7 Commen problems with order fulfillment and how to avoid them

Whether you're considering performing orders in-house or are already carrying on order fulfillment internally, it's crucial to understand some of the most common lapses you may face so you can fervently work toward evading them.

Understanding where you're going wrong and what you can do to enhance order fulfillment will help you better manage order fulfillment and deliver improved customers experiences while still making a profit. In this article, we'll look at some of the most common problem with order fulfillment and how to solve them and explain what you need to do to avoid them altogether.

Not Finding the Right Products in the Locations

If a product is not where it should be in your store or warehouse, this means the selector needs to spend time trying to find it. This sets back the order fulfillment, which can lead to unsatisfied customers and bad reviews. On top of that, it also makes for a highly incapable warehouse operation. With a warehouse management system (WMS, every product is scanned into a location. This means that when a selector is looking for a product, it will always be absolutely where it should be.

Impaired or Incorrect Inventory

When a client waits weeks or months for a much-desired product, receiving the wrong goods or damaged goods can be annoying. Some ecommerce businesses intentionally send out slightly impaired inventory in the hopes a client won't notice. Some examples of this are a book with a crumpled cover, a binder with floppy rings, and a lipstick tube with a dent. Be sure that they notice.

When clients receive a damaged or wrong item, it costs them money to replace the item. In worse cases, the client may likely not order from you again. Proper inventory management on the front end can stop many of these issues from becoming a reality. Keep your inventory safe, and ensure it is checked twice before sending. It is good you spend on quality packaging, and always pay for insurance.

International Shipping

International shipping usually takes anywhere from a week to multiple months. While international customers do not expect to get their items overnight but they might look elsewhere if they have to wait too long. Offer multiple shipping options to your international customers. You may be surprised to find out that many are willing to pay an exceptional premium to get their goods sooner. You might also want to consider negotiating a large quantity international shipping rate if you do a bulk volume of international business.

You Have Hard Copy Picking

In this type of operation, you are required to print the paper and it must be carried by the picker. This process not only takes lots of time is but is also extremely incompetent and leaves a large margin for error due to missing or unfulfilled orders. This can be solved easily by eliminating paper from your warehouse by using warehouse management software with a mobile app. The mobile app displaces the paper, a bit like how your smartphone replaced the handwritten letter. When you take out the chances for human error, you're in a good position to make sure that you're able to ship every order at the right time, without failing

Shipping Notifications

Shipping notifications can look like such a minor thing, especially if the item is expected to arrive in two or three days. Most clients expect to get them. Many customers stalk their goods, confirming their location multiple times a day. Because most sellers offer shipping notifications, your client will probably want them. If they don't get a notification, they might think the item hasn't shipped. That leads to several unnecessary calls to customer service.

Labor-Intensive Picking

The truth is If you have too many selectors working at the same time, you will probably be spending more money on labor than you are getting back in return. Overtime is beginning to crawl in and in situations the time limit for fulfillment is missed. The most effective method to decrease the number of selectors needed for a single time frame is to start using automation in your warehouse. Automation should boost the productivity of all your selectors, meaning that fewer of them are needed to carry out the same amount of orders.

Incompetent Customer Service

Where do clients go when their items are nowhere to be found, damaged, or delayed? Customer service. Incompetent customer service might be the worst fulfillment mistake you can make. If your customer service representatives cannot swiftly and adequately respond to customer concerns, why bother even employing them? You may as well set your money ablaze. Invest in good customer service representatives, even if it costs slightly more. They'll be better qualified to address fulfillment issues, and you'll have lesser furious customers on your hands.

Bottom Line

There you have it! These are just some different problems your warehouse may be facing, with plenty of ways to settle them. At the center of it all is being clever about your techniques and people, with the appropriate tools and software you will be able to successfully fulfill your orders.