What Should Your First 30 Days With a New 3PL Look Like?
The contract is signed. Your inventory is moving. Systems are being connected. After months of comparing providers and talking through every detail, your new 3PL relationship is finally becoming real.
The first 30 days should not be about handing over the keys and hoping everything works. They should be about turning everything discussed during the sales process into something your customers can actually rely on.
Scott Wilkins, Vice President of Customer Solutions at Barrett Distribution Centers, has described implementation as an important moment in establishing that relationship.
“The implementation itself really sets the stage for that relationship. The more information that you have up front, the better off that relationship is going to get off on the right foot.”
So, what should those first few weeks actually look like?
Week One: Get Everyone on the Same Page
The beginning should involve a lot of communication.
Your 3PL needs to understand more than how many orders you ship. This is the time to confirm inventory details, sales channels, packaging requirements, retailer expectations, technology needs, transportation requirements, upcoming promotions, and the small details that make your business different.
You should also know the people involved. Who is your main contact? Who is responsible for operations? Who handles systems questions? Who gets involved when something unexpected happens?
Scott describes the work behind building a customer solution as a team effort, saying,
“It takes a small army to develop and submit a potential proposal.”
That collaboration becomes even more important once the proposal turns into a real operation.
Weeks Two and Three: Turn the Plan Into an Operation
This is where a lot of the behind the scenes work happens.
This is also when questions are valuable. Something that sounded straightforward during a sales call may look different once inventory is physically in the building. The goal should be to identify those details now, not after thousands of customer orders are moving through the operation.
Week Four: Learn From Real Orders
Once orders begin shipping, the relationship enters a new stage.
The first few weeks of live fulfillment give both teams an opportunity to see the plan in action. Are orders flowing as expected? Are packaging instructions clear? Are systems communicating correctly? Is there anything the teams could handle differently?
Not every adjustment means something went wrong. Sometimes you simply learn more about a business once you start doing the work.
Scott has said that Barrett's approach begins with “always be listening.” The more a 3PL understands a customer's pain points, direction, and business plan, the better it can shape the solution around what that customer actually needs.
That listening should not stop after the contract is signed.
By Day 30, You Should Feel Like a Team
Thirty days is not enough time to encounter every scenario your business will face with a new 3PL. It is enough time to establish how the relationship will work when those scenarios eventually arrive.
At Barrett, onboarding brings together the people needed to translate a proposed solution into an everyday operation. Scott puts it simply:
“We customize every solution that we work on.”
That means the first month is not just about getting inventory onto shelves and orders out the door. It is about learning how two teams communicate, solve problems, and work together.
By day 30, you should not simply feel like you moved into a new warehouse. You should feel like you gained a partner who is beginning to know your business.
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