Working with a third party logistics (3PL) provider gives your business the ability to scale without losing control. But a smooth onboarding process does not happen automatically. You need to take the lead on setting expectations, communicating requirements and aligning timelines. We will walk you through what your team should be doing to ensure a successful start with your 3PL partner.
At MAI Fulfillment we built our entire onboarding process around transparency, speed and results. From day one we provide a dedicated team and proven roadmap to keep your transition on track.
Build Your Onboarding Roadmap
Start by building a clear plan that outlines key milestones, responsibilities and launch goals. This plan should include deadlines for each phase of onboarding, from integration setup to inventory transfers and live order testing. Assign internal owners who will take responsibility for integration, training and product readiness, and make sure they understand how their roles connect across departments. Create visibility by documenting the plan in a shared workspace or project management tool.
Meet early and often to identify risks and keep communication flowing. These meetings should cover progress updates, blockers and any adjustments to the schedule. Use them to realign on priorities and confirm next steps. Your team should maintain a detailed checklist that tracks every task from technical setup to packaging samples. This level of structure keeps everyone moving together and avoids surprises during go live.
MAI Fulfillment supports this process with a custom onboarding plan tailored to your needs. We hold weekly check ins to ensure alignment and use a collaborative timeline so every task is tracked, managed and completed on schedule. Our team keeps your team confident from kickoff to launch.
Map Out Your Tech Stack and Integration
Take inventory of your platforms, tools and sales channels. This includes ecommerce storefronts, order management systems, ERPs, and customer service platforms. Understanding the full tech stack allows you to identify what data needs to flow where and when. Work with your 3PL to map out how orders, inventory levels, tracking information and returns will move between systems.
Establish clear data ownership and make sure your internal team is ready to test and validate every integration point. Assign technical leads who can troubleshoot issues, provide sandbox access and verify successful connections. Document which systems are the source of truth for specific data points and clarify who will be responsible for monitoring and maintaining the integration over time.
MAI integrates with over 100 ecommerce platforms and brings deep experience across leading stacks like Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon and custom platforms. Our integration team works directly with your developers or technical team to ensure syncing is accurate, systems are tested thoroughly and visibility is seamless from day one.
Transfer and QC Inventory Without Missteps
Prepare your inventory before it ships to reduce errors and delays during receiving. Start by labeling each carton and pallet clearly with SKU numbers, quantities and any handling instructions. Share your product data including dimensions, weights, barcodes and storage requirements with your 3PL well in advance of the first shipment. Confirm that packaging formats align with the warehouse racking and bin configurations to avoid repacking or misplacement.
Track every inbound shipment closely. Use advanced shipping notices and carrier tracking to anticipate arrival and ensure dock availability. Once shipments arrive, confirm that the receiving process mirrors your product structure. Assign someone from your team to oversee the initial receiving cycle. They should be ready to answer questions, resolve discrepancies and ensure your items are staged and scanned correctly from day one.
MAI provides detailed receiving instructions and works with your team to prevalidate product data before it arrives. Every pallet is checked for SKU accuracy, proper labeling and storage compliance to ensure a smooth transition into our system.
Train the Team and Run Tests
Schedule structured training sessions to walk your 3PL team through every aspect of your product line and fulfillment requirements. These sessions should cover product details, variations, order types and expected service levels. Provide real packaging samples, digital assets and documentation that reflects how orders should be presented to your customers. Walk through scenarios like returns, rush orders or subscription shipments so your partner is ready for any variation.
Use training time to clearly define brand handling rules, packaging expectations and any steps that impact customer experience. Encourage questions from the warehouse team and verify that all special workflows are understood. After training, conduct a full cycle test starting from order placement through pick and pack to delivery confirmation. Review packing slips, shipping speed and final unboxing experience to catch and correct any gaps.
MAI conducts test orders with your team and treats this phase as a working session. We use it to fine tune all instructions, train our on floor support staff and lock in your brand standards before your first live order ships.
Packing Shipping Habits
Give your 3PL clear SOPs for packaging, inserts and branding. Define cutoff times, carrier preferences and shipping speeds. Share your unboxing goals and review actual outbound orders to confirm alignment. Make time to monitor first week performance.
MAI builds every pick and pack flow to your specifications and confirms output with same day shipping and real time carrier optimization.
Plan for Surges and Seasonal Swings
Look at past sales peaks, marketing events and product launches to forecast upcoming volume swings. Use historical order data and promotional calendars to estimate how much volume may increase and when. Segment your forecasts by channel and SKU to give your 3PL the detail they need to plan accurately. The more specific your projections are, the better your partner can staff and stage inventory appropriately.
Share your forecasts early and schedule a working session with your 3PL to review labor planning, space allocation and carrier availability. Discuss packaging changes, promotional inserts or any updates that could affect fulfillment speed. Build in buffer time leading up to a surge and lock in cutoffs for inventory arrival. After the event, hold a debrief with your team and your 3PL to review what worked, what strained the system and how to improve for next time.
MAI supports high volume events with scalable labor, flexible racking configurations and dynamic multi carrier routing to keep orders flowing efficiently even during peak pressure.
Measure Performance and Refine Fast
Set key performance indicators from day one to measure how your 3PL is performing. Define metrics that matter to your business such as fulfillment accuracy, processing time, cost per order, on time shipping and return rates. Make sure each KPI has a defined target and that both your team and your 3PL agree on how performance will be measured and reported.
Track these metrics weekly and hold regular review meetings to discuss trends, exceptions and opportunities for improvement. Establish clear escalation paths in case service levels drop below acceptable thresholds. Use these reviews to identify process gaps, training needs or system issues and be ready to make changes quickly. The goal is not perfection from day one but continuous improvement based on transparent data.
MAI provides transparent reporting and analytics with real time dashboards and hands on support. Our team works side by side with yours to review performance, solve issues and improve results every week.
Keep Scaling with Confidence
Keep your 3PL informed about your future expansion plans, whether that means new products, additional sales channels or geographic growth. Share timelines and launch details early so your partner can prepare the space, staff and systems needed to support you. The more context they have, the more proactively they can adjust workflows and infrastructure.
Treat your first onboarding experience as a template for future rollouts. Document what worked well and what could be improved so that each launch becomes more efficient. Update SOPs and packaging requirements as your products evolve and hold periodic reviews with your 3PL to align on priorities. A proactive approach to communication and process refinement will ensure your fulfillment operations stay in step with your business goals.
MAI grows with you by expanding workflows, layering in new services and scaling infrastructure without disruption. We treat every new phase of your business as an opportunity to elevate performance and deepen our partnership.
