The Top 5 Technology Capabilities Every Fulfillment Services Provider Should Have

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment, technology for fulfillment services has become a critical asset for warehousing and fulfillment. Its impact is transformative, driving efficiency and productivity, enhancing real-time visibility, and enabling data-driven decision-making. From automating repetitive tasks to providing real-time tracking of goods, having the right technologies ensure that operations run smoothly and efficiently. Technology not only optimizes operations but also empowers businesses to adapt swiftly to market changes, ensuring sustained growth and success.

Whether your searching for a fulfillment services partner, or your in an established partnership already, there are 5 Top Technology Capabilities every fulfillment services provider should have:

#1 – A robust technology footprint

A robust technology footprint ultimately helps customers benefit from increased efficiencies and cost savings. Ask yourself:

• Has your partner consistently implemented technology across all aspects of fulfillment operations?
• Does their technology footprint manage all orders, accurately track restock levels and enable your operation to scale with growth and demand?
• Do the technology capabilities demonstrate a proven track record serving your industry?

A robust technology footprint can consist of one or more combinations of:

1. Warehouse Management System (WMS)
2. Client Portal for real-time order updates, and reporting
3. Web-based order applications
4. System integrations with your company’s ERP, shopping carts or other proprietary platforms
5. Other systems with self-service, real-time access for customers

At the heart of Diamond Fulfillment’s operations is warehouse management system (WMS) which is essential for several reasons:

• Improved Inventory Management: A WMS provides real-time visibility into inventory levels, locations, and movements, reducing the risk of stockouts or overstock situations.
• Increased Efficiency: By automating routine tasks such as order picking, packing, and shipping, a WMS streamlines operations, reducing labor costs and minimizing errors.
• Enhanced Accuracy: Advanced features like barcode scanning and RFID technology ensure precise tracking and management of inventory, leading to fewer mistakes and higher order accuracy.
• Better Space Utilization: A WMS optimizes warehouse layout and storage, making the best use of available space and improving the overall flow of goods within the warehouse.
• Scalability: As businesses grow, a WMS can scale with them, handling increased volumes of inventory and orders without a significant increase in labor or resources.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: With comprehensive reporting and analytics, a WMS provides valuable insights into warehouse operations, helping businesses make informed decisions and improve overall performance.
• Customer Satisfaction: Faster and more accurate order fulfillment leads to improved customer satisfaction, enhancing the overall customer experience and fostering loyalty.

At Diamond, our Warehouse Management System (WMS) platform, powered by ASC Software, delivers next-generation automation for a wide variety of client and order applications. Key features include complex business rule management, real-time updates, inventory capture, shipment data, SKU detail capture, comprehensive reporting, and order entry. Additionally, the system fully integrates with client systems, ensuring seamless operations and efficiency.In summary, a WMS is crucial for optimizing warehouse operations, reducing costs, and ensuring efficient, accurate, and scalable inventory management.

#2 – Vital KPIs and thorough reporting

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and reporting provide a clear and measurable way to track the performance of various warehouse and fulfillment operations, ensuring that everything is running smoothly and efficiently. Regular reporting on KPIs helps identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement. This enables businesses to streamline processes, reduce waste, and enhance productivity over time. What’s more, KPIs establish clear objectives and targets for warehouse and fulfillment teams. Regularly tracking these metrics ensures that teams stay focused on achieving their goals and maintaining high performance levels. What’s more, by monitoring critical KPIs such as cost per order, inventory carrying costs, and labor costs, businesses can identify opportunities to reduce expenses and improve profitability.

We all know that data is king in the modern world. Your warehousing and fulfillment partner should be able to provide detailed reporting with valuable insights into warehouse operations, allowing managers to make more informed decisions – faster – based on accurate and up-to-date data rather than intuition or guesswork. That means data that goes far beyond simple inventory levels. What’s more, the availability of accurate reporting ensures compliance with industry standards and internal policies. It also holds teams accountable for their performance, promoting a culture of continuous improvement. Finally, using  KPIs and reporting together provide a historical record of performance, which is essential for strategic planning and forecasting. This helps businesses anticipate trends and  future needs, allocate resources effectively, and stay competitive.

Some of the KPI’s that Diamond Fulfillment and its clients regularly track are:

1. Same Day Inbound Inventory Receipt – Inbound inventory received in compliance with client-agreed requirements by 2 pm; Once requirements are met, received and put-away the same day
2. 24 Hour Ground Order Ship – Ground orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours.  80% of ground orders ship the  same day
3. Same Day Expedited Ship – Expedited orders received by 2 p.m. are shipped same day
4. Same Day Rush Ship – rush orders received by 2 p.m. are shipped same day, with an additional “rush” order fee
5. 10% Quality Control Audit – 10% of outbound packages are quality controlled and inspected for accuracy

#3 – Client Portal with self-service access

Today’s business world moves quickly, and it is vital to have information at hand. When looking for a warehousing and fulfillment partner, make sure that they provide self-service access through a client portal. Being able to have all the data you need at your fingertips significantly enhances the speed and accuracy of business decisions you have to make every day. Offering self-service capabilities demonstrates a commitment to customer service by providing clients with the tools they need to manage their accounts and orders independently.

A successful client portal allows you to access information and services such as inventory levels, order status, and shipment tracking at their convenience, 24/7, without needing to contact customer support. This reduces the time and effort required for both the client and the warehouse staff. With instant, real-time visibility into their inventory and orders, you have more insight to plan more effectively. A portal also provides essential shipping information, including tracking numbers and carrier details, and allows clients to see the status of shipments without the intervention of a warehouse employee.

Being able to initiate requests or find information directly through the portal, speeds up the process compared to traditional communication methods like phone or email. No waiting for callbacks or email responses. What’s more, as your business grows, the ability to manage and monitor warehouse and fulfillment activities through a self-service portal scales more effectively than relying solely on manual interactions. Clients can handle larger volumes of transactions efficiently without overwhelming warehouse staff.

At Diamond, our investment in technology as evidenced by our Client Portal, means clients gain greater efficiency and convenience – including access to highly sophisticated tracking, analysis and reporting capabilities. Accessible at any time, our client portal delivers the ultimate in real-time notifications and KPI reporting. Key features include:

• Real-time inventory levels
• Ordering/shopping cart
• Item-specific thumbnails, expirations, modifications and email notifications
• Multi-level Order Limitations
• Order Approvals
• Digital Downloads
• Advanced search
• Address book
• Repeat order functionality
• Tradeshow/event services

Reporting capabilities:

• Item order activity
• Open order and back order management
• Order shipment tracking
• Highest and lowest activity items
• All aspects of inventory management

#4 – Customization to meet each client’s specific requirements and needs

In the fulfillment services arena, many ecommerce fulfillment providers have a one-size-fits-all approach to their technology platforms. They can struggle to customize their platforms to meet your unique requirements for inventory profiles, ordering details, reporting and other analytics. This can present a major challenge for many clients outsourcing their fulfillment operations.

One way that Diamond offers a totally customizable technology solution is through our in-house printing technology.  It enables customers to store less by printing materials on site with fast turnaround. Our platform enables our clients to do online digital file customizations and generic static printing for a wide range of printed materials, including brochures, letters, labels, binders, custom cartons, envelopes, and folders. In addition, as a full-service fulfillment services provider, we also perform a wide range of value-added services such as padding, shrink-wrapping, inline-saddle-stitching, spiral and GBC binding, and plastic card imaging. This allows you to efficiently manage your printing needs and ensure timely availability of printed materials.

Often, the ability to customize each print fulfillment item to a detailed specification is a key requirement. A fulfillment services provider should offer variable Print-on-Demand (POD) capabilities to accomplish key tasks like this. Our intuitive, easy-to-use interface allows you to select and upload from your own image library, convert to grayscale, populate multiple fields with a single input, auto-wrap, regulate formats, and conduct on-the-fly proofing. You can even download your customized files instantly. Our expertise in creating personalized POD solutions ensures that your print materials are tailored precisely to your unique customizations, enhancing the impact and effectiveness of your communications.

#5 – Integration with the systems your business runs on

One capability that cannot be compromised is seamless integration with the CRM, ERP, and ecommerce systems you use, providing easy and efficient transfer of data to where it is needed. This ensures that information such as inventory levels, order statuses, shipping details, and customer data is automatically and accurately synchronized across all systems, reducing the need for manual data entry and minimizing errors.

Automation of processes through integration significantly improves operational efficiency. Orders can be processed faster, inventory updates can happen in real-time, and shipping information can be instantly communicated to customers. This reduces the time and labor required to manage these tasks manually, allowing the fulfillment provider to handle larger volumes more effectively. Integration is essential to maintaining high levels of accuracy in data management. Automatic data synchronization reduces the risk of human errors that can occur with manual data entry. Accurate data ensures that customers receive correct information about their orders, inventory levels are correctly maintained, and shipments are processed without mistakes. From commonly used ecommerce systems like Magento (now Adobe Commerce) or Shopify, to CRM systems including Salesforce and SAP, to ERP systems like NetSuite and Oracle – even homegrown, proprietary systems – being able to easily integrate and work with the systems you depend on is a must.

Integrating with EDI systems, in particular, ensures compliance with industry standards for electronic data exchange. This is important for maintaining consistency and reliability in communications with suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. Diamond’s expert IT programmers design and implement web-based applications for our clients every day, and are proactive in providing solutions that exceed expectations. We also host numerous full commerce websites on behalf of our clients.

Our electronic data interchange (EDI) capabilities are completely customized based on the needs of each client to provide the most effective and efficient method of transferring data. To overcome the data transfer limitations of e-mail, Diamond utilizes our secure FTP site for transferring files. Our automated order transfer gateway ensures timely and reliable transfer of information to our clients while maintaining the security and integrity of the data being transferred.

At Diamond, we connect with the systems our customers depend on, including (in alphabetical order):

• AMS Software
• Demandbridge
• Fishbowl
• Magento (Adobe Commerce)
• Microsoft Dynamics
• NetSuite
• Oracle
• Salesforce
• SAP
• Shopify
• Veeva

Diamond’s investment in technology pays off for our clients

Technology is integrated into everything we do at Diamond — from state-of-the-art warehouse management systems to our proprietary web-based, order entry interface used by customers every day. Our clients benefit from access to highly sophisticated tracking, analysis and reporting capabilities through our Client Portal. Constantly updated with the latest in hardware and software, our technology systems support all aspects of our fulfillment services from receiving inventory, order status updates and shipping and tracking, as well as print-on-demand (POD) capabilities and customer service call center.

At Diamond Fulfillment, we believe our customers deserve the best – and we’re always willing to share our technology and expertise to help you get what you need. To find out how Diamond Fulfillment can help you with warehousing and fulfillment solutions or to get a tour of our fulfillment centers in Chicago, contact us today at https://www.diamondfulfillment.com/contact/ or by phone at 847-856-7700.