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NEWSLETTER
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Volume 25, 2004
Keeping your profits from going out the window once your orders start coming in.
So you produced a great infomercial. It presented your product beautifully. It has a powerful call to action. And they called. Lots of them. What's more, your telemarketers converted that response into potential revenue. The orders came in fast and furiously. But all this doesn't guarantee financial success...not unless your means of fulfillment are up to the task.
The simple fact of life in the world of DRTV is that fulfillment efficiency can make or break the success of a campaign. And it's not just a matter of keeping your picking and packing costs to a minimum. It's all about customer service.
A good fulfillment operation is prepared to handle the flood of calls that demand an accounting of "where's my order?", even when you're right on schedule with product delivery. In fact 80% of all customer service calls are from impatient customers looking for their products. So fulfillment personnel must remain positive, have precise tracking information at their fingertips and handle themselves with true professionalism. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) starts here.
Your fulfillment operation must also be experienced at and fully capable of avoiding charge backs and processing refunds, returns and exchanges in a timely manner. Always with the highest degree of professionalism.
Handling complaints with courtesy and understanding is another critical function of your fulfillment team. No matter what, there will always be some breakage, missing parts, or any of the other dozens of customer satisfaction issues to deal with - including that call from the significant other who never agreed to the purchase in the first place.
Important too, is your fulfillment team's payment processing capability. Because after all is said and done, revenue collection is the name of the game. It's what will fuel the extension of your successful campaign, cover your original investment and provide you with a healthy DRTV pay day.
All things considered, the fulfillment function is vital to your success. It's customer service, inventory control, order processing and revenue collection all rolled into one. So don't even think about going on the air until you have full confidence in the way your fulfillment will be handled.
Definition of the Day:
Continuity Program: A DRTV program that offers the first in a series of products, often
for a lower-than-normal price, in order to encourage consumers to continue purchasing the
rest of the series.
Tip of the Day:
Don't try this at home
Some new-bees to DRTV believe they can handle order processing, right out of their garages sometimes. Unfortunately, they all learn the hard way that fulfillment isn't just a matter of lining packages up for UPS to pickup. So whatever you do, don't try to take on the critical last step in the selling process from home.
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