Part 3: Dream Team! Getting the most from your 3PL partner

In last week’s installment of our Dream Team series, we heard from Chris Bahr, VP of Brokerage Operations at TA Services. He shared insights on full-service 3PL providers and what’s next for the transportation industry. This week, we’re introducing you to Brady Thames, our VP of Marketing & Sales for a look into the benefits of having a logistics partner.

Brady has nearly 30 years of experience in the logistics industry. He began his career as a freight broker before holding leadership roles in logistics, supply chain, and operations. We asked Brady to share his thoughts on the importance of trusted partnerships between shippers and their full-service 3PL provider as well as how TA Services strives to focus on the customer’s experience. He went above and beyond by including tips for shippers that want to get the most out of their relationship with a 3PL. Here’s what he had to say:

The benefits of partnering with a 3PL provider

Last week, Chris Bahr, VP of Brokerage Operations, shared some of the benefits that shippers experience when working with a full-service 3PL partner, including cost and time savings, consistent capacity, scalability, and industry expertise. These are all crucial for shippers aiming to run an efficient logistics operation, but I want to expand on one point in particular that Chris mentioned: partnership.

Gaining a true and trusted logistics partner is such an important — and often overlooked — benefit of choosing to work with a 3PL provider. You should be an extension of your 3PL partner and there team.  At TA Services, we don’t like to think of ourselves as just a 3PL provider, we like to think of ourselves as a 3PL partner. We care deeply about customers, and we see their successes as our own. That’s why we put a tremendous focus on customer experience. We know that by delivering a superior customer experience, we can help shippers design and execute a successful logistics strategy that sets them up for repeatable success while also offering them custom solutions. Their success is our success!

How TA Services focuses on customer experience

At TA Services, we follow a “people-first” philosophy. It’s engrained in us and is a core part of our company values. We prioritize setting our people up with the tools, resources, and support they need so that they can succeed. Because when they succeed, so do our customers. The idea of doing what we say we are going to do is instilled in our people from day one. That is what sets us apart and it’s how we build lasting relationships —with shippers, carriers, and each other. It’s how we deliver the best customer experience.

We believe that long-lasting relationships are the most effective relationships. The more time we work and spend with a customer, the more we learn the intricacies of their business and their goals or desired outcomes. We gain historical knowledge about their operations, allowing us to provide more tailored solutions and recommendations then just what “fits in the box.” As a logistics partner, our goal is to not only solve problems, but, when possible, prevent them from happening in the first place. And in our experience, long-lasting relationships lead to extraordinary results.

6 things you can do to ensure you’re getting the most out of your relationship with a 3PL

The more time you work with a 3PL provider, the more you should get out of the relationship. As you learn about each other, the relationship — and the benefits you receive from your logistics partner — should only get stronger. But no matter where you are in the partnership, there are things you can be doing to ensure you are getting the most out of your relationship with your 3PL partner.

1. Think of it as a collaborative relationship

As I mentioned above, think of your 3PL supplier as not just a provider, but your logistics partner. Partnerships are all about collaboration. Remember that this is a two-way street; you get out of it as much as you put in. Partnerships rely on both parties making an effort to ensure their success.

2. Set goals and KPIs

It’s essential to set your goals and KPIs upfront. Picture what success looks like for you. What do you hope to achieve in the first month? 6 months? A year? Communicate these goals with your 3PL partner. You should both be on the same page — working toward the same outcome. And you should both understand how you will measure the success of your efforts — that is where KPIs come in.

3. Evaluate performance regularly

Once you have goals in place, you need to stay on top of them to achieve them. That means regular check-ins to measure successes and identify areas for improvement. You and your 3PL supplier should be scheduling regular business reviews to ensure you’re staying on track to meet the outlined goals in order to hold each other accountable.

4. Get to know the people

You should have a go-to point of contact at your 3PL’s place of business. This is the person you speak with regularly to handle day-to-day planning, escalations, questions, etc. This person will be able to attest to the customer experience you deliver. You should prioritize building a trusted relationship with this person. It can also be helpful to build relationships with other team members in your 3PL’s operation, even if you don’t speak with them as often as your main point of contact. This can help ensure the overall collaboration and transparency between the two organizations—which leads me to…

5. Strive for transparency

All good relationships are built on communication and transparency. If challenges arise or questions come up, communicate them. Your logistics partner can’t solve a problem they don’t know about. It’s also important to share any changes to your business, including your company goals and strategy, with your 3PL. Even if it does not directly impact your logistics or transportation strategy, these changes could affect the solutions or recommendations that your 3PL partner provides. 

6. Lean on them for strategic planning

If you’re only using your 3PL provider for the day-to-day management and execution of your logistics strategy, you’re missing out on important benefits. For instance, the TA Services team is made up of seasoned industry experts who can help design long-term strategies that will deliver impressive, customized results for your business. Make sure you’re leveraging the resources and expertise that are available to you.

Interested in learning more about TA Services and finding out why we are the right logistics partner for your business? Get in touch today.

Be sure to come back for the next installment of our Dream Team series. David Bowers, our VP of Warehouse Operations, will be playing the role of professor to share his take on “Warehouse Management 101.” He’ll explain his dos and don’ts as well as tips for making a warehouse more efficient.