Work with a catalog fulfillment center that offers convenient pick, pack and ship services

Fulfillment houses will store your products in warehouses, maintain and control your inventories and ship your product to the customer, so their location and available services become significant factors in your search. Consider fulfillment centers that occupy numerous warehouses throughout the country or in the regions your customer base lives in.

I recommend: With their worldwide network of warehouses, consider using UPS for your catalog fulfillment solution if your company has national or global sales. If you don't care so much about the number of warehouses a fulfillment center maintains, consider BMS Direct which operates a warehouse centrally located to destination U.S. Postal Service postal facilities and provides services like shipping, mailing, inventory control and ensuring no duplication of customer mailing addresses.

Consider whether you need a catalog fulfillment company that takes all orders directly

Depending on the depth of service you need, you can find the order fulfillment solution right for your business. You may prefer to take your own orders and pass them on to the fulfillment center, but many companies can take that load off your back by handling either or both of your paper and online catalog sales.

I recommend: CrossCountry Fulfillment performs all traditional fulfillment services and can take and process orders from your online catalog, through a 1-800 number listed in your catalog or through your faxed or mailed catalog order form. You should also look at the order-taking ability and other customer service functions available at Innovative Fulfillment Solutions.

Feel confident about your catalog fulfillment solution and product sales through effective reporting

Fulfillment services can also involve reporting, tracking and/or analysis of product sales, shipping and customer satisfaction.

I recommend: Consider the full-service catalog fulfillment services of Progressive Distribution where, as part of their Customer Contact Center, you receive information on both order and non-order phone calls they take so you know what kinds of questions people are asking about your product. Also check out the up-to-the minute reporting you'll receive through Moulton Fulfillment Services.