Three Strategies to Speed Up Fulfillment Processes

Fulfillment companies are constantly striving for operational efficiency. Without this focus on improving operations orders can get delayed, customers are unsatisfied, and clients will turn to other providers. Below are three strategies to help speed up fulfillment processes and increase customer satisfaction.

1. Inventory Organization
   When organizing your inventory, take into consideration any seasonal or promotional items and position those in an easily accessible area. Utilizing movable shelving or racks will allow for easy relocation before and after these items need to be at hand. You can also use these to keep your high velocity items closest to the picking area to help speed up fulfillment of these frequently purchased items.
2. Kitting and Pre-Assembly
   Kitting is a strategy that speeds up the order preparation process for items with a variety of accessories. By taking the time to pre-assemble products that are frequently sold together you’ll be able to save a tremendous amount of time. Keep in mind that while these items may be frequently sold together they will still be purchased separately, so be careful to not pre-assemble too many items or you’ll risk having to use time to disassemble the kits you prepared. One way to mitigate this is to position the items that are frequently purchased together close to each other in the warehouse. This strategy reduces picking time while optimizing warehouse organization.
3. Sorting Processes
   Improving your fulfillment processes should be an ongoing process that is driven by the changing nature of your business. One area for continuous improvement is in your sorting processes. There are many ways that you can sort your orders including by zone, SKU, product lines, or individual line items. Sorting by SKU is one of the most popular ways to sort when trying to speed up fulfillment because it minimizes the frequency of pickers needed to visit that location.

The fulfillment process is clearly something that is easy to control. By implementing these strategies you’ll be able to consistently speed up your fulfillment processes and increase your customer satisfaction.