What Does Good 3PL Communication, Collaboration and Support Look Like?

When evaluating a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, warehouse capabilities, transportation networks, technology and pricing are often top priorities. But there’s another question worth asking before choosing a partner: What happens after the contract is signed and your operation is up and running? Service remains a deciding factor in logistics partnerships. According to Inbound Logistics’ 2025 3PL Market Research Report, 72% of surveyed shippers consider service more important than price, while poor customer service remains the leading reason for failed 3PL partnerships.

Orders still need to ship, inventory needs to remain accurate, and deliveries need to stay on schedule. When something goes wrong, you need more than a tracking update or a support ticket. You need people who understand your operation, can find answers and help coordinate a resolution. The same goes for changing business needs. Adding a new sales channel, introducing products or adjusting delivery requirements can involve multiple departments and new processes. Your 3PL should be able to help you work through those changes, not just execute the services already in place.

Behind a successful logistics operation are the people responsible for keeping clients informed, addressing their needs and connecting them with the right resources. Account Management and Client Services play an important role in that experience, serving as the connection between shippers and the broader teams supporting their operations. Understanding how these relationships work can help you evaluate the support you’ll receive long after implementation.

Dedicated Contacts Who Know Your Business

Having a dedicated point of contact is important but knowing who to email is only part of the equation. Your 3PL contacts should understand how your business operates, what your service requirements look like and which priorities matter most to your team. That understanding develops over time. When the same people remain involved in your account, they become familiar with your operational processes, past challenges, and business goals. Rather than spending time explaining the same operational details whenever something happens, you should be able to rely on established contacts who are already familiar with your business.

Direct access matters, too. When an order needs attention or a concern arises, you shouldn’t have to call a general support hotline, wait in an unfamiliar queue or repeatedly explain the situation to different representatives just to reach someone who can help. Having established contacts creates a more direct path to the people responsible for supporting your operation.

Knowing who to turn to for different needs is another important part of the relationship. Day-to-day operational questions, performance concerns and broader business decisions may require different levels of support. Client Services teams typically handle daily requests, such as order questions, inventory concerns and service issues, while Account Management focuses on the broader relationship, including recurring challenges, performance improvements and evolving business needs. While responsibilities may vary by provider, what’s important is having clearly defined contacts who understand their roles, communicate with one another and involve the right teams when additional support is needed.

Familiarity with your operation can also help account teams recognize when something falls outside normal activity. Whether it’s an emerging inventory concern, a changing service requirement or an issue involving multiple departments, established contacts have the context to ask the right questions and bring in additional resources.

Communication That Works for Your Needs

Regular communication is important, but more meetings don’t automatically mean better support. A business managing high order volumes, multiple facilities or complex delivery programs may need weekly performance discussions, while another may prefer monthly reviews with additional conversations as needed. The right approach depends on the operation, unique needs, and business goals, but the purpose should remain the same: understand performance, address concerns and prepare for what’s ahead. Your 3PL should be able to establish a communication schedule that provides the information and access your team needs without creating unnecessary meetings.

The importance of collaboration often begins before implementation. The 2024 Third-Party Logistics Study found that 92% of surveyed shippers placed greater importance on collaboration and information sharing during the proposal process. That emphasis should continue throughout the relationship, with regular opportunities to review performance, discuss operational concerns and plan for upcoming business needs.

Performance reporting should be part of those conversations. Depending on the service, that could include:

• Order fulfillment: Order accuracy, inventory accuracy, order cycle times and exceptions.
• Last mile delivery: Delivery completion rates, on-time performance, customer experience and service exceptions.
• Transportation: Transit times, carrier performance, transportation costs and shipment visibility.

Access to accurate operational information makes those discussions more productive. PwC’s 2025 Digital Trends in Operations Survey found that 98% of surveyed operations and supply chain leaders reported improved end-to-end visibility from digital tools. However, having access to performance data is only one part of the equation. Client-specific scorecards and agreed-upon KPIs help both teams evaluate performance, but the real value comes from discussing what’s behind the numbers.

For example, a decline in delivery completion rates may point to recurring issues at a particular location, product or access challenges, or processes that need improvement. Similarly, an increase in fulfillment exceptions may require a closer look at receiving, inventory management, picking processes or changing order requirements. These conversations help teams identify potential causes, determine where adjustments may be needed and establish follow-up actions to address performance concerns. Rather than reviewing metrics in isolation, the focus should be on what the information means for the operation and how both teams can respond.

Regular communication also creates opportunities to plan rather than focus exclusively on past performance. For example, if a client is preparing for a promotion, their 3PL should be discussing anticipated order volumes, inventory availability and any operational adjustments that may be needed. Having Account Management, Client Services and Operations involved in those conversations helps keep everyone informed and gives teams time to prepare before additional orders begin arriving. The same approach applies to new product introductions, seasonal demand changes and other business developments that may affect the operation.

For FIDELITONE, flexibility extends beyond the logistics services we provide. It also shapes how we work with our clients. Our Account Management and Client Services teams adapt communication to each relationship, whether that means adjusting meeting frequency, bringing additional departments into performance discussions or working through new business priorities as they arise. The focus is on making sure clients have the information, access and support they need as their operations evolve.

What to look for: Your 3PL should be able to explain how often you’ll meet, what performance information you’ll receive and how those conversations lead to follow-up when something needs attention.

Proactive Support That Goes Beyond a Status Update

Good 3PL support shouldn’t begin only when something goes wrong. It should also help shippers prepare for what’s ahead, recognize potential challenges and adjust before they affect the operation.

For example, an upcoming promotion may require additional inventory, warehouse capacity or staffing. A new product launch could introduce different handling requirements or changes to existing processes. When a 3PL understands a client’s business and upcoming priorities, its teams are better positioned to ask the right questions, identify potential gaps and coordinate preparations.

Even with careful planning, unexpected issues can arise. When they do, getting an update is important, but knowing there’s a problem doesn’t necessarily help solve it.

Consider a situation where an inventory report in your 3PL’s technology platform stops working. A support ticket may be the starting point, but someone still needs to investigate the concern, involve IT, and communicate next steps. Having a dedicated Client Services contact helps coordinate that process without leaving the shipper to navigate multiple departments independently.

The same applies to warehouse and delivery concerns. An inventory discrepancy may require coordination between Client Services and warehouse Operations, while a delivery issue may involve the local delivery team, Account Management and additional operational support. Your 3PL contact should help coordinate those conversations rather than leaving you to identify and follow up with each department independently. Support shouldn’t stop once the immediate issue is resolved, either. If a problem is recurring, the next step may involve identifying its root cause, determining whether additional training is needed or evaluating changes to existing processes.

That willingness to adapt is part of FIDELITONE’s approach to service. Our Client Services and Account Management teams work across departments to understand the situation, coordinate the appropriate resources and evaluate solutions based on the client’s operational needs. The focus is on addressing the concern while considering what will work for the business moving forward.

That same approach should extend to onboarding and implementation. Reviewing lessons learned after bringing a new client or sales channel online can help teams identify communication gaps, improve processes and apply those findings to future implementations.

What to look for: Ask what happens after an issue is reported. Who investigates it? How are other departments involved? And who is responsible for coordinating follow-up?

An Account Manager Who Advocates for Your Business

The relationship between shippers and their logistics providers is increasingly about more than executing transactions. According to the 2026 Third-Party Logistics Study, 88% of surveyed shippers reported that their 3PL partners could address their specific needs and challenges. This reflects the importance of relationships where providers can help businesses work through operational concerns rather than simply execute transactions. Your Account Manager should do more than schedule meetings and share performance reports. They should understand your priorities, represent your interests within the 3PL’s organization and help address situations that may require broader discussions or decisions.

That advocacy becomes particularly important when a situation involves multiple departments, differing perspectives or a decision that could affect your operation. For example, a delivery claim may require input from both the client and Operations to determine what happened and identify the next appropriate steps. A recurring service concern may require an Account Manager to work with operational leadership to review the issue and discuss potential improvements. These situations often involve more than answering an individual question, making coordination and communication across teams especially important.

Larger operational concerns may also require closer coordination between Client Services and Account Management. While Client Services manages day-to-day questions and works with the teams responsible for execution, Account Managers can help address issues that require leadership involvement, additional resources or broader discussions about the client relationship. That collaboration helps connect immediate operational needs with longer-term business priorities, while giving clients established contacts who can help represent their concerns internally. The goal is to make sure concerns are communicated to the appropriate people and that clients remain informed as decisions are made.

Advocacy also means having honest conversations. A 3PL should be willing to evaluate client requests and understand the business need behind them, whether that involves a pricing adjustment, different delivery service or change to an operational process. But if the proposed approach isn’t feasible, agreeing to it won’t help either party. Instead, the conversation should focus on what’s possible, what limitations exist and whether there are other ways to accomplish the objective. Transparency is equally important when an issue is still being investigated, so clients know what is being reviewed and what to expect next.

What to look for: An Account Manager who understands your business, communicates openly, represents your concerns internally and is willing to have difficult conversations when necessary.

Support as Your Business Changes

As supply chain requirements change, the role of a 3PL extends beyond managing daily logistics activities. Research from MIT’s Omnichannel Supply Chain Lab examines the operational challenges businesses face as they manage inventory, fulfillment and customer expectations across multiple sales channels. These challenges can introduce new requirements for warehouse processes, technology integrations and coordination between departments. The services you need from a 3PL today may not be the same ones you need a year from now, especially as your business introduces new products, enters new markets or expands into additional sales channels.

For example, expanding from direct-to-consumer fulfillment into retail distribution may involve new labeling requirements, routing instructions, EDI transactions and shipment documentation. Adding a transportation service may require reviewing shipment characteristics, carrier options and how orders move between the warehouse and destination. Your Account Manager should be able to help bring the appropriate teams into those conversations, whether that’s Operations, Transportation, IT, Project Management or another department. Having established contacts who can coordinate those discussions helps clients evaluate new requirements and determine what changes may be needed.

That coordination matters for existing operations, too. Onboarding a new client or sales channel may require IT integrations, warehouse process changes and project management. Resolving invoicing concerns may involve Finance, while planning for higher order volumes may require input from warehouse leadership. Although you may primarily work with one or two dedicated contacts, the broader 3PL team plays a role in supporting your business. The value of that relationship is having someone who can connect your needs with the appropriate expertise as requirements evolve.

What to look for: A partner that can help evaluate new requirements, coordinate internal expertise and work through operational changes as your business grows.

What Should You Ask a Potential 3PL Partner?

Warehouse capacity, technology and service coverage tell you what a provider can do, but its support model helps you evaluate what it will be like to work together. Before choosing a 3PL, it’s worth discussing how communication, issue resolution and account management will work after implementation. The goal is to determine whether the provider has the people, processes and internal coordination needed to support your operation beyond daily execution.

Consider asking:

1. Who will manage our account? Will we have dedicated Account Management and Client Services contacts who understand our operation?
2. How will performance be reviewed? What reporting, scorecards and business reviews will be available?
3. What happens when something goes wrong? Who investigates issues, coordinates resources and communicates next steps?
4. Who advocates for our business? How are recurring concerns, service requests and operational limitations handled?
5. What happens when our needs change? How will the account team involve other departments to evaluate new requirements?

The answers can tell you a lot about the support you’ll receive after implementation, when daily execution and ongoing communication become just as important as the capabilities that led you to select the provider.

The People Behind the Operation Matter

Technology, warehouse capabilities and transportation networks are essential to successful logistics operations, but the people supporting your business are just as important.

A 3PL’s values can offer insight into its approach to service, but what matters is how those values show up in the client experience. Are the teams accessible and accountable? Do they work together to address challenges? Are they willing to ask questions and explore better ways to support your operation?

At FIDELITONE, our values of Customer Centric, Accountable, Collaborative and Curious guide how we work with our clients. Our dedicated Account Management and Client Services teams take the time to understand each business, communicate openly and follow through on commitments. They advocate for clients, work across departments to address challenges and look for opportunities to improve as needs evolve.

Backed by decades of experience across order fulfillment, last mile delivery and transportation management, we bring the relationships, expertise and flexibility needed to support both daily operations and long-term business goals.

Looking for a 3PL partner that understands your business and stays involved beyond daily execution? Connect with FIDELITONE to learn more about our approach to client support.