A business supplying goods or orders requires managing the shipping, freight, and other service areas to better the venture. This becomes a need when your business begins to receive more than 20 orders a day.
When you start witnessing a rise in your order requests, it is time to take your business operations to the next level. Here, your first step should be to seek more storage for quick inventory. This will help you settle down your order handling process wisely.
A Myth
Before anything else, you need to come out of the misconception that your business does not require a third-party service for a smooth transition of operations. Following this thought process, many mid-sized businesses neglect the idea of collaborating with a logistics company. The truth of the matter is you need to join hands with logistics partners to improve the overall functioning of your inventory.
Third-party logistics are also referred to as 3PLs. Such service providers are entitled to manage different aspects of a product or service-based business. Having a third-party logistics partner by your side lets you focus on expanding your business while working all order placement and inventory management hassles for you.
Here’s how it works:
Intermodal Shipping
Yet another type of third-party logistics service provider brings a higher sense of security to your business and inventory. Plus, it offers you direct access to reliable transportation services. Whether it is by ship, train, or truck, 3PL companies work to let you save some bucks and precious time while improving your shipping experience. The best part is most intermodal shipping companies have certified containers to pass through the border points easily. This is required when you are about to ship an order to a different state or country.
Expedited Freight
As a service or product-based business, you may desire to let each of your customers have equal access to your products. But when customers are far away from the location and can’t have access to get products delivered to their doorstep, they feel left out. So, how do you make sure to capture such demands and serve them? Well, expedited freight services let you experience it.
Most 3PL companies honor your orders and customers’ requests, especially when falling behind the scheduled order deliveries. These services let your business deliver products in selective zones while covering the entire freight expenses. The operational and other terms may vary based on the service provider type.
What are the common transportation logistics services?
Once the orders are prepared, they are required to be sent further. That’s where a 3PL company transports the goods to local suppliers for smooth delivery. This process may require fulfilling some documentation requirements but isn’t a big deal at all.
Most 3PL companies offer
#1 – Domestic or local freight – Here, 3PL companies find the most competent partner for further freight transportation. This can be facilitated either by road or train. With this, it becomes the complete responsibility of the 3PL company to manage the pick-up and delivery of the orders.
#2 – Export and import requirements – This is when you wish to deliver the product out of state or country. Here, the 3PL companies take care of all the logistics-related formalities.
Warehousing Segment
We see a series of scenarios and strategies leaving a direct impact on the increasing demand for orders. Be it an upcoming festival sale or your online store running a flash sale; it’s common to see accelerating orders throughout the year.
With the increasing demand for order supply, you are likely to find your internal warehousing capabilities unsatisfactory. That’s when 3PL comes in the frame to wave off your issues. 3PL companies come with temporary or permanent storage available for inventory storage. Such is its craze and demand that many cities like Los Angeles offer these conveniences to small and mid-sized businesses.
These warehouse spaces can be used for packing the orders and loading them for shipping further. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about regular warehouse operations as a team of professionals always looks after your inventory items. This is ideal, tried and tested way of fastening up the order processing and delivery time. This is the reason why 3PL Los Angeles is high on demand throughout the year—thinking about how to partner with a warehouse inventory management team? Here’s all you need to ask –
#1 – Charges – Inspect if the third-party service provider is transparent about the service charges or not. A reputable service provider will never hesitate to show a written charges agreement.
#2 – Network – Know about the number of warehouses they have in the area. This will let you know about their business network. It may also help you rent or lease a warehouse near your headquarters for better operational efficiency.
#3 – Insurance – Learn if the services come under any insurance plan or not. This is an advisable factor to consider, especially if you wish to preserve your inventory at all costs. This way, you reduce the amount of risk involved in the damage of your inventory items.
How much does it cost?
The best-estimated cost of 3PL logistic services depends on many factors, including the overall space required, what facilities do your business needs, the different service add-ons you require to manage your inventory, and much more. The final cost can be evaluated after an in-depth analysis of your services and the service provider chosen. So, when it comes to knowing the accurate cost of these services, you should begin with finalizing a service provider for your business. Also Read – Top Three Ways Businesses Can Benefit from Recruitment Agency Services
The quick wrap-up
Third-party logistics partners can be recognized as a secret element of any successful business running at the moment. Some of the prominent examples include – Amazon, Flipkart, etc. Such giants have been using third-party logistics services to manage their inventory while ensuring a smooth supply chain worldwide. And why not when such services are available at an affordable price without hampering your business anyhow. Instead, it adds to the business productivity as it waves off the inventory worries from your shoulders.