3PL warehouses: problems we solve
28 problems 3pl warehouses bring us, each with the cause, what it costs and what we build to fix it.
3PL warehouses problems
28 articlesWhy Does Our 3PL Storage Billing Still Take Two People and a Spreadsheet?
3PL storage billing built by hand from WMS snapshots, with pallet weeks argued over by clients. We automate storage charges from your own location data.
How Do We Get a New 3PL Client's Product Data Into the WMS Without Weeks of Cleaning?
A new 3PL client sends a SKU list with missing barcodes, no weights and duplicate codes. We build an onboarding check that cleans product data before the WMS.
How Can a 3PL Stop Retyping Clients' Inbound Delivery Notices Into the WMS?
3PL clients send inbound delivery details as emails, PDFs and spreadsheets, so goods in is keyed by hand. We build ASN intake that creates receipts in your WMS.
How Do We Prove Stock Arrived Damaged When a 3PL Client Says It Left Their Supplier Fine?
3PL clients dispute damage found at goods in and there is no photo linked to the receipt. We build a receiving app that captures and reports damage evidence.
Our 3PL Clients Send Orders Twelve Different Ways. How Do We Get Them All Into the WMS?
3PL orders arrive by Shopify, Amazon, CSV and email, and staff key the odd ones in. We build order intake that gets every client's orders into your WMS.
Why Do Our Clients Keep Getting Fined by Retailers for Deliveries We Send From the 3PL?
Retailer compliance charges for wrong labels, late ASNs or missed slots land on your 3PL clients. We build pre-dispatch checks against each retailer's rules.
How Do We Stop 3PL Clients Emailing Us to Ask What Stock They Have and Where Their Orders Are?
3PL account managers spend the day answering clients' questions about stock and orders. We build a client view and alerts from your WMS that answer them first.
How Can a 3PL Process Returns When Every Client Has Different Grading and Restock Rules?
3PL returns pile up because each client has its own grading, restock and refund rules. We build a returns bench flow that applies the right rules per client.
How Much Value-Added Work Is Our 3PL Doing for Free Because Nobody Recorded It?
3PL kitting, relabelling and rework is done on paper job sheets and often never billed. We build a VAS job system that records work and feeds client invoices.
Why Are We Paying Carrier Surcharges That Our 3PL Clients Never See on Their Invoice?
3PL carrier invoices add surcharges for size, weight and address corrections that never reach clients. We build carrier invoice matching that recharges them.
How Do We Quote a Prospective 3PL Client Faster Without Guessing Their Order Profile?
3PL quotes are built by hand from a prospect's messy order export, so they are slow and often mispriced. We build a quoting tool that profiles the data first.
Why Do Orders in Our 3PL Keep Missing the Carrier Collection When They Came in Before Cut-Off?
3PL orders placed before cut-off still miss the carrier collection because work is released in the wrong order. We build release planning around departures.
Can the Monthly KPI Pack We Send Each 3PL Client Build Itself?
3PL KPI packs for dispatch on time, pick accuracy and receipt times are built by hand per client. We automate them from your WMS with the reason for each miss.
Our 3PL Keeps Sending Wrong Items. How Do We Find Out Why Instead of Just Apologising?
3PL mis-pick complaints are logged one at a time and the causes recur. We build mis-pick tracking that links errors to SKUs, locations and pack checks.
Why Do Our 3PL Stock Numbers Never Match What the Client's System Says They Should Have?
3PL stock levels and the client's own system drift apart, and month-end reconciliation becomes a dispute. We build daily stock comparison with clear reasons.
How Does a 3PL Track Batch Numbers and Best-Before Dates Without Slowing Goods In?
3PL food, supplement and cosmetics clients need batch and best-before tracking, but dates go on paper at goods in. We build date capture and FEFO checks.
How Do We Plan 3PL Agency Labour for Peak When Clients Tell Us About Promotions the Day Before?
3PL labour plans for peak rely on guesswork because client promotions arrive late. We build a volume forecast from order history and client calendars.
How Do We Check a Warehouse Agency Invoice Against the Hours Temps Actually Worked?
3PL agency invoices list hours nobody can verify against clock-ins and shifts. We build hours matching across clocking, rotas and agency invoices.
How Do We Deal With Clients' Aged Stock Taking Up 3PL Racking That Could Earn More?
Slow-moving client stock fills 3PL pallet locations at standard rates for months. We build aged stock reporting per client so you can act and price it properly.
How Much Space Do We Actually Have Before Our 3PL Signs Another Client?
3PL sales teams cannot see free pallet space by location type or future months, so they over or under promise. We build a live capacity view with projections.
How Do We Put Picking Labour, Racking Space and Carrier Bills Against Each 3PL Client?
3PL revenue per client is easy to see, but labour, space and carrier cost per client are not. We build client margin reports from WMS, payroll and invoice data.
How Do We Stop 3PL Clients' Late Cancellations and Address Changes From Shipping Anyway?
Client cancellations and address changes reach the 3PL after picking starts, and parcels ship anyway. We build an order change route that stops them in time.
How Do We Claim From Carriers for Lost and Damaged Parcels Our 3PL Ships for Clients?
3PL lost and damaged parcel claims go unfiled because gathering evidence takes too long. We build claims tracking with evidence and deadlines per carrier.
Why Do Our 3PL's International Parcels Get Held at Customs, and How Do We Stop Sending Incomplete Data?
3PL cross-border parcels are held or returned because commodity codes and origin are missing from client SKUs. We build customs data checks before labels print.
How Can Our 3PL Run Amazon FBA Prep Without Rebuilding Shipment Plans and Labels by Hand?
3PL FBA prep jobs mean shipment plans, FNSKU labels and carton details keyed by hand, with errors found at Amazon. We build a prep flow that checks each step.
How Do Orders End Up Sitting on Hold in Our 3PL for Days Without Anyone Noticing?
3PL orders sit on hold for stock, address or payment reasons until the client chases. We build a hold monitor that names the reason and owner for each order.
Why Do Our 3PL Pickers Keep Finding Empty Pick Faces When There Is Stock in the Racking Above?
3PL pickers arrive at empty pick faces while stock sits in reserve, so picks stall. We build replenishment triggers from order demand, not just minimum levels.
Why Do Our 3PL Clients' Marketplace Accounts Show Late Shipments When We Dispatched on Time?
3PL orders ship on time but tracking numbers reach Amazon, eBay or Shopify late or not at all. We build a check that confirms every one landed.