Whether you own an e-commerce company selling products on the Internet or you have a well-established catalog or other sales business, fulfilling orders is always a large part of your business. Working with pick and pack services can make fulfillment a lot less stressful and even less expensive. Companies that outsource their order processing to pick and pack services save on labor costs and logistic costs such as warehouse expenses.

Find pick and pack fulfillment companies that provide detailed information about how quick their turn around times are, what types of delivery services they offer, and whether they offer complete fulfillment or basic pick and pack operations. Remember to:

1. Prioritize your pick and pack needs when finding a service provider.

2. Keep fast turnaround in mind when working with pick and pack services.

3. Open the lines of communication to keep your customers happy.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose a company with pick and pack options that fit your needs

Find a company that suits your product best. If the majority of your product is fragile, you'll want a pick and pack business with a reputation of good product handling. Work with refrigerated or temperature-controlled pick and pack services for perishable food items. Keep shipping options in mind also. Find service providers that ship world wide, but if you don't require worldwide shipping save money by going with a national shipping pick and pack service.

I recommend: Use the refrigerated pick and pack services of Frozen Fulfillment to manage your frozen food products. The company offers frozen warehousing with the entire order picking handled within the temperature-controlled environment. For a company with world wide shipping options, choose Lago Logistics. They provide warehousing, pick and pack and worldwide shipping. Choose WeFullfillIt.com if your items are fragile and need extra care when shipping. They specialize in pick and pack services for fragile items.

Find companies with fast pick and pack shipping

Customers expect their orders to be on their doorsteps within a few days, even if we know that's not always possible. Meet their requests with the help of a pick and pack company that guarantees same day shipping with several shipping options.

I recommend: Fresh Warehousing & Fulfillment offers same day shipping on orders made before 1 p.m. CST. Fulfillment Works is another company that guarantees shipping within 24 hours, and they are able to ship items world wide. Coggins Fulfillment Solutions offers same day shipping with tracking information, customer service and return services for your customers.

Stay informed when dealing with pick and pack companies

It's easy to forget that you're still ultimately responsible for all order processing, even if it isn't in house. Once you've hired a pick and pack company, don't forget to keep in contact with them and double check that they have delivered your products and customers are satisfied. The easiest way to keep in the loop is to find a fulfillment company with web-based inventory or software to keep you informed.

I recommend: Integra Core's complete pick and pack fulfillment service includes up-to-the-minute records of where your products are at all times. Webgistix can handle the entire process from order to delivery, all along keeping you informed through a web-based software providing inventory and shipping information.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Get references from other businesses before choosing pick and pack service providers.
• •  Make sure the company works with small businesses. Some are not willing to work with a business that doesn't have large pack and ship needs.

Pick and pack services offer end-to-end product fulfillment - selecting items (from stock or a warehouse) for each order, packaging them and shipping them to customers. Pick and pack services are ideal for companies with packaging needs that vary from one order to the next. Companies often turn to an outside pick and pack service when their order volume grows to the point where employees have to work overtime to get orders out the door.

What to look for in pick and pack fulfillment vendors:

1. A pick and pack service that provides warehousing services.
2. Product fulfillment services that include product assembly and kitting (packaging related items together).
3. A pick and pack service that will send an e-mail confirmation to your customers when their order is shipped.

Action Steps
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Work with experienced pick and pack services

Many fulfillment houses offer pick and pack services along with optional services, such as building custom cartons and pallets.

I recommend: Pick Pack Logistics is a pick and pack service that welcomes small businesses, including start-ups. Nexus Distribution can handle large-volume pick and pack fulfillment. In addition to offering pick and pack services for companies of all sizes, Prompt Warehousing can meet the special needs of apparel companies by providing garment labeling, alterations and other services.

Look for product fulfillment companies that offer online order tracking

Knowing where your orders are at any time of day or night is essential to efficient product fulfillment. Being able to keep tabs on your orders even when you're away from the office is a necessity if your business requires you to travel frequently.

I recommend: Fulfillment Works and One World are among the pick and pack fulfillment companies that give their customers the option to log on to a secure website for order updates.

Find a pick and pack service provider

With so many product fulfillment companies offering a wide range of pick and pack services, it pays to shop around.

I recommend: The Mailing & Fulfillment Service Association provides an online directory to help you locate vendors. At VendorSeek.com, you can get price quotes from pick and pack services.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The best way to find a reliable vendor is to get a referral from another company that uses pick and pack fulfillment services.
• •  Before hiring a pick and pack service, ask for a complete list of services they'll provide, complete with the fee for each service.
• •  Beware of pick and pack services that charge hidden fees, such as order-entry fees and unreasonable mark-ups for packaging supplies.

Making the most of pick & pack services is the easiest way to save your company money when it comes to fulfillment. Just hiring a pick and pack business isn't a guaranteed way to save your company money, so you'll need to do your research to make sure you're getting the most out of the services you’re using.

Combining your order fulfillment with other aspects of your business can save money depending on the size of your company and your sales needs. Many pick and pack operations now offer complete product solutions from web-based sales to same day shipping and customer service.

1. Help your customers and your company save money by hiring a pack and ship company that offers many carrier options.

2. Integrate your product sales and shipping with help from one outsourcing business.

3. Save time and money with specialty pick and pack services.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find companies with many pick and pack shipping options

The easiest way to guarantee a delivery date is to work with a pick and pack business that offers many options when it comes to shipping. Find companies that work with all the national delivery companies such as UPS, FedEx, DHL and more. Make sure they have adequate exporting options if you need products delivered overseas.

I recommend: Coggins Fulfillment offers a web-based shopping system that gives your customers many shipping options. Coggins bases shipping cost on weight and zone so your customers pay only the actual cost. Fulfillment Solutions offers distribution centers with easy access in the middle of the country which allows them to deliver your products quickly both in the country and out.

Integrate all pick and pack fulfillment aspects through one company

Start-up businesses looking to increase sales should consider integrating their sales departments with a pick and pack service for a complete fulfillment operation. Such companies offer website set up, order processing and same day shipping.

I recommend: Rapid Fulfillment's e-commerce solutions allow your small or large business to spend less time setting up and maintaining sales websites. They set up the website, manage the order processing and ship to your customers. IEP Fulfillment can completely integrate your order processing and shipping into one operation. They offer shipping to individual customers or retail organizations.

Look for specialty pick and pack service providers that can save you time and money

If you know your company needs to send products to other businesses or retailers, make sure your pick and pack service offers a business-to-business shipping option. Keep informed with web-based inventory records, and always look for additional services that will streamline your product shipment.

I recommend: Express Fulfillment offers complete product pack and ship from your business to resellers or other businesses. Keep your eye on the product and customers with the web-based software from Marlin Logistics. This pick and pack fulfillment company has real-time inventory available on the web for customers. If you're looking for quality packing, get a good sample before you make your decision from American Shipping Centers. They will sample-pack your product free of charge so you can see exactly how it will be shipped.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Pick and pack for small business organizations isn't always the right choice. Weigh your costs carefully before hiring a fulfillment company. If you don't spend a lot on order fulfillment, outsourcing may not be the right decision.

Pick and pack services are an important part of fulfillment and logistics for many types of companies. From the small jewelry retailer to the national furniture company, pick and pack services are used to fulfill orders. Make sure you understand the basic pick and pack terms so you know your products are being delivered in a timely fashion.

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Polybag

A polybag is a plastic bag sealed around the contents you choose. Polybags are often used for instruction manuals, small parts, books and other shipment needs.

I recommend: InserTec gives a brief explanation of polybag technology and how it is used to create a streamlined pick and pack option.

Skin packaging

Skin packaging is a process in which a machine seals your item between a layer of plastic and paper. The sealing machine creates an airtight barrier leaving your product sealed between the plastic cover and cardboard or paper backing.

I recommend: See how skin packaging works at Skinpackaging.com.

Club store packaging

Club store packaging is a fulfillment option used for volume shippers such as the 'club store' or large quantity discount retailers. Pick and pack is adjusted to larger scale pallet pulls.

I recommend: Review the definition of club store packaging in the Versatile Packagers glossary of fulfillment terms. The glossary includes many other useful pick and pack terms as well.

Advanced shipment notification (ASN)

Advanced shipment notification, or ASN, is when a fulfillment center notifies a customer that a shipment will occur. The notification usually takes place through sending of an order notification electronically.

I recommend: Coast to Coast Fulfillment provides a definition of advanced shipment notification in its glossary of shipping terms.

Clamshell

Clamshell is an option of packaging used by pick and pack services. The container, usually made of plastic, resembles a clam in that it snaps open and shut to safely contain a product.

I recommend: Read about clamshell packaging at National Plastics. They manufacturer a wide variety of clamshell packaging used in many pick and pack facilities.

Break Bulk

Break bulk is a term used to describe a fulfillment center or carrier facility that is designed to take large shipments and break them into smaller shipments.

I recommend: The definition of break bulk is available at the Express Carriers Association's glossary of terms.