The Skinny on Slim-jims
A steep postal rate hike in 1991 sent catalogers scurrying for cost-cutting options. I called my production guy in, recalls Steve Tamke, who at the time...
Resource Guide: E-commerce Platforms
E-commerce solutions have evolved to include core functionality for navigation, shopping cart, checkout, shipping and handling, and taxes and some level of integration to an order management system (OMS), an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, or a warehouse management system (WMS). Then there are the Web 2.0 options...
Locking Out Loss
When $200,000 worth of baby formula went missing several months ago from a Wakefern warehouse in Upper Macungie, PA, company officials and police tapped...
L.A. Confidential: Contact Center Roundtable
In February, Multichannel Merchant escaped the winter storms of the Northeast and jetted to sunny West Hollywood, CA, to discuss contact center management with a group of multichannel executives. Although the participants represented diverse merchandise categories, the challenges they face running a contact center and improving customer service are universal....
Material handling and put-away
Most distribution professionals understand that it is not enough to know how their company performs year over year; they must also continue to improve...
Q&A with Lenox's Greg Petro: Collecting Ops Wisdom
Greg Petro is the vice president of distribution for Bristol, PA-based collectibles manufacturer/marketer Lenox Group. A seasoned executive, Petro previously...
Minimum Purchase Requirements: Yea or Nay?
Without a doubt, filling one-off orders can get expensive. Whether the sale is worth a few dollars or a few hundred dollars, you still need to track the order; pick, pack, and deliver the product; and invoice the customer....
Putting Kiosks to Work
Kiosks? Sure, we've all heard of them aren't they those electronic stands that people use to look up books they're too lazy to search the shelves for...
Live from NCOF: Reverse Logistics Is Everyone's Challenge
Schaumburg, IL—More than 75% of all returned products are not defective, according to Gailen Vick, founder/president of the Reverse Logistics Association. Instead, the primary cause of returns is "misinformation at the time of purchase," ...
Live from NCOF: Brownie Throwing, "Survivor" Style
Schaumburg, IL--The way to an audience's heart is through their stomach. That may be why David Kravetz, cofounder of Phoenix-based marketer Fairytale Brownies, emerged victorious from the popular session "50 Ideas in 50 Minutes: Fulfillment 'Survivor' Style," ...
Live from NCOF: A "Murderers Row" of Ops Pros
Schaumburg, IL—The Monday afternoon Power Forum at the National Conference on Operations and Fulfillment featured operations executives from Disney Shopping, J. Jill, Lifeway Christian Resource, and Urban Outfitters—a "murderers row" of experts...
Live from NCOF: Don't Let Those Boomers Retire Just Yet
Schaumburg, IL—Full-time workers ages 55-70 outnumber those ages 18-24 by three to one. As an employer, that means you need to hold on to your baby-boomer employees and reevaluate your attitudes toward younger workers...
Live from NCOF: Adapting to Success
Schaumburg, IL—"If you're going to remember one thing about being successful today," said Peter Johnson, Ph.D., near the beginning of his keynote speech, "it comes down to this: Adaptability is king."...
A Few Thoughts on Process Improvement
A benchmark is a standard or point of reference used in measuring factors such as quality, productivity, service, or cost. Benchmarking, therefore, is the process of comparing an existing business process with internal or external benchmarks in order to ...
Quick Tip: Five Keys to Finding the Right People
Without the right people, your operation is doomed. But how can you ensure that you're getting the right people? According to Framingham, MA-based operations consultant Wayne Teres, you should ...
Five More Strategies for Operational Excellence
Order fulfillment is the most costly process in the distribution center. How can you increase throughput or reduce head count? First, map your current processes. Second, identify the methodology of your picking processes ...
Five Stratragies for Operational Excellence
Is operational excellence an illusive dream? I think not, but it is a definite commitment of time and talent every day. Below are five steps that will help you achieve this goal....
Five Common Customer Service Failures
Companies with the highest levels of customer satisfaction always carry their goal of customer service perfection into the distribution center. It is too easy to think of the distribution center as an operation completely separated from the customer. And companies that do this do so at their own peril. ...
Six Tips for Going Green
Taking environmental issues into consideration when making business decisions is gaining popularity not only as a way for companies to be more socially responsible but also as a strategy capable of producing tangible bottom-line business benefits. ...
"Are You Looking? Are You Listening?"
Feedback from either employees or customers is a gift. And if you use it well, it’s a gift that keeps on giving. ...
Principles to Stand On
Organizations must rest upon a solid foundation, one that drives management practices, technology acquisitions, and customer relationships. Without a foundation, contact centers will crumble due to increasing costs and decreasing customer and employee satisfaction. ...
A Strong Case for Call-Center Certification
During a recent best-practice study, a call-center certification tale piqued my curiosity. I must admit to becoming a little jaded because of all the call-center certifications that have come and gone in my 20-plus years in this industry. But the one was different....
Survey: Good DM Candidates Hard to Find
Almost a quarter of direct marketers surveyed by an Owatonna, MN-based headhunter are finding it “very difficult” to fill their open positions....
Questions, Ire Rise from Utah's "Do Not Bid" Trademark Law
(Searchline) A little-noticed bill passed by the Utah legislature in February will let businesses based in that state enter their trademarks into a state registry and police their use as triggers for search marketing to Utah residents....
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