A third-party logistics (3PL) provider’s customer service is crucial for many reasons. Too many ecommerce brands seek supply chain partners based on cost savings or a fancy new technology suite. What they may not realize is the long-term costs that add up when customer service takes a back seat.
The number one reason your ecommerce business should seek out a 3PL with quality customer service is that it may actually help your brand grow.
A 3PL with great customer service will resolve problems faster, help get you vendor relationships you need to grow, and give you more time to focus on your core business, your products, and your customers.
What to Look for in a 3PL’s Customer Service?
It’s difficult to accurately track customer service as a metric because it’s hard to quantify the actions as hard data. But there are a few key things to ask your prospective 3PL when soliciting their partnership.
Above all you’ll want to make sure your fulfillment provider has these qualities in their customer service support:
- Frequent and detailed communication
- Dedicated support staff that know your brand
- Communication tools that help maximize efficiency
- A collaborative approach to doing business with you
Ultimately a 3PL will strong customer service will help take care of the fulfillment so you can focus on growing your overall brand.
Is your 3PL not meeting SLAs?
Our dedicated account managers can help optimize your inventory management and track delivery performance, so you can work on growing your business.
Top Four Reasons Customers Service Can Help Your Brand Scale
1. Clear Communication Means Faster Problem Resolution
Logistics is the business of exceptions. There are always new and various challenges that need to be addressed—delays, discrepancies, damages, and more.
Part of great customer service is direct, clear, and frequent communication. If your 3PL offers these, when problems arise, they will be dealt with quicker. Expect them to deliver updates on shipment status, inventory management, order flow, project status reports, shipping carrier updates, plus tracking and data to help you forecast and build your brand.
A responsive customer service team will promptly address issues and provide timely solutions. This will help limit disruptions or delays. Efficient problem resolution is a benefit to your end-customers—they are the ones who will reap the benefits of fast problem solving at the fulfillment and logistics level. This can in turn help your brand reputation thrive, and your business grow.
2. Quality Service Means Better Supply Chain Relationships
Excellent customer service plays a vital role in fostering long-term partnerships. If your 3PL provides you with quality communication and service, that means they’ll do the same for retailers, shipping carriers, manufacturers, freight forwarders, and other supply chain partners.
Your business becomes their business, and your 3PL will be an extension of your brand as they interface with your vendors and partners on your behalf. The last thing you want is to get kicked out of a contract because of rude or incompetent actions of your fulfillment partner.
A 3PL who can offer personalized support and tailor their solutions to your specific business partners, will be a collaborator that will help your brand grow. Positive relationships often lead to repeat business, referrals, and increased customer loyalty.
3. 24/7 Support Means Your Customers Get Speedy Service
Consumers now have very high expectations when it comes to package tracking and reporting issues. If an order is missing, late, or damaged, your brand needs to be able to respond to their requests immediately. A 3PL who can offer you support around the clock will be the best defense against angry or disgruntled customers.
Prompt customers support gives your brand a competitive advantage in the market. Exceptional customer service from your 3PL will have a direct effect on your ability to give the best service to your customers. This in turn enhances brand reputation and overall consumer loyalty, which ultimately means overall brand growth.
4. A Dedicated Team Means More Growth Opportunities
There are many 3PLs who only offer a hotline, a call center, or an AI chat bot for day-to-day questions. This isn’t great customer service because it means you have no dedicated account management staff, helping you with your daily fulfillment operations.
When you can sit down and collaborate with a dedicated team, you’ll be able to create much bigger growth opportunities for your business. A dedicated manager will foster personalized communication, they’ll better understand the specific needs of your business.
Together you can establish clear key performance indicators (KPIs) and regularly track performance to help monitor the effectiveness of your fulfillment projects, specialized campaigns, inventory distributions, marketplace performance, and choose bigger and better sales channels to grow into.
Bottom Line
A 3PL’s customer service is essential for effective communication, problem resolution, relationship building, proactive engagement, gaining a competitive advantage, and maintaining a positive brand reputation.
Successful 3PLs focus on continuous improvement. They actively seek feedback from clients, conduct regular reviews, and implement process enhancements. By addressing areas of improvement and aligning their services with evolving client needs, your 3PL will provide better customer service over time. The service they can give you will make a direct impact on your overall brand growth and opportunity to scale.
If you are looking for fulfillment support with excellent customer service, DCL Logistics has many value added services that can help your business grow and scale. Reach out for a quote or hear more about how we can support your growing brand.
Tags: Articles About Value Added Services, KPIs & Metrics
