Mar 19, 2015

Optimization is a pretty big buzzword these days, from businesses to every day life. People want to make sure they’re getting the most out of the devices they use, the services they use, and even the relationships they have.

We live very busy lives in a very busy world, and optimization can allow for you to do things better in less time with fewer mistakes. That sounds like a win to us.

And that’s why we believe it’s important to optimize your logistical services.

Moving to Third Party

When most companies begin, they try to do as much in-house as possible. Their funds are usually limited, the demands are small, and their team is tightknit. But as a business grows, they find themselves needed more help externally to fulfill needs they simply don’t have time for.

If internal communication is getting jumbled, orders are being delayed, or you’re simply not able to meet all of the logistical demands of your customers, the key to optimizing might simply be to let go.

This is part of optimization. If you can partner with someone who can help you get work done faster and more efficiently, you’ll be able to grow faster and make more money.

The first step for many companies in optimizing their logistical services is to pass them on to an external third-party logistics provider. Try as you might, there are companies out there who are simply better equipped to handle your freight and transportation needs, from packaging to storing to hauling.

In it for the long haul (no pun intended)

When it comes to optimizing, “Band-Aid solutions” are never the answer. They might get you through a tough spot, but if you’re truly trying to streamline something, it needs to be a permanent fixture.

When you’re trying to find a way to smooth out your logistical services, you want a company that’s going to still be around when the next crisis pops up. To take your logistics to the next level, you need a partner, not a hired gun.

Fewer Heads, More Focus

Partners are great, but you don’t want to get carried away. Once you start teaming up with other companies to handle your logistical fulfillment and you see how great it can be, the temptation might be to outsource more services to more companies.

But let’s say you have one company to handle domestic then another to handle international freight and another to manage packaging and warehousing, and a fifth company that just takes care of LTL.

Suddenly, you’re communicating with so many companies that your system is as jumbled as it was in-house. The best solution is to start simple and choose partnerships carefully.

Let’s say you only need domestic logistics right now, but you may need international fulfillment in the future. In order to keep optimized now and stay optimized in the future, the best solution might be to partner with a company that can manage both.

As we said before, true optimization isn’t simply simplifying for the moment; it’s also preparing for the future.

Looking to optimize?

If you want to do a little spring-cleaning in your logistical departments, we’d love to help. Contact us today for a free consultation, and we’ll help you find some areas of improvement.

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