3 Essential tips to choose the right eCommerce fulfillment center in India

Proper management of stocks and timely delivery is as important an aspect as product quality. If you sell products on Flipkart, Amazon or other online platforms and have been noticing lately that your products are getting poor reviews, it can be because of delivery or maintenance issues. It can lead to an adverse impact on the overall review ratings.

If you use your own rented fulfilment centre, it might be time to change one. We are going to discuss some crucial tips that can make the selection process easy. These tips will also help you choose warehouse fulfilment services in India for your new business that ensures you don’t get negative reviews over delivery, packaging among other things.

Have clear long terms and short term goals

Define short term goals that you want to accomplish with your business. Evaluating your current 3PL provider will also give you a clear picture of what areas they’re lacking in. A quick introspection of where your business currently stands is essential to define short term goals. Write down what you expect from your 3PL provider and where do you want to reach.

Short terms goals may include

• Reducing the costs of shipping
• Delivering orders in a cluster to save time as well as costs
• Timely delivery
• Accurate order delivery without fail and reduction in returns
• Ensure proper customer support
• Systematic order tracking

Defining the long term is as important as the short term ones as you would have to work separately for it and compromise a little on short term ones. These goals may include

• Decreasing pressure on internal departments like customer support, packaging, accounting and operations)
• Extending your business worldwide with international fulfilment facilities
• Expanding the range of products and beef up inventory

Discuss these and other goals with the providers while looking for Warehouse fulfilment services in India. You will come to a mutual agreement to support your business growth and ensure reliability.

Fulfilment provider should expertise in your niche

Generally, people try to term all eCommerce retailers online that sell products on Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal etc. under one umbrella. But the products retailers sell on the internet diverse in shapes, sizes and proneness to damage. Different products, as a result, require different fulfilment needs like proper handling, mode of transportation, packaging and so on.

While looking for ECommerce fulfilment services in India, ask your provider about the products they pack and deliver. If you sell a product belonging to a niche market, look for specialised providers that already deliver to your niche for other clients. You can go physically to the fulfilment centre to decide whether they provide the kind of safety you need for your products.

For instance, warehouses that fulfil electronic products will differ from those that store and deliver clothes or large products. The warehouse catering to electronic products will deliver secure storage system while those storing clothes will have thousands of hangers. The employees in this centre are better equipped in handling a particular niche. Ensure greater efficiency in packaging and delivering by choosing a warehouse specialising in your needs.

Ensure proper customer support and client communication

The vision and mission of your company should match that of the fulfilment provider. Since their customer support will pick calls on your behalf, it’s essential for them to ensure politeness in their voice and prompt response on calls. The quickest and easiest way to judge how responsive and polite they are observing them during your first reaction.

Keep a note on how quickly the response and how knowledgable was the representative. You should also see if they are inquiring about your business and trying their best in planning cater to your demands. 3PL providers offering eCommerce fulfilment services in India should ideally have a client support team to ensure proper sync.

Check if they have a good workforce employed for customer support as well. Their tracking system should be up to date and provide live updates to your customers. They should also properly keep a track of shipments delivered, on the way and in-stock. Good 3PL providers ensure that you are updated regularly on the inventory left and when you need to refill. All this is made possible by open and proactive communication.

Apart from ticking all the boxes given above in the tips, you should also make sure that the fulfilment provider deems accountability on damaged products. Ensure transparency in your communication and contract. The shipment, as well as packaging charges, should be clearly written in the agreement. Checking all the boxes will ensure that your growth graph is upwards with a major focus on the new range of products and upgrades than shipment issues.