“Can’t Get No Satisfaction” From Fulfillment Services, Says Large Percentage of Firms Surveyed

BOISE, Idaho - Jan. 28, 2014 - PRLog -- FulfillmentCompanies.net, a warehousing and fulfillment matching service that connects businesses with thoroughly screened logistics companies, announced the results of its annual ‘State of Fulfillment Satisfaction Survey’. In a January 2014 survey of 6,000 users of the company’s service, respondents were asked whether they utilized in-house or outsourced fulfillment services, how satisfied they were with their overall fulfillment experience, and what areas of the fulfillment process caused the greatest amount of pain. The results of the survey offered a surprising glimpse into the minds of small and large business managers alike, and overall, companies registered a lower percentage of satisfaction than anticipated.

Among the most interesting findings were that a minority of companies (46.85%) indicated that they are either satisfied or extremely satisfied, meaning that the majority of respondents (53.15%) range in satisfaction from moderately satisfied to extremely unsatisfied. Furthermore, only 16.08% of all companies surveyed were extremely satisfied with their fulfillment process, be it in-house or outsourced. “The number of satisfied and extremely satisfied companies is quite interesting, as it shows just how infrequently businesses are either operating on all cylinders internally or thoroughly happy with their third party suppliers. Ultimately, it shows how much improvement is necessary on both sides of the coin within the industry,” noted Will Schneider, President of FulfillmentCompanies.net.

Just as surprising as the percentage of companies that are satisfied with current fulfillment operations were the most frequently recorded pain points experienced by companies that perform fulfillment or outsource fulfillment. Topping the list of the most challenging aspects of fulfillment were: reducing the overall costs of the function, inventory accuracy, technologies employed, order processing times, and pain associated with managing the overall fulfillment process. While shipping and order accuracy were somewhat significant challenges, other areas of the process captured the attention of the survey respondents, including the amount of time that it takes to manage the process.

“All in all, the results seem to indicate that there’s significant room for improvement of both in-house and outsourced fulfillment operations,” stated Mr. Schneider. To view the full report and all of the details of the survey, please visit http://www.fulfillmentcompanies.net/2014-state-of-fulfill...