The Goal: A 3PL That Goes Beyond a Partnership
If you’re browsing through third-party logistic companies, chances are, you’re looking for a fulfillment partner. A typical 3PL partnership consists of a third party handling the order fulfillment sector of your business. With most popular 3PL companies – that’s all you ever get.
While we still deliver quality fulfillment services, the focus of Falcon is a partnership that goes beyond the normal expectations of a fulfillment partner.
We’re interested in the success of your company – even when it’s not with us.
We understand that your business needs experts in multiple fields, not just logistics. That’s why our partners have exclusive access to our personal network of experts, in various sectors of eCommerce including manufacturing, operations, marketing, IT, and more.
If we don’t specialize in it, we’ll connect you with someone who does.
Alongside customized sustainable packaging, competitive accuracy rates, and dedicated account managers, our array of industry connections is one of the many reasons our clients choose to partner with us.
When working with Falcon, our onboarding process is designed to give you personalized service tailored toward the aspects your eCommerce needs and demands. Once we establish priorities we connect to our API and begin streamlining your orders within a couple of days or weeks – never months. Switching your 3PL fulfillment partner has never been easier.
“By providing our clients more flexibility around onboarding, it allows them to easily facilitate the implementation transition with their vendors & suppliers as well as IT management & customer support teams. Additionally, providing them the ability to better manage any unexpected disruptions or delays along the way.”
– Corinne Mathieson, Senior Account Manager
When searching for the right fulfillment partner, it can be confusing, time-consuming, and even daunting. That’s why we’ve outlined precisely what it’s like to partner with us, what you can expect, and what our onboarding process consists of. With this step-by-step onboarding guide, we help eliminate confusion, second thoughts, and blind spots.
Phase One: Introduction
The introductory stage with Falcon Fulfillment consists of representatives from both companies collaborating and discussing their goals. This establishes a better understanding of what a future partnership would look like between the two. There are a few topics that are covered during the introductory stage. The outcomes of those discussions and topics determine whether moving into phase two of the partnership would be ideal. Falcon’s introductory topics include:
Business Information
One of the first topics of discussion is, of course, your business. At Falcon, we are interested in your company, its values, current KPIs, and much more. We aim to gather key information about your business that will help us better understand how we can assist and whether working with Falcon is the right fit for you.
Company Pain Points
Next, we will gradually move into the main reasons you’re looking to partner with a 3PL. We will dive into the specific pain points your company is experiencing and how you’re looking to improve. It’s critical to be fully transparent with the needs of your company and what support you’re looking for in a partner. This insight provides Falcon with the baseline for establishing a successful strategy in your fulfillment partnership.
Future Company Goals
The final subject we cover during the introductory phase is the future goals of your company. Defining where you’d like to see your eCommerce in the foreseeable future and what tools you need to get there is extremely important when working with any 3PL partner. Discussing the goals of your company will help us better understand how to be the partner your eCommerce needs to succeed.
“The process of discovery is important to us. The idea is to understand your demands so that we can add value where it’s needed. A rising company’s goal is scalability, and we take it into account. We can focus on your order fulfillment while you focus on sales, marketing, and product development thanks to our extensive network of industry partners!”
-Gabino Chacon III, Sales Executive.
Phase Two: Get to Know Each Other
Following the introductory stage, if the partnership seems beneficial, we move on to phase two where we discuss the operational side of your business. This includes requesting sensitive data, optimizing operational procedures, answering questions, and reviewing.
Request Shipment Data
Transparency and communication are important to us at Falcon Fulfillment. We take pride in providing our customers with insider information, cost-reducing opportunities, and exclusive access to our extensive network of partners.
During phase two, we ask specific questions about your products and operational data to better understand your needs as a company and how working with Falcon can benefit you. This data is needed to create a pricing model suited specifically to your eCommerce. Falcon uses 90 days’ worth of operational data to properly analyze our value adds including but not limited to
Optimizing Postage and Operations
By analyzing the weights and dimensions of your current packaging, we can optimize your packaging strategy for right-size packaging. Furthermore, we help advise on the most economical and expedited shipping method to fit your current model and SLAs to your customers.
“Data is critical to understanding business, meeting customer demands, and staying ahead of the market. Understanding that data is even more important. That’s why our team thoroughly reviews client data to meet the needs of our partners, their eCommerce, and their customers.”
-Lori Denning, Director of Ops
Review Information
At the end of phase two, we evaluate the data and begin our review stage. We consider whether your shipment data meets our partner criteria, whether Falcon can help with your company’s pain points, in what ways we can do so, and lastly, we determine if a partnership is beneficial for both parties.
Phase Three: Bringing in the Teams
If phases one and two appear favorable for both parties we commence with the third phase. This is the point in the onboarding process where we involve the teams who are responsible for fulfillment. This is where we look at the specifics of how the partnership will function practically. The partnership has essentially begun whereby teams meet and lay the groundwork for a long-term and fruitful relationship.
Meet with IT and Operations
Your eCommerce teams will meet with Falcon’s IT and Ops teams. We then coordinate how we connect to the eCommerce shopping channel, pull orders, and ensure the end customers get exactly what they ordered in the timeframe promised.
Phase Four: Review Proposal
At this stage, our teams will be familiarized with one another, and the framework of our partnership will begin to take shape. During phase four, company representatives will reconvene and continue finalizing the details. Final plans will include approval of a tailored pricing model, a custom proposal, and a time to begin onboarding.
Tailored Pricing and Proposal
Fulfillment is not a one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why we provide a comprehensive price and proposal plan tailored to the specific needs of your eCommerce. After reviewing the proposal, answering final questions, and making any necessary modifications, it’s time to set up an official onboarding date and assign your business its own personal account manager to support you every step of the way.
Phase Five: Onboarding
Meet with the Senior Account Manager
The day of onboarding will have finally arrived and a meeting will be arranged between you and the Senior Account Manager to cover all the details. Together, you will be guided through the onboarding process while SKUs are imported, APIs are connected, and your eCommerce is connected to our Shipstream system, among other mission-critical tasks. Your personal account manager will assign a position for your fulfillment. This is contingent on the performance and needs of your eCommerce.
“Account managers act as a direct support line for our clients. Being continually in the loop of sales inventory enables us to reach out and rectify issues before they become problems. Our close relationship with warehouse personnel enables us to communicate with our clients in a timely and easy-to-understand manner. Additionally, we have access to shipping pricing tables and are always looking for new delivery solutions to benefit your eCommerce.”
-Falcon Account Manager
Schedule a Start Date
After successfully integrating your selling platforms into our fulfillment software and meeting your new personal account manager, we will be ready to schedule an official start date for your eCommerce. Once we’ve reached this step, the only thing left to do is sit back and relax while Falcon handles the rest.
Celebrate
Although not explicitly in the Falcon onboarding handbook, the current and future success of our partnership is definitely worth a party. When working with Falcon, you gain more time for other important aspects of your business, or maybe more precious time at home with your family. Whatever it is, take the time to celebrate your success. You deserve it.
Conclusion
Falcon’s fulfillment process is designed to support you and help you succeed in all aspects of business – especially fulfillment. From our streamlined logistics services to our dedicated account managers and an array of networking partners, working with us will provide an advantage to your eCommerce that you will not find anywhere else. Talk with one of our agents today and get ready to Fly with Falcon.
