Direct Marketing - What Is the Customer Fulfillment Technique?
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Establishing a mail order business where customers send money and you send products in return seems straightforward enough. But some new companies fail to map out key details during the planning process. You should take the time to plot out a customer fulfillment technique in advance to streamline your selling process and help you avoid unexpected order processing issues.
Preliminaries
The customer fulfillment technique is the exact way that you will take sales, process orders and deliver them to customers. Develop your own custom by drawing a process map. You can create one by hand or by using a graphing or presentation software program that allows you to create charts. Each box is connected with an arrow leading in the direction of the flow of order processing. It is also important to map out your branding plan so that your company and the products you sell are recognizable to customers. That includes your logo, motto, packaging and company color scheme. Include these details in your initial marketing plan.
Order Collection Step
The first element of your customer fulfillment technique is how you will collect the order from the customer. A standard mail order company is a business to customer transaction where you send items directly to the end user. If you have a business to business company, you send supplies to other companies --- usually on credit. Decide whether you will accept orders over the phone with a customer service representative, by retrieving information from an online form or by getting mail from the customer with a printed order form (such as a catalog order). If you plan to accept credit cards, make sure you include plans for securing a merchant account and incorporate all of this information in your process map.
Packing Step
The next step of the fulfillment process is the act of retrieving and packing goods to fulfill the order. One option is to set up a drop-shipping arrangement where you automatically forward the order you've received to a distributor to fill. But if you decide to fulfill orders in-house, you must establish a clear process for either collecting items from inventory or manufacturing them along an assembly line. The next step is to pack them comfortably into boxes or envelopes. Some larger operations setup up factory assembly lines to move orders along from the warehouse to the shipping area.
Delivery and Tracking Step
The final element of your fulfillment technique involves deciding on the delivery method. You must determine how you'll ship, whether by freight, via an express mail company or standard mail (United States Postal Service). Once you've made that decision, you need an online terminal, software or printer to generate shipping labels on-demand. Determine if you'll drop off packages to the shipping company or arrange for regular pickups (the latter is common for high-volume operations). Additionally, you should also establish an online or phone tracking system that allows you and the customer to check on the status of the order.
Tags:
Direct Marketing, Marketing
Preliminaries
The customer fulfillment technique is the exact way that you will take sales, process orders and deliver them to customers. Develop your own custom by drawing a process map. You can create one by hand or by using a graphing or presentation software program that allows you to create charts. Each box is connected with an arrow leading in the direction of the flow of order processing. It is also important to map out your branding plan so that your company and the products you sell are recognizable to customers. That includes your logo, motto, packaging and company color scheme. Include these details in your initial marketing plan.
Order Collection Step
The first element of your customer fulfillment technique is how you will collect the order from the customer. A standard mail order company is a business to customer transaction where you send items directly to the end user. If you have a business to business company, you send supplies to other companies --- usually on credit. Decide whether you will accept orders over the phone with a customer service representative, by retrieving information from an online form or by getting mail from the customer with a printed order form (such as a catalog order). If you plan to accept credit cards, make sure you include plans for securing a merchant account and incorporate all of this information in your process map.
Packing Step
The next step of the fulfillment process is the act of retrieving and packing goods to fulfill the order. One option is to set up a drop-shipping arrangement where you automatically forward the order you've received to a distributor to fill. But if you decide to fulfill orders in-house, you must establish a clear process for either collecting items from inventory or manufacturing them along an assembly line. The next step is to pack them comfortably into boxes or envelopes. Some larger operations setup up factory assembly lines to move orders along from the warehouse to the shipping area.
Delivery and Tracking Step
The final element of your fulfillment technique involves deciding on the delivery method. You must determine how you'll ship, whether by freight, via an express mail company or standard mail (United States Postal Service). Once you've made that decision, you need an online terminal, software or printer to generate shipping labels on-demand. Determine if you'll drop off packages to the shipping company or arrange for regular pickups (the latter is common for high-volume operations). Additionally, you should also establish an online or phone tracking system that allows you and the customer to check on the status of the order.
