Onboarding a New Client 3PLisn’t just about receiving their inventory and starting to ship their orders. It involves taking over a logistics operation, integrating workflows, and ensuring business continuity without disrupting the customer experience.
For logistics providers specializing in e-commerce, the challenge is twofold: quickly onboarding new clients while maintaining reliable fulfillment.
This is precisely the challenge faced by Crosslog Rhône-Alpes, a logistics provider specializing in DNVBs and omnichannel brands, when handling the logistics outsourcing for Yacon&co.
Thanks to Shippingbo’s OMS, WMS, and TMS suite, Crosslog was able to rely on structured workflows to facilitate the merchant’s integration, streamline order fulfillment, and maintain real-time visibility into operations.
Logistics Case Study: Crosslog Supports Yacon & Co.’s Outsourcing Efforts
Logistics outsourcing is a strategic step for a growing brand. It allows a brand to delegate operational execution, provided that the service provider can take over existing processes without disrupting service.
Crosslog Rhône-Alpes, a 3PL specializing in e-commerce
Led by Armand Julienne, Crosslog Rhône-Alpes helps e-commerce brands and DNVBs outsource their logistics.
Its scope of operations covers the entire supply chain:
- Receiving and inspecting goods upon arrival.
- Storage and management of products according to the customer’s procedures.
- Picking and packing orders.
- Shipping and tracking shipments to meet customer commitments.
The goal is not merely to process orders, but to build an organization capable of supporting the brands’ growth.
Yacon & Co: Outsourcing Without Losing Control of Your Operations
Yacon&co wanted to entrust its logistics to a specialized partner so it could focus more on its business development. Crosslog therefore took over operations with one priority: ensuring a seamless transition for the brand’s customers.
One key factor facilitated this integration: Yacon & Co was already using Shippingbo, while Crosslog had chosen to deploy the complete OMS, WMS, and TMS suite.
This technological continuity has made it easier to transition workflows and organize operations.
Challenges Encountered When Onboarding a New 3PL Client
Integrating a DNVB or an omnichannel brand involves addressing several technical and operational constraints. For Crosslog, three challenges are particularly critical.
Integrating processes without disrupting operations
Changing logistics providers requires reviewing inventory levels, as well as order fulfillment procedures, packaging requirements, and shipping rules.
For Crosslog, ensuring that specifications are accurate is essential to fulfilling the customer promise from the very first orders. A poorly prepared transition can lead to processing errors, delays, and a diminished shopping experience.
Quickly connect the merchant’s data feeds
Every new customer has its own IT environment: CMS, marketplaces, management tools, and carriers. For the logistics provider, the growing number of specific connections can complicate and slow down the onboarding process.
The quality of incoming data is therefore essential. Orders must be received in full, with all the information needed to process and ship them.
Maintaining Visibility After Outsourcing
Outsourcing should not mean losing control of one’s business. The retailer must be able to track orders and shipments without relying on constant manual communication with the service provider.
As Armand Julienne points out:
“ Outsourcing logistics should create capacity, not opacity.”
Shippingbo’s Solutions to Simplify Onboarding and Logistics Operations
To address these challenges, Crosslog relies on an organization built around the three Shippingbo tools: OMS (order management), WMS (warehouse management), and TMS (transportation management).
This complementary approach makes it possible to coordinate the merchant’s order flows with warehouse fulfillment and shipment tracking.
Connectors for integrating clients without complex development
Shippingbo offers connectors that allow it to adapt to e-commerce merchants’ tools and sales channels. For Crosslog, this connectivity is a direct benefit: onboarding a new client does not necessarily require lengthy and costly IT development.
In the case of Yacon & Co, having already used Shippingbo made the transition even simpler. The logistics provider can thus focus its efforts on configuring procedures and ensuring high-quality execution.
An easy-to-use WMS to speed up order fulfillment
Once the orders have been integrated, the WMS Shippingbo supports operators in their daily tasks. Orders arrive with complete information and a pre-configured shipping plan.
Crosslog can then organize picking and packing according to various rules, including FIFO (first in, first out) or the DLUO (best-before date). Operators complete order preparation with just a few scans before applying the shipping label.
This ease of use simplifies on-the-ground operations and allows the 3PL to integrate new workflows without having to overhaul its existing work processes.
Real-time data updates
Shipping an order does not mark the end of the process. The merchant must also have access to this information. With Shippingbo, the tracking number is uploaded immediately after shipment, and operations are synchronized in real time with the client’s OMS.
This allows Yacon & Co to maintain visibility into the fulfillment of its orders, while Crosslog handles their physical processing.
What are the concrete benefits for Crosslog and its customers?
The Crosslog experience illustrates the benefits of connected logistics for both parties: the service provider gains operational capacity, and the merchant retains the visibility needed to manage operations.
Simpler onboarding to support growth
For a 3PL, onboarding new clients without requiring additional development or systematically reorganizing the warehouse represents an operational advantage.
“It’s a tool that makes it easier to onboard new clients. It allows us to support our clients’ growth without having to restructure the organization.”
Armand Julienne, CEO of Crosslog Rhône-Alpes
Benefits observed in the operations of Crosslog and Yacon&co
| Logistical Challenge | Shippingbo’s Contribution |
| Customer Onboarding | Easier connection to the merchant’s payment flows |
| Order Fulfillment | Scan-Guided Picking and Packing |
| Transportation Management | Configurable mapping and label generation |
| Merchant Visibility | Real-time reporting on transactions and tracking |
| Supporting Growth | A structured organization, without systematic process redesign |
This approach offers additional benefits:
- For Crosslog: facilitating client onboarding, streamlining operators’ work, and organizing workflows.
- For Yacon&co: it allows the company to delegate execution, maintain visibility, and focus its resources on business development.
Shippingbo: connecting merchants and 3PLs to improve fulfillment
The Crosslog and Yacon & Co. case study shows that successful logistics outsourcing rests on three fundamentals: reliable workflows, structured on-site execution, and information accessible to both partners.
With its OMS, WMS, and TMS suite, Shippingbo enables logistics providers to connect with their customers, manage warehouse operations, and synchronize shipping information.
Armand Julienne sums up how these solutions complement each other: “Yacon&co manages, Crosslog executes, and Shippingbo connects.”
Like Yacon & Co, take your logistics to the next level with Shippingbo:
FAQ
How can a 3PL logistics provider streamline the onboarding process for a new client?
To streamline the onboarding of a new 3PL client, it’s essential to quickly connect their sales channels, structure order flows, and define appropriate fulfillment procedures. With its OMS, WMS, and TMS suite, Shippingbo enables logistics providers like Crosslog to simplify merchant onboarding without requiring extensive custom IT development.
Why Use a WMS to Manage Logistics for DNVBs and Omnichannel Brands?
A WMS (Warehouse Management System) enables the management of warehouse operations, from storage to order fulfillment. For DNVBs and omnichannel brands, it helps ensure operational reliability and compliance with fulfillment requirements. At Crosslog, the Shippingbo WMS streamlines picking and packing through scan-guided processes, including those based on FIFO or best-before date rules.
How can you maintain real-time visibility after outsourcing your logistics?
To maintain visibility into outsourced logistics, the retailer and its service provider must share up-to-date information on orders and shipments. With Shippingbo, operations carried out by Crosslog are reported in real time toYacon&co’s OMS, along with shipping tracking numbers. This allows the brand to manage its business while delegating logistics operations.
What are the benefits of Shippingbo for a 3PL logistics provider?
Shippingbo helps 3PL logistics providers simplify the onboarding of new customers, organize order flows, and streamline warehouse operations. Thanks to the integrationof OMS, WMS, and TMS, logistics providers benefit from better coordination between orders, order fulfillment, and transportation. As Crosslog demonstrates, this organizational approach makes it possible to support client growth without having to systematically rebuild logistics processes.
Glossary
3PL (Third-Party Logistics)
An external logistics provider that handles all or part of a company’s operations, including receiving, storing, picking, and shipping orders.
DNVB (Digital Native Vertical Brand)
A brand born on the Internet that typically develops its products and customer relationships directly online before eventually expanding its distribution channels.
OMS (Order Management System)
Order management software that centralizes, coordinates, and tracks orders from various sales channels.
WMS (Warehouse Management System)
Warehouse management software that controls inventory and logistics operations, from receiving goods to order fulfillment.
TMS (Transport Management System)
Transportation management software used to organize shipments, manage carriers, and track package delivery.
FIFO (First In, First Out)
An inventory management method in which products received first are picked first.
DLUO (Best-Before Date)
Former name for the minimum shelf life (MSL). It is used, in particular, to manage the rotation of inventory for the products in question.