Software that combines multiple WMS systems to make 3PL fulfillment simpler has attracted a lot of attention recently.
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 invest in a specialized third-party logistics (3PL) solution due to the severe labor shortage.
To maintain profit growth in volume-heavy, unfamiliar markets like Direct–to–Consumer (DTC), dedicated 3PL fulfillment solutions are required.
What makes a 3PL solution great?
Having a warehouse that can 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 leader in omnichannel.
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This can be started quickly, but it will be difficult for the business to expand if it continues to use outdated software rather than cutting-edge, user-friendly warehouse management software.
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 ten clients or one thousand, the impact of 3PL WMS or fulfillment solutions needs to be examined to see if it is assisting you in growing:
- 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
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. This means that 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 won’t have to deal with backlogs, manual catch-up work, missed shipments, or deals that are killed by errors when real-time inventory availability, syncing, order updates, and automation are implemented.
A top-tier 3PL solution is easy to connect to ERPs and other commonly used programming bundles. Key performance indicators like hourly picking rates and daily shipments are significantly impacted by teams’ constant access to the most recent data.
Is it trustworthy?
Businesses and employees are frequently disrupted when large product suites fail. 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.
In any case, the ideal 3PL arrangement will guarantee clients a 100% framework uptime during the busiest seasons.
How quickly does the system start up?
How long does it take to set up a new customer or employee? Is it necessary to employ an exception procedure when handling system-specific requests?
No one has time for that when customers place 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.
Clients can get installment for administrations that were recently accommodated free, abbreviate the charging cycle, and stay away from expensive blunders because of an absence of complete data. In addition, this allows for improved employee management, which is a challenge in and of itself.
Is there enough adaptability in the solution to offer services with added value?
Examine a 3PL solution’s adaptability to processes and value-added services carefully when evaluating it.
To increase revenue, you could, for instance, 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 clients in diminishing transportation costs?
Due to the fact that customers and retailers place a high value on free delivery, a particular 3PL arrangement may be an essential component of the strategy for cost reduction and value contribution.
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. The system is suitable for multi-carrier rate shopping because it has native WMS capabilities that are directly integrated with local and parcel carriers.
This can be used to make labels, connect to billing, compare shipping rates automatically, and provide your 3PL warehouse staff with complete real-time tracking and documentation.
The 3PL software at Deposco is indeed equipped for choosing the suitable box size for packaging.
Supported options include kitting, custom label/packing slip generation by customer and trading partner, and EDI integration. It also makes it simple to combine multiple orders to send all of the items in a single box to the same location.