Fulfillment Services: Are Printers Getting It?

The shipping information is automatically appended to the order and the 3PF software, and downloaded at day’s end. The alternative is to add the shipping information at the workstation and to manually enter the shipping information into the 3PF software—both steps requiring additional manpower.

The most flagrant failure to implement the software correctly comes during customer implementation. In many cases, powerful tools in the software—Web access to order, inquire and get reports—are not being utilized. The primary reason for this failure to implement is that the customer dictates the implementation, because “that’s the way they have always done it.” The printer and the fulfillment manager should have educated the client on the new and improved utilities of the software. I often find 21st century software implemented in a 1980s method.