Is your 3PL provider matching up to your standard?

How would you feel if you received this email from one of your customers?

“I would like to make a complaint. I was expecting my delivery today between 9am and 5pm. The driver called me just after 9am and ever so professionally said he would be with me in the next hour. This shocked me as I did not know how I was going to put my makeup on in time and be ready for his arrival. Low and behold as I was brushing my teeth the driver called back as promised saying he was on my road and would be with me any minute. Damn…had to cut my 2 minutes brushing teeth to 1 minute and rush downstairs. Met the driver downstairs and he easily maneuvered his lorry into our parking space ignoring the helping signals I was trying to give which made me look daft as the driver clearly knew what he was doing!”

“He managed to stop the vehicle exactly where I wanted it and swiftly unloaded my pallet. Job done and he even put it in a safe and secure position. Now what I thought may be a whole day waiting for a delivery, it was done in the morning with such efficiency. I managed to get all the tiles in and checked as sound as a pound. Now sadly I don’t know what to do with the rest of my day off from work so I have resorted to sitting out in the sun enjoying a refresher. Only joking guys! Superb service from Palletline and well chuffed.”

This is a recent email one of our customers received from their customer, Jolene Potgieter from Mandarin Stone, after taking advantage of our partnership with Palletline. This is a clear example of what being associated with a high-quality logistics provider can do…is your 3PL provider doing the same?

Finding a third-party logistics (3PL) provider you can count on and who is best suited to your business can be a challenging task, especially as they are such a key cog in your supply chain operations. If your current 3PL provider is struggling to get your products in front of customers on time or in good condition, it can become cost draining, rather than a value adding solution. That is why choosing the right supplier is such an important decision, and you should always consider ‘value for money’ over ‘cost saving’.

Being associated with a 3PL provider that isn’t worth their value can cause bad reputation for your business, and cost you dearly. Therefore, we want to ask you these 3 questions to see if your current 3PL provider is hindering or helping your business growth:

Is your current 3PL provider going above and beyond?

Does your 3PL provider exceed your expectations? The best kind of distribution partner will provide you with a service that is consistent, and leaves your customers happy. They should know how to pick and pack a pallet correctly, have expert problem solving skills if any issues occur, and deliver exceptional communication and service to their customers. Their job is to make your life easier…is your current 3PL provider doing this? Or are you feeling increasingly stressed because you are having to solve their problems yourself?

Are you compromising for price?

Sometimes issues can occur in the supply chain. It happens, but with a high-quality logistics team, problems are not a setback, and a good 3PL provider should be able to offer quick solutions at the earliest point of contact. If you have chosen a 3PL provider due to their lower costs, are you putting the quality of your service at risk? Could you be damaging your brand? Could you be disappointing the end user? You may even find yourself having to spend further money in the long run, due to the delay in your pallets being delivered and your customer experience being compromised.

Are you benchmarking your 3PL?

Are you constantly finding yourself comparing your current 3PL provider to industry’s best? Not being fully satisfied with your 3PL provider due to the lack of quality service can slow down your business operations, disrupt your supply chain and can potentially cost you customer loyalty.

If you would like to find out more about our high quality distribution service, contact us today on 01353 648222 or email [email protected].