Ever since a global pandemic came and up-ended everything, we’ve all watched the world of work shift and change. Companies of all kinds have successfully reinvented themselves. Some have closed down completely. Many have reduced office space permanently as their staff continue working from home.
But reducing the side of your workspace overall may throw up other challenges – around things like storage. Marketing and sales materials need to go somewhere. And what happens to the mail room? One option many businesses are starting to look at is to outsource storage and warehousing to a third party.
Here are some reasons you might want to consider outsourcing this aspect of your business.
1. You’re being more careful about your budget
We’re all doing more cost-cutting right now – and looking at ways we can create more secure and resilient businesses going forward. And the great news is, out-sourcing your warehousing to third-party logistics companies that can take care of storage, fulfilment and inventory management can mean some serious savings for your company. Kaching!
2. You don’t want to worry about staying up to date with the tech
The good news is, warehouse and logistics companies do it for you – that’s their job! Outsource to a company that values cutting-edge tech and efficiency and you’ll never have to worry about storage solutions again. The logistics and warehousing specialist may also provide reports and business intelligence so you get the bigger picture on your supply chain and logistics. You also want to make sure you have easy access to your inventory (which is something our Spark Up 2 Go portal offers).
3. You want a more streamlined workflow
You’re busy, and you don’t necessarily have time to coordinate storage, warehousing, inventory management and fulfilment. The good news is, the company you outsource to can handle all the moving parts, from scheduling to regulations. You can focus on what you do best – core business operations – while your merch, mail-outs or materials are making their way to where they need to go. Result? Happy customers and clients. And a less stressed-out you!
4. You want less headaches
This is where warehousing and logistics experts come into their own. They specialise in managing everything from storing materials, to picking and packing, to liaising with shippers and transporters. If they offer ‘on demand warehousing’ services, they no doubt handle the needs of a variety of tenants – from big companies who need to store hefty POS materials, to those requiring regular mail-outs, to manufacturers who may store goods for their clients. In leaving warehousing to a third-party, you reduce risk and can relax knowing that your processes are being followed and your customers are sorted.
But don’t forget to do a little legwork of your own
It’s a big decision to outsource storage, warehousing and other associated costs.
It’s also a good idea to talk to your accountant or financial planner about it and crunch the numbers. Make sure you compare your current storage, warehousing or mail room costs with the costs to outsource, and handle all the other headaches of legal compliance, being up to date on technologies and having to hire warehousing staff. You might find outsourcing comes out on top and makes better financial sense for your business.
If you’d like more info on outsourcing your storage or warehousing and what’s involved (and included!), we’d love to chat to you. Simply drop us a line or give us a call to discuss.
