This week we’re going to chat about something a bit different than usual… and we’re super excited about it!
Fineline’s highest priority is to make sure that our customers’ expectations are always exceeded… but that starts w-a-a-a-y before our customer is setting the table at their event. This post is about a very special aspect of our team, and that is our Sample Processing Department! From Kits to custom sample requests, we’re going to walk you through our day-to-day effort that goes into assuring our products make the best first impression possible!
In order to meet these standards, we’ve assembled an excellent, hard-working team who take great pride in everything we produce, and they strive to make sure every item meets our expectations of excellence and distinction.
So, what is the actual process of putting together a sample order, you might wonder? What’s the big deal, even? Well… that’s what we’re about to talk about! So come along and follow us behind the scenes, and let’s get into the nitty gritty details of the average day…
Our day starts with taking up-to-date inventory of our pre-made sample kits. We try to assure we stay ahead of our orders, as this saves a great deal of time! We feel this evolution provides our customers with a wide variety of products that they can easily compare, making it possible for them to find the perfect style to fit their individual needs! This also allows us to consolidate several kits down into a smaller inventory, which adds efficiency to our team’s day!
Every kit is unique and assembled with great care. We take the time to assure we have the perfect box size, and that every item is protected inside the case via bubble-wrap, foam and cardboard dividers.
The second most important step in putting together sample orders is to assure that they are packed efficiently and securely. This makes sure nothing gets damaged in transit. And so, we spend much of our time finding the most effective way to fit each product into the selected box. We call this “nesting”.
All sample orders come in different shapes and sizes, and when it comes to our pre-made kits, we have some that are small and quick to assemble (with only a few unique products contained); while there are other kits can have almost one-hundred individual items that need to be identified, sorted and packed!
Once we receive a copy of the sample order, which is first entered into our system by our all-star customer service team, we immediately get to work on pulling the requested products from our large sample room. Our sample room holds every single product we sell! Sometimes it’s a bit cramped with how often we release new and innovative products, but we’re Fineline family here, so it’s fine!
As described a bit earlier, we make sure to select only the highest quality items from our stock. This is a vital step, as sample orders are not just requested by customers, but by our own awesome Sale’s Representatives who can ask for a wide variety of kits and individual samples to show during meetings with prospective customers! Not to mention, the items you see during tradeshows (see you soon at Catersource, by the way!) are all put together by our Sample Processing Team! So, everything needs to be spectacular!
Once the items pass our inspection, they are safely and lovingly packed together into a high-quality box and sealed completely on all sides. This requires us setting the selected items up and taking their stand-alone measurements. This help us find the perfect box, out of the hundreds of sizes that we keep on hand. We also try to make sure we keep a bit of extra space to make room for packing products such as bubble wrap. After that, we calculate the weight and dimensions of the box so that our hard-working Shipping Team has the information that they need to create the shipping label! This is another vital step, as even just one number out of place can mean the sample request may not make it to its desired destination! We can’t have that!
Then, with fond farewells, it’s shipped off to you, our customer, who we hope will find as much joy in reviewing our products as we have in selecting and sending them to you!
The morale of the story…? Every sample order is as unique and beautiful as a snowflake (I know those of us amid this chaotic winter weather may cringe at the mention of snow… sorry, but it can’t be helped). We want you to know that it means so much to our team that we can provide you with these hand-crafted kits, and we hope that this little insight into our process has brought you closer to us, and helped you see just how much your satisfaction means to all of us!
Stay warm, everybody, and don’t forget to check out our redesigned website! Now more efficient and eye-catching than ever, your search for elegant and high-quality disposable catering ware has never been easier!