The Path to Efficiency and Customer-Centricity

Today, more than ever, WDS is focused on identifying and removing pain points for our customers. With many choices in the 3PL space, being easy to work with and responsive are two big areas we focus on – obsessively. Below are some key insights from Director of Customer Experience, Nicole Butcaris, on the improvements we’ve been making to our customer experience from day one!

The Challenge

Working with valuable customer feedback, we recently identified that customer onboarding felt like it was not as fast and easy as it could be.  As part of our ‘listen to and learn from the customer’ mindset, we explored the onboarding portion of the customer journey from our customer’s perspective and agreed!

The Solution

Upon reviewing the process, we noticed that its sequential nature often resulted in task backlogs that delayed getting the first container through the door. To address this issue, we introduced parallel pathways for System Set Up, Information Sharing, and Onboarding Discovery, alongside EDI Integration. These changes not only expedited the onboarding process but also allowed internal teams to concentrate on their specific areas of expertise. Moreover, this adjustment facilitated more seamless communication of progress with our customers. Additionally, we automated our customer application process, creating a simpler to use online form.

Learn more about these system improvements below:

1. System Set Up: WDS recognized that some customers needed their systems configured differently. By introducing parallel processing, the system setup can now be tailored to the unique requirements of each client without causing delays in the overall onboarding process.
2. Information Sharing and Onboarding Discovery: Customer-specific data and onboarding requirements were often waiting in queue, causing inefficiencies. The parallel approach allows for swift information sharing and onboarding discovery, reducing the time taken to understand and meet each customer’s needs.
3. Tech Integration: Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is crucial in logistics. WDS improved the EDI integration process, ensuring it was concurrent with other onboarding tasks. This change has streamlined communication between WDS and its customers, making it more fluid and efficient. Additionally, our Warehouse Management System, Synapse, provides secure 24/7/365 access to real-time inventory data and reporting, empowering customers to efficiently tackle their logistics challenges.

Understanding that first impressions are lasting impressions, we tackled this process as a team and innovated to create a system we would enjoy going through. The great thing about the WDS team, from my perspective, is that everyone is really eager to pitch in and find / support solutions. No one gets stuck, the attitude is motion forward and improvement – it’s exciting to experience!

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To learn more about WDS and to speak to one of our logistics expert, reach out to us here.