Software that combines multiple WMS systems to simplify 3PL fulfillment has recently received a lot of attention.
These businesses typically express a great deal of anxiety and confusion when they begin their search: "Is there really a need for a specific 3PL solution? Or can we manage inventory fulfillment on our own with an internal WMS or ERP?"
A common response is, "We want a dedicated WMS framework, but there's something off about the timing."
Every warehouse should immediately make an investment in a specialized third-party logistics (3PL) solution due to the severe labor shortage.
Maintaining profit growth in volume-heavy, unfamiliar markets like Direct–to–Consumer (DTC) necessitates dedicated 3PL fulfillment solutions.
What makes a good 3PL fulfillment?
Having a warehouse that is able to oversee and support a client's growth journey is an essential part of being a 3PL leader, regardless of whether the client is a small business or a global omnichannel leader.
It entails providing them with new services and new ways to sell without harming the provider's margins through DTC, marketplaces, B2B channels like Walmart and Amazon, or anything else they require.
This can be started quickly, but it will be difficult to develop if the company continues to use out-of-date software rather than cutting-edge warehouse management software that is quick and simple to use.
The company gains rapid value and competitive advantages by combining multiple systems into a single modern 3PL solution that can handle everything on a single platform, including billing capture. The company is capable of:
- Fulfill very high volumes without hiring new staff
- Automate time-consuming customer service workflows
- Meet increasingly sophisticated client requirements
- Onboard new clients in just minutes
- Ship orders fast, with a <1% error rate
- Keep systems adaptive to constantly shifting goalposts
When a 3PL's fulfillment team outgrows their WMS, regardless of whether the business has 10 clients or 1,000, the impact of 3PL WMS or fulfillment solutions needs to be examined to see if it is helping you grow:
- Automate time-consuming customer service workflows
- Meet increasingly sophisticated client requirements
- Onboard new clients in just minutes
- Ship orders quickly, with a 1% error rate
It is too much for omnichannel to rely on manual or paper-based procedures. Modern 3PL fulfillment solutions eliminate the risk of using manual inventory management strategies that will never be able to keep up with the speed at which orders are placed.
The warehouse team will no longer have to deal with backlogs, manual catch-up work, missed shipments, and errors that kill deals when real-time inventory availability, syncing, order updates, and automation are implemented.
A top-tier 3PL solution is simple to interface with ERPs and other commonly used programming bundles. This has a significant impact on key performance indicators like hourly picking rates and daily shipments, and teams always have access to the most recent data.
Is it trustworthy?
The majority of the time, huge product suites fail, frequently causing business and employee disruptions. Framework stability is unquestionable for powerful 3PL businesses that would prefer not to be concerned about blackouts interrupting their operations at the most inopportune times.
Even during the busiest times of the year, the ideal 3PL solution will guarantee customers a system uptime of 100 percent.
What is the onboarding time for the system?
What amount of time does it require to set up another help or client? Is the utilization of an exception procedure necessary for the management of the system's custom requests?
No one has time for that when customers are placing orders so quickly.
A new level of speed and automation is required for onboarding more customers into a 3PL solution. Look for a user interface that is simple to use and can quickly train new employees on the software in under an hour.
Is billing done automatically?
Modern 3PL fulfillment solutions that seamlessly integrate with client billing systems can cut down on the amount of time spent calling or emailing for answers.
Due to a lack of complete information, users can receive payment for services that were previously provided for free, shorten the billing cycle, and avoid costly errors. In addition, this makes it possible to manage staff members more effectively—a challenge in and of itself.
Is the solution adaptable enough to provide value-added services?
Examine a 3PL solution's adaptability to processes and value-added services carefully when evaluating it.
For instance, in order to boost revenue, you can incorporate customer-specific UCC128-compliant labeling requirements into the outbound order fulfillment procedure and include them in your standard menu of customer options.
Will it help customers save money on transportation?
A specialized 3PL solution can be an essential part of the strategy for cost reduction and value offering because customers and retailers place a high value on free shipping.
The built-in WMS and shipping platform with rate shopping of Deposco's 3PL fulfillment solution enable fulfillment times of less than 24 hours and significant shipping savings. For multi-carrier rate shopping, the system has native WMS capabilities that are directly integrated with local and parcel carriers.
This can be used to compare shipping rates automatically, create labels, connect to billing, and provide your 3PL warehouse staff with complete real-time tracking and documentation.
Deposco's 3PL software is unquestionably capable of determining the appropriate box size for bundling.
It also supports kitting, work order management, EDI integration, and custom label/packing slip generation by customer and trading partner. It also makes it simple to combine multiple orders going to the same location to send all of the goods in a single box.
