Below are 10 practical, low–stress ways to tighten the relationship between your 3PL provider (like Lesters) and your business. If you’re a growing startup or a global distributor, our expert order fulfilment services will optimise and scale your logistics operations. Let Lesters Logistics handle the logistics so that you can focus on growing your business.
1. Nail the KPIs before the first pallet comes through
Start by agreeing on a handful of metrics that truly matter; on-time dispatch, pick accuracy, cost per order and inventory shrink. Give each KPI a target, a calculation method, and a reporting cadence that everyone understands. The clearer those expectations are on day one, the fewer phone calls you’ll have later.
2. Invest in tech that talks to you, not at you
Make sure your provider’s warehouse management system shows real-time stock information, shipment status and returns data in a single view (we can help you with that). When the numbers update automatically, you and your 3PL can spot issues before a customer ever notices.
3. Keep the conversation casual, frequent and honest
Weekly scorecard calls beat quarterly “business reviews” every time. A 20-minute chat about yesterday’s pick errors keeps small issues from snowballing. Allow both sides to raise flags early, as finger-pointing costs more than candour.
4. Share the messy data (transparency works for business)
Many brands hesitate to expose tricky SKUs, seasonal spikes or historic returns. However, being transparent lets your provider staff up for peaks, design better packaging and price services accurately. Get rid of your order history, product quirks and growth forecasts on the table; the pay-off is a plan that works.
5. Expand your RFP so partners can surprise you
When you ask only for today’s services, you miss out on tomorrow’s ideas. Include stretch goals, same-day cut-off, omnichannel returns, parcel consolidation and invite each 3PL to pitch creative solutions. You’ll discover who will push your operation forward versus who will merely pick and pack.
6. Think long-term so the provider can too
Multi-year agreements give third-party warehousing companies a reason to invest in robotics or sortation that ultimately lowers your cost per order.
7. Assign a single point of contact on both sides
Nominate one person in operations (and one backup) to manage the partnership day-to-day. Ask the 3PL to do the same. Clear ownership speeds approvals, resolves escalations and keeps projects on time.
8. Put performance on a shared dashboard everyone can see
Nothing sharpens focus like real-time visibility. Set up a live dashboard, shared log-in or automated email print screen that shows yesterday’s on-time ship rate, pick accuracy, outstanding returns, and cost per order. Light-green for “on target,” amber for “drifting,” red for “fix today.” When both teams watch the same numbers tick over every morning, problems surface faster, successes get celebrated, and decisions shift from gut feel to data-driven action. No more hunting through spreadsheets for answers; the truth is always on the screen.
9. Let the experts solve the problems they see
It’s important to encourage 3PL staff to suggest improvements, pilot them quickly and roll out what works. Treat every operator like a process engineer, and you’ll mine a steady stream of fixes.
10. Revisit the data quarterly
Markets shift, demand curves change, and new carriers come along. Once a quarter, step back and ask: are our KPIs still the right ones? Are we paying to store dead stock? Could split inventory cut transit times? Continuous small tweaks keep the partnership fresh and the cost-to-serve in check.
Why Lesters Logistics to help manage your 3PL performance
We live these practices every day. Here at Lesters Logistics, our eCommerce order fulfilment service allows you to reclaim this valuable time, as our dedicated team ensures that each order is processed with the utmost precision and care. Clients see faster dispatch, lower cost per order, and happier customers without adding headcount. Contact us today and let us take your business to the next level.
