Beyond White Glove Delivery: The Need for a Single-Source Logistics Partner
By John Cox, VP National Accounts
Technical Transportation, Inc
Over the past several years there has been an evolution of the required services that capital equipment manufacturers, and the supply chain marketplace in general, want from logistics providers. Several big events such as COVID and the resulting supply chain crises have reshaped expectations and created a new normal across the industry.
However, based on what we can indeed see through these murky times, we can note several trends that companies should consider as they begin the new year.
What was normally considered white glove delivery included:
- A team of multiple workers
- A lift gate truck
- Taking the product out of the package or out of its crate
- Setting it in place and hauling away debris
That’s what a typical white glove service required previously. Today, since logistics partners are already scheduled to be on-premise, manufacturers are asking for more such as the performance of additional basic assembly functions, including:
- Connecting and attaching of the accessories
- Simple verification steps, like testing the range of motion of a table
- Being able to confirm that once the unit is powered, specific-colored lights turn on
- And more
These are basic activities that, without the right single-source partner, the manufacturer would have to handle themselves or hire another technical resource. Worse, they might even ask their end customer to perform those tasks, which isn’t ideal.
That’s why today’s manufacturers require a knowledgeable, turnkey partner who not only gets the product where it’s needed, on schedule, but can perform some of those technical value-added services at time of delivery. Such a partner should also have the capacity to coach and train its team of on-the-ground field service resources as needed, to ensure the equipment is operational and ready for use. This kind of enhanced service can be a big win for a manufacturer and its customers.
With such a single-source partner, the manufacturer suddenly has the ability to scale quickly and reduce the amount of administrative involvement and personnel investment they’d otherwise have to perform on their own. It also frees up sales teams from non-revenue building activities.
If you have need for a single resource to handle all your transportation, logistics and field service needs, contact us today to learn more.
