Working with a Third-Party Logistics Service
Posted on: 22 October 2020
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Shipping products to your clients and customers can be one of the most routine and important parts of your business's operations. Mistakes with the logistics of the company can lead to items being lost, damaged, or arriving much later than expected. Hiring a third-party logistics service can help you with managing these issues while also potentially reducing the costs of the logistics side of your operations.
Is a Third-Party Logistics Service the Same as an Order Fulfillment Provider?
It can be common for business leaders to be unsure as to the differences between order fulfillment providers and third-party logistics services. One of the main differences between these services will be that order fulfillment services will actually store, package, and ship your products. In contrast, a third-party logistics service will pick up packages from your business and handle all the steps involved with shipping them to the final destination. As a result, third party logistic providers can be useful for businesses that already have storage facilities but that are wanting to reduce and streamline their shipping process.
How Often Will These Logistic Services Pick Up Shipments From Your Business?
When working with a third-party logistics service, you will have a high degree of control over the frequency that shipments are picked up. This can allow your business to ensure that it is avoiding getting backed up with products while ensuring that the items are being shipped to customers as quickly as possible. In fact, it can even be possible for a business to arrange for multiple pickups in a day. In addition to being able to pre-schedule these pickups, you will also be able to contact them for unexpected or short-notice pickups.
Will You Be Able to Monitor the Tracking for the Items Being Shipped?
It can be important for you to have the ability to monitor the progress of the shipments as they are making their way to the destination. Whether this is for your own internal metrics or to assist with customer complaints and problems, third party logistics services can make it easy for you to accurately monitor the location of these shipments in real-time. The method that will be used to access this information will vary from one service to another. While some may have a dashboard that you will use to track all of these shipments, others may use APIs or other advanced systems to allow you to integrate these tracking capabilities into your current system.