Introduction
We are clearly within the holiday season, also known as Peak Season in the fulfillment world. It has been wonderful, so far, with the AMS staff at full force, and no issues arising. This will be an excellent peak season for AMS and all of the Clients of AMS. In this writing we will cover the question of timing – when a business wants to change its fulfillment partner, when is it time to investigate, and when is it time to make the change. We will also offer some reasons to investigate AMS Fulfillment as a possible fulfillment partner.
Fulfillment companies, their clients, and the customers know how vital the supply chain and fulfillment services are during peak season. A fulfillment partner has in its hands a great deal of responsibility for customer satisfaction. Holiday orders need to be filled and the products need to be carefully packed and expertly shipped and delivered into the hands of the customer right on time. Late arrivals of holiday gifts means lost customers.
Any business that sells products online or in a brick-and-mortar store knows that the holiday season means being busier than usual with sales and order fulfillment. The holiday season is not the time to change a fulfillment partners, and that’s a given. In fact, there is a strategic time to change fulfillment partner, and that is the post-holiday season when things slow down and the new year is planned.
AMS Fulfillment is very familiar with peak season, having been in the business of order fulfillment for more than twenty years. AMS is also very familiar with new clients coming on board in the first quarter of the new year. The list of benefits of partnering with AMS is a long one, beginning with top notch client services; technology designed by an in-house expert team; full-service including back-office, returns management, in-house customer service; cost savings on shipping; highly experienced teams… the list goes on and on.
And there is an extra plus to AMS that we will describe later in this writing. AMS is a B Corporation. When all things seem to be equal, the AMS B Corporation commitments become a very valid reason for choosing AMS.
Why Switch Fulfillment Partners After the Holiday Season?
Even if a company has been contemplating changing from in-house fulfillment to a 3rd party fulfillment partner or thinking about changing to a different fulfillment service, peak season is not the time to make the change. After the holiday season, buying and selling does slow down in the first quarter, and this is the time to investigate options and make changes.
When January comes around, your business will know how well or how badly your fulfillment was accomplished over the holidays. This is the time to investigate different fulfillment services. The frustrations and failures of your current fulfillment company will be highlighted during peak season, having to do with communication, timeliness of fulfillment, shipping issues and so forth. All of the failures and frustrations will become a part of the search for a more responsive and trustworthy fulfillment partner.
Key Considerations Before Changing Fulfillment Partners
As 2025 approaches, and your current fulfillment company’s difficulties and failures or pain points are identified, the research into AMS’ services must be in full force. Since the need to change has become apparent, this is the time to communicate with AMS Fulfillment representatives and evaluate AMS’ offerings.
It is vital to communicate with and work with an AMS representative to determine if the services and capabilities of AMS match what is needed. Look into capacity, volume and scalability after peak season. As you evaluate AMS Fulfillment’s services, make your plans for how you want your new fulfillment company to handle your fulfillment needs. AMS has a well-developed process to help their new clients change fulfillment partners. It is a tried-and-true onboarding process wherein every question is asked and every need discussed.
Steps to Seamlessly Transition to AMS Fulfillment
Taking the following steps will be essential to analyzing whether AMS Fulfillment is your best and most appropriate choice. As we mentioned, the process is called ‘onboarding’ and during this time period, vital decisions will be made in order to create the foundation for a beneficial, successful transfer.
Step 1: Review existing contracts and timelines with your current provider.
Step 2: Communicate with stakeholders and set clear transition goals.
Step 3: Coordinate with AMS Fulfillment for onboarding and data migration.
Step 4: System integration and testing for new workflows.
Step 5: Conduct inventory transfer.
Step 6: Go Live!
Step 7: Continuous monitoring and improvement
Minimizing Disruption During the Transition
There must be an established process in order to ensure uninterrupted fulfillment while you change fulfillment partners. The AMS onboarding process is established and has been tried and tested and exceptionally successful for years. The new client will be working closely with a project management team or individual, and this relationship will be focused upon confronting every possible circumstance, learning the client’s needs, and introducing the client to the AMS communication systems.
Transparency is the bottom line, and all potential issues will be dealt with in order to keep the client from experiencing any delays in fulfillment during the transition. The AMS support team is highly experienced, having achieved onboarding for many clients for many years. They have expertise in minimizing any disruptions.
Benefits of Partnering with AMS Fulfillment
What are the benefits of partnering with AMS Fulfillment? Is there something exceptional at AMS that clients may not find elsewhere? The answer to this question is yes – AMS is a B Corporation, and this is very rare in fulfillment services. What it means is that there is a core desire for a positive impact of the business on stakeholders. These stakeholders are the employees, the community surrounding the business, the environment and the clients. AMS Fulfillment offers its clients an extra plus – they are stakeholders in AMS’ business decisions, and there is a moral component benefiting the environment, the community and the employees.
When it comes to the benefits of working with AMS, partnering is the operative word. AMS truly functions as a partner in accomplishing fulfillment for the clients they are working with. AMS services are comprehensive, and the AMS Client Services team stays in close communication to respond to or anticipate any issues and get them fully resolved. AMS highly values communication with its clients, and a close, partner relationship.
Another advantage of AMS is its technology. AMS has an in-house technology team and the systems used for warehouse management, inventory management and shipping are absolutely top-notch and proprietary. AMS clients are able to track their inventory and use the AMS technology for complete transparency and communication. The services that AMS provides are comprehensive, and they are able to be tailored to each client’s needs.
How AMS Fulfillment Supports a Smooth Transition
AMS supports a smooth transition in many ways, having developed an excellent onboarding process in more than twenty years of serving a wide range of clients with a wide range of needs. The onboarding and transition to AMS will be handled by a project management team with expertise at helping many different businesses change fulfillment partner. The aim and goal of the AMS project management team is to ensure a seamless handover from the previous provider, allowing the client to have no disruption to their fulfillment.
Conclusion
AMS Fulfillment is a full-service fulfillment company, which means that we answer the many different needs of our clients. AMS handles pick & pack fulfillment, eCommerce fulfillment, wholesale B2B fulfillment, kitting and value-added services, warehouse management, inventory management, returns management and shipping with rate-logic technology giving the clients of AMS the very best shipping at the lowest prices. For those that want to change fulfillment partner after the peak season has passed, AMS is ready to answer questions as to the solutions available to our clients.
