60 seconds with ... John Evans

John Evans on what it takes to build the right kind of relationship between a 3PL and a client.

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 8/1/2006

There are really three areas that require attention here. The first is to define expectations of both our customer and ourselves. Second, we need to identify the metrics that will measure how well those expectations are met. And third, it's critical to establish mechanisms for constant improvement.

Setting expectations is the foundation for how we will work together. It's really important for our customer to tell us what is important to them, and us to do the same. Otherwise, we'll never be in synch.

That naturally leads to setting metrics. But metrics alone are not enough. We need good feedback mechanisms that allow everyone to know just how well we are doing, and where the opportunities for improvement lie.

This also requires a single point of contact for both of us. The person on the customer side should be an extension of their business, just as the account manager is for us. So the customer contact needs to know what's going on with the business and be a good filter of information.

We also have to build mechanisms for constant improvement. That means when there is a problem, it needs to be documented, the root cause determined and then addressed. It's all about making sure a problem occurs only once.

If you do all this right, you will develop complete trust and a long-term relationship that becomes a real collaborative effort. That's what is needed to have the right kind of relationship.