The holidays are approaching, and every year the catalog of holiday offers and products grows, which travel a long way before they end up under the Christmas tree. Planning, production, transport, warehousing – the question arises: how to find a trusted partner to handle the logistics of the goods?
Over the last few years, the TSL (Transport, Spedition, Logistics) services market has been developing successively. New companies are appearing on it, and existing ones are expanding the scope of their services. Furthermore, mergers and strategic alliances are taking place in the market. The next challenge for the TSL industry is related to Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The pre-holiday machinery has started. The volume of transported goods is growing rapidly. In logistics centers, sets of products are being prepared that must reach store shelves before the holidays, in accordance with the client’s requirements.
How to choose a logistics operator?
When choosing a logistics operator, a company should first ask itself: are the services offered by the logistics solutions provider in line with the company’s needs? If the client’s expectations match the operator’s offer, the next step is to obtain information about the actual, not just declared, quality of services.
– In this case, it is worth reaching for references, especially if the operator serves companies from a similar or the same industry in which the potential client operates. When signing long-term contracts, it is particularly reasonable to obtain information from the logistics operator’s clients about how the cooperation is going and whether the assumed quality indicators are being met. First and foremost, one should pay attention to punctuality. One should also remember about such elements as lack of damage, lack of theft, or the safety of shipments – says Monika Pachniak-Radzińska from Schenker.
A very important role in choosing a logistics partner is played by the flow of information between the service provider – the logistics operator – and the recipient, i.e., the client. This concerns both information about the status of the shipment, which is usually available online, as well as a quick reaction to deviations in service delivery, including passing information to participants in the logistics chain.
– A fast flow of information is particularly important in the event of irregularities in the service delivery process, e.g., road accidents that prevent the timely provision of services. IT integration between the client and the logistics operator leads to the improvement of the logistics process. Thanks to it, service time is shortened and errors that may arise during the process are significantly reduced – explains Monika Pachniak-Radzińska.
When choosing an operator, it is also worth paying attention to the price, or rather the proper relationship between price and the quality that the client receives. In this situation, it is also worth checking the credibility of a potential partner in the TSL services market. Verification can be done using background checks and commercial intelligence.
– A good source of information about a logistics operator are clients who use its services or have used them in the past. A negative opinion about an operator, expressed by a dissatisfied client, should prompt us to conduct an in-depth analysis of the causes and exercise increased caution – adds M. Pachniak-Radzińska.
Regardless of the data obtained from clients, it is also worth checking the assessment of the operator’s credibility made by business intelligence agencies (e.g., Dun & Bradstreet or Coface Poland Credit Management Services). Of course, an important source of information is the logistics operator itself. Especially in large international tenders, there are clients who expect information from the logistics operator about the competence and experience of the management staff. This is quite an interesting direction, showing that the client attaches importance to long-term relationships.
A very important issue for all companies using TSL services, i.e., a field particularly exposed to the risk of damage and theft, is obtaining information about the operator’s insurance. In this case, one should take into account not only the amount of insurance but also the scope of the risk covered and the clauses included in the contract regarding the exclusion of the insurer’s liability in specific situations.
(Article prepared by Schenker)