Here's FSI - A Four Part Video Blog (Part III) 

Lithia Springs – 8/5/22 – Gifford Pace - Technology has become a huge part of life.  The world of third-party logistics is no different.  Whether it is integrating your sales channels, maintaining your inventory, or showing order status, the technology a fulfillment partner uses should not be taken for granted.  It must help you excel in the fulfillment portion of your business model.  

Integration - Where do your customers see and order your products from?  It could be from your website, a third-party website, or multiple EDI (electronic data interchange) channels.  Getting these various connections correctly integrated into a warehouse management system (WMS) saves not only money and time, but also builds your reputation as for delivery accuracy and timeliness.

Inventory – If it’s not on the shelf, we cannot send it to your customer.  That’s why accurate inventory management is an important technological aspect.  The moment your product is received on the dock, it must be accounted for by scanning barcodes so that it can be allocated to existing or future orders.  Then to speed up the picking process, that item must have its own place so that it can be easily found for the next order.  Of course, the technology should have the ability to show current inventory and establish re-order points to prevent backorders.

Order Status – But who’s ordering what products and where are they going?  The warehouse management system should show individual order status and products within each order on a micro level.  This helps when customer service issues arise such as a product missing within an order or shipment confirmation.  It should also be able to export data for macro analysis in either report or data formats. 
 
The products and people throughout the supply chain model are very important.  Without them, you wouldn’t be in the consumer product business.  However, harnessing your 3PL’s technology efficiently and effectively is key to your business thriving.  

Fulfillment Strategies International (FSI) focuses on helping companies, from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 corporations, get their products to the individual consumers, retail locations, or team members by specializing in inventory management, order fulfillment, subscription box management, and kitting for e-Commerce.  FSI can be reached at 678-391-5980 or email info@fsi3pl.com.

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