5 Ways Ware-Pak Simplifies Fulfillment Reviews Without the Hassle of an RFP
Many publishers think that they need to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to perform a full review of their book fulfillment service options. However, the reality is that an RFP process can be overwhelming and tedious, and may even leave you feeling like you don’t have a clear picture of what each vendor can offer to benefit your publishing business. Today, we are going to discuss 5 ways that Ware-Pak makes reviewing fulfillment services easy for publishers, and why you might not need to worry about issuing a full, formal RFP the next time you are ready to look at your fulfillment service options.
1. Hyper-focus your review based on your current challenges.
Whether you are currently doing your own order fulfillment in-house or you have an outsourced service already, there are bound to be certain aspects of your operation where improvements can be made. When you review with Ware-Pak, you only need to worry about focusing on your biggest challenges. We will provide you with a complete comprehensive review that encompasses all relevant Ware-Pak company and service information, as well as how we can specifically address each pain point. Even if you aren’t sure what your most urgent needs are, we can assist in the discovery process by asking the right questions to help you hyper-focus your fulfillment review on the areas it is most needed. Our 57 plus years of experience in working with publishers allows us to have insight into opportunities which may be brand new to your business. This in turn allows you to stop worrying about fulfillment and continue creating content and publishing works to keep your customers happy.
2. Save your valuable time.
Most fulfillment vendors want to know data about your current order volume and fulfillment needs before providing you with their pricing, so publishers tend to spend an exorbitant amount of time compiling data prior to issuing an RFP or reviewing vendors. While Ware-Pak will need some information to evaluate, we make it easy for publishers by allowing them to send us raw data. Instead of spending your valuable time filling out a quote form, you can send us a year’s worth of fulfillment activity information directly from your system, and we will take it from there.
3. More easily compare shipment rates.
Shipment costs are unavoidable for any e-commerce business. Keeping shipping costs as low as possible with quick delivery time frames is especially important for publishers who may be shipping heavily weighted books or texts required for a deadline. Not every fulfillment vendor can offer the same shipment rates to all customers, so it is essential to compare any discounts or negotiated rates that may be available to you. Ware-Pak works closely with shipment providers to negotiate rates based on our aggregate volume across all accounts, which are passed along 100% to our customers. With a year’s worth of shipment data, we can offer a comparative shipping analysis completed by a third party which you can then use as an unbiased tool to compare apples-to-apples freight costs across vendors and against your current rates as well.
4. Integrate by continuing your current processes.
One reason I hear often as to why publishers are not reviewing fulfillment is because their current system or ordering process works, and they fear integration with a new vendor will create unnecessary work in implementing a new order transmission process. At Ware-Pak, we have integrated for order transmission with most e-commerce shopping carts and web stores. Most often, we are able to program an interface for your orders to process through our system using your current processes. Even if this is not possible, due to our in-house IT department’s robust skill set, we are able to offer advice and expertise to assist you throughout the integration process.
5. Meet us virtually.
Ware-Pak understands the importance of business relationships, and we value in-person meetings with current customers as well as publishers interested in our fulfillment services. Touring publishers through our warehouse is one of our favorite activities, so I’m sure you can imagine how much we’ve missed it this past year! Due to the pandemic, we are being as safe as possible by practicing social distancing and masking up in the warehouse. During this time while we have not been able to invite prospective clients to meet with us in-person, we have implemented some new technologies which allow us to meet face-to-face virtually, and even live-stream a physical walk through of the warehouse. This will give you the confidence you need in our facility, operations and personnel until we can physically invite you to visit us!
*Ware-Pak is a full service warehouse located in University Park, IL with over 57 years of publishing fulfillment experience. If you’d like to learn more, please contact us.