When commercial enterprises walk away from a project with 3PL specialists to improve their business, they want to know that they have met key targets for the organisation.
Some outsourced operators will only examine a handful of departments, helping to resolve operational issues and handing responsibility back to the hierarchy.
Then there will be other practitioners who integrate a more holistic approach to the company, outlining a strategic platform from the office to the warehouse.
This is a great opportunity to see how brands assess their intervention once the role has been concluded.
Ability to Integrate New Technology
There will be software and hardware that 3PL specialists will look at to integrate into a commercial operation to ensure that brand targets can be achieved. Although this can feel like a relatively easy exercise on paper, it can be another task altogether to actually make that transition from the blueprint to the business itself. If they can make those installations and bring staff members up to speed, that will be reflected in their assessment.
Capacity to Reduce Operational Waste
Trying to control the supply chain can be a major challenge for commercial operations and this is why 3PL specialists will be introduced into the fold. Among the many points where their performance will be judged, it is the ability to reduce material waste and financial waste that is allocated through labour, through commercial agreements and time spent fixing errors that could be invested in other key departments.
Time Management Skills
The speed of distribution and engagement with the market is one of the factors that will judge 3PL specialists from the perspective of the client. Outlets simply don’t have the luxury of spending entire days and weeks educating staff members and studying these processes every day. The objective is to develop a quick and efficient model that maximises time and this is where professionals will be judged.
Improving Commercial Accountability
It is not enough for a commercial operation to know what went wrong but who is responsible for the error and how it can be remedied in the future. This is one of the points of focus for 3PL specialists, instituting an accountability framework that helps brands delineate duties and develop a hierarchy from top to bottom. If the organisation is still left in an ambiguous state of accountability, that will reflect on their performance.
Connecting With Right Courier Partners
When it comes to the key parameters of saving costs, saving time and ensuring a swift process across the supply chain, 3PL specialists have to put their clients in touch with the right courier partners. Leveraging freight capacity and controlling the volume of output will be part of the same package. In the event that the business is in a better state with their courier agreement, then that will be a key component of the rating for the operator.
Methods of Scaling The Business
Participants in the field of third party logistics have to be adaptable to the needs of a business. Each and every enterprise will experience upward and downward trends that dictate how they operate and what they can spend. This is where a scalable framework is necessary for clients, giving them the chance to increase their volume or drop off depending on the unique market fluctuations and demand in their product.
Customer Engagement Level Focus
Commercial clients know that half of the battle with their brand is to retain customer loyalty. Part of this component for 3PL specialists is about taking ownership of the supply chain and reducing the need to address errors with the reverse logistics department. If they are satisfied with the service, then that is translating customer dollars into continued streams of revenue for the enterprise.