The story behind international fulfilment, flexible transport choices and the final link in the customer experience.
An order has been processed neatly. The stock is correct. The warehouse has done its job. And still, one delayed or damaged delivery can change the whole experience for the end customer. At Fidelity Fulfilment they know that better than anyone. As an international 3PL partner they handle warehousing and fulfilment for brands with widely differing customers, channels and destinations.
“Even when every other step in the fulfilment process goes perfectly, a poor delivery experience can affect the whole customer experience”, Fidelity says. So transport is not simply the end of a process. It is an essential part of the promise made to the customer.
No two customers are the same
One client has large volumes. Another delivers to a specific destination, has different lead times or sets other conditions for shipping. Fidelity has to switch constantly between speed, cost and reliability. And that for customers selling B2B, B2C and through multiple channels alike.
That is where the real logistics puzzle lies: not finding one carrier that does everything, but being able to organise the right solution for every shipment. Sometimes an existing transport partner is exactly right. Sometimes a destination or pallet shipment calls for an alternative.
Technology is good. But flexibility matters just as much.
Fidelity organises its fulfilment processes with Unify, a uniform technology platform that lets it tailor its services to the needs of different customers. But a well-organised warehouse process is worth little if the transport afterwards runs needlessly stiffly.
“Efficiency and keeping the promises we make to customers are very important to us”, Fidelity explains. That is why transport, too, has to be flexible, fast and scalable to organise. Certainly when a customer grows, enters a new market or suddenly has a different shipping need.
How Cargors helped
First three emails. Then waiting. Only then booking.
Previously Fidelity arranged pallet and B2B transport mainly through existing carriers and its own contacts. For every shipment, the most suitable solution was sought. That works, but it takes attention: rates, capacity, destinations and lead times simply differ.
With Cargors, Fidelity gained more choice and a faster view of the available transport options. For example when pallets have to go to a destination for which a fixed carrier is not the best match. Alternative carriers, rates and lead times can then be viewed side by side, after which Fidelity picks the option that suits the customer.
No spectacular turnaround, no magic button. But something a busy fulfilment team benefits from a great deal: less searching and easier switching.
The results
Growth does not stick to a fixed shipping schedule
For brands expanding internationally, the transport need changes along with them. New destinations bring different rates, carriers and delivery expectations. Fidelity says that a broader choice of transport options helps it stay flexible and cost-efficient, precisely in periods of growth.
What surprised Fidelity most about the collaboration? How easy it is to compare different carriers and rates and to look for a suitable solution per shipment. That too is ultimately technology: not as an end in itself, but to make the work behind the scenes easier.
Your customer's customer counts too
The beautiful thing about fulfilment is at the same time the complicated thing about it: the end recipient does not see how many links were needed to deliver an order on time. They simply want it to be right.
That is why Fidelity does not sum up the collaboration in numbers or percentages, but in something closer to its own services: being able to respond more flexibly to the widely differing needs of customers — and thereby contributing to the satisfaction of those customers and their customers too.
Perhaps that is the best definition of good transport: that everyone behind the scenes works hard, so that the recipient hardly has to think about it.
Based on the completed questionnaire from Fidelity Fulfilment. No figures or specific customer shipments that were not supplied have been added.
