A 3PL provider should be more than just a solution, they should be a partner that works with your team to ensure that you are set up for success at every step of the way. In this blog, we’ll cover what you should expect out of the first three months working with a new 3PL partner.
Key Takeaways:
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The onboarding process sets up the first three months for success.
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Initial monitoring of KPIs is crucial to see if your new partnership is right for you.
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Regular check-ins and open channels of communication will allow for greater visibility.
A new partnership with a 3PL can mean exciting things for your business. It can mean greater reach for new and existing service areas, more technological capabilities, or greater inventory capacity.
The first few months are a crucial stage that will set up the rest of the partnership for success, allowing you to monitor what works and what doesn’t so that any potential issues can be caught, and a solution be found early on.
Onboarding is a key process within the first months of your partnership, developing the essential processes and data streams necessary for future success.
Onboarding
The onboarding process will mostly be about data collection and management, as well as understanding the structure, requirements, and nuances of your particular operation.
Some things that will need to be considered during the onboarding process can include:
- Current data collection methods
- Current integrations being utilized
- Current standard operating procedures
- Current unit types (cases vs. eaches)
During these initial days, you and your new 3PL partner should work out a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that works for both parties.
Understanding what success means to you will allow you to regularly check in with yourself and your partners to ensure that criteria is being met. If the onboarding process does not go smoothly, it can potentially risk the continuation of the partnership, regular communication is key for both parties.
Monitoring For Success
As stated above, regular communication and monitoring of the outlined success criteria is key to the initial stages of your new partnership. Many companies will have a dedicated point of contact, whether it be a team or a single individual who will go to with any questions, comments or concerns. Scheduled check ins will create a better level of understanding as your new partnership begins to take shape. Near the beginning, these check ins will happen more frequently before slowly spacing out as the operation gains momentum.
There are several KPIs that can be important to monitor throughout the first months of your partnership, including:
- Inventory Accuracy
- Perfect Order Rate
- Order Volume
- Storage Efficiency
- Transportation Delivery Times
- Fulfillment Times
When the requirements for these and other metrics are not being met compared to what is outlined in your SOP or other contracts, inform your point of contact to discuss what can be done to align those metrics better.
Working With Routeique
During your first three months with Routeique, we want to ensure that you are as excited about our partnership as we are. We work to understand you and your operation’s specific needs.
A number of solutions for support are available to you, including:
- a dedicated account manager
- our client success team
- our suite of regular support tools for anything software related
To ensure success with your warehouse team, we provide a number of training materials to help better understand the software and processes. We also offer in-person training when possible, and a member of our team will be in your facility to monitor your first inbound receiving order to ensure successful implementation of our tools and processes.
We pride ourselves on being more than just a solution, we are a dedicated partner. Regular communication is important to us. During your first three months we encourage feedback at different intervals so we can adapt and see how we can optimize even further.
Contact our team to learn more, or if you are ready to join the Routeique network.
