are just a few reminders to help you out this holiday season and next. The most important thing to remember is to keep the customer happy, which includes keeping the orders on time! By following the steps above, it will ensure everything goes smoothly for you AND your clients. Happy Holidays!