If you’re a business owner, the logistics of your operations can be daunting. That’s why it’s important to find a third-party logistics provider that can provide reliable transportation planning, access to logistics expertise, improved customer experience, intelligent freight management and cost savings and improvements. These five benefits are some of the many reasons why more businesses than ever are turning to 3PLs.
Reliable Transportation Planning
Transportation planning is a complex process that involves many different parties and several considerations, such as cost and delivery time. A third-party logistics provider can help you plan your transportation needs by providing access to a wide range of transportation options, including air freight, ocean freight, trucking and rail services. These experts are also skilled at finding the best option for your business’ specific needs–whether it’s cost or speed–and will work with you every step of the way until everything is finalized.
Access to Logistics Expertise
You can access logistics expertise and resources that you don’t have in-house, which means your company will be able to grow more quickly. For example, if a new product is being launched or if there’s an opportunity for expansion into new markets, a third party logistics provider can provide the assistance needed to make this happen smoothly and efficiently.
Third party logistics providers usually have experience in all areas of logistics: transportation management (including trucking), global trade management and warehousing services. They also tend to be experts at managing inventory levels so you don’t end up with excess stock taking up valuable space at retail outlets or warehouses – which means less money wasted on unnecessary purchases!
Improved Customer Experience
Using a third-party logistics provider can help you improve your customer experience. There are several ways that this happens:
- Your customers can get their product faster, because they won’t have to wait for it to be shipped from your warehouse.
- If you use multiple warehouses and distribution centers (DCs), then customers will be able to choose which one is closest or cheapest for them, instead of being forced by you into using only one location. This gives them more control over where their order goes–and therefore who picks up and delivers it–which makes it easier for them when something goes wrong with their shipment.
- Finally, using an outsourcing company means that the logistics of shipping are handled by experts who know exactly what needs doing in order to make sure packages arrive safely at their destinations without getting lost along the way; this means less hassle on both sides!
Intelligent Freight Management
Intelligent freight management is a crucial part of any third-party logistics provider’s services. It allows you to use technology to improve your freight management processes, allowing you to make more informed decisions and ultimately improve the efficiency of your business. A third party logistics provider can help with intelligent freight management by providing:
- Real-time tracking – A third party logistics provider will be able to track shipments in real time so that they can provide accurate updates on where the shipment is at all times. This allows for better decision making when it comes time for pick up or delivery, which leads us into our next point…
- Driver alerts – When using a third-party logistics provider, drivers will receive alerts about delays or changes in route (if applicable), helping them stay on track without having to constantly check their phone for updates from dispatch or other sources inside their company structure
Cost Savings and Improvements
The benefits of using a third-party logistics provider are not just limited to quality and service. You can also expect to see cost savings and improvements in your business.
- Cost Savings: A good national warehousing logistics provider will help you reduce costs by identifying opportunities for improvement and making them happen. They’ll find ways to reduce waste, which means less money spent on throwing away items that could be reused or recycled instead of being thrown out. They may also be able to cut down on administration costs by streamlining processes so that there’s less need for paperwork, faxes and emails back-and-forth between departments within your company (and between companies).
- Improvements: In addition to reducing costs through waste reduction efforts like those mentioned above, logistics providers can also help improve efficiency throughout the supply chain by improving processes such as warehousing management systems, inventory control systems etcetera so that everything runs smoothly from beginning until end without any hiccups along the way!
The benefits of using a third-party logistics provider are clear. These companies have the expertise and resources to help your business succeed, and they can provide solutions that you might not be able to create on your own. They also offer greater flexibility than traditional freight brokers or freight forwarders because they don’t have any other clients besides yours–meaning there are no conflicts of interest when choosing between multiple clients with different needs at once!