Implementation Strategy
Simplifying New Client Transitions
You’ve made the decision to partner with PBD as your new fulfillment services provider. Our goal is to significantly improve the current state of each client’s operation on all fronts – service, financial, best practices, etc. But, you’re concerned about the “pains” of transition. It is for this very reason that PBD has developed a simple, yet effective implementation methodology to transition new clients into the PBD Family. Even better, we assign a dedicated Implementation Manager and cross-functional team to ensure that no detail is missed.
It starts with Discovery! Your attention and input in this first phase is the most important impact that you can make to the overall success of the implementation. Our promise, in return, is to structure the Discovery Phase so that we make the best use of your time and the time of your staff. It is important to uncover the ‘unknowns’ – just how deep and jagged is the ice below the surface of the water – so that we sail through the Execution Phase and set ourselves up for the most timely and seamless launch possible.
To kick-off the Discovery Phase, PBD provides a detailed Implementation: Discovery Playbook. This document offers more details on what you can expect during the implementation. It also aides in Discovery by bringing context, enabling decisions, and providing a forum for documenting important business processes. Our experienced implementation team will guide you through the document at an in-person Discovery meeting, where our teams collaborate on the ‘project thinking’ so that we are set-up to achieve all of the ‘project deliverables’.
By the time we convene for the Discovery meeting, we will know the ‘go-live’ date, so one important topic of discussion at the Discovery meeting is the initial transfer of inventory. We have been successful with transitioning clients to PBD with no ‘down time’ by applying the Pareto Principle of 80/20 – moving 80% of the inventory prior to launch, and the remaining 20% post-launch. The first wave of inventory is primarily made up of bulk (full pallets, like product), and the post-launch wave is usually the remaining pick-stock and mixed pallets/products. PBD uses the bulk inventory to set up our facility and prepare to ship on the launch date. The remaining pick stock is packed and shipped to PBD after the launch.
Once we’ve made our initial inventory transfer decisions, we will complete the transfer of inventory schedule and instructions. The schedule and instructions should be communicated to your current fulfillment provider as soon as possible. From experience, it usually works best with PBD’s Implementation Manager and Freight Manager work directly with a contact at the previous fulfillment provider on the logistics of the transfer.
Once we nail down the details of the inventory transfer, it’s on to system set-up and IT integration discovery. We will explain the importance of the Item Master and how it is used initially and after program launch. We will discuss the way you classify your inventory – bundles, kits, and so on. We will begin discussions on data integration – file specifications, inbound and outbound file requirements, file transfer schedules, end-to-end testing, and so on.
After system/IT integration discussions, we use the remainder of the time in the Discovery meeting to discuss business processes (pricing, customer types, back orders, returns, shipping, rush orders, drop shipments, etc.); order-related documents (packing slips and email confirmations); as well as how we will jointly handle exceptions to normal procedures. It is often quite useful to include members from other areas of your organization – customer service, accounting, operations – because these are the people with firsthand knowledge of business processes from start to finish. It’s also nice for PBD’s team to meet with representatives from your team with whom we will interact on a day-to-day basis once the program launches.
After the Discovery meeting, the Implementation Manager will document all of the decisions and establish the remaining action items that will be discussed in an upcoming implementation conference call. These calls are scheduled on the same day and time each week throughout the transition period. Depending on the needs at the time, PBD will have operations or IT representatives (sometimes both) available to discuss outstanding questions. An agenda will be provided before each call.
PBD understands the importance of the decision you’ve made to move your operations to a new provider. It’s a decision that is critically important to your ability to improve the level of service you offer your customers. We take that responsibility very seriously! Our implementation team works hard to fully understand your needs and expectations, so that we better position ourselves to BEAT them! The good news for you is that each new implementation builds upon the previous one, so each new client gains a small edge in industry best practices or technology. One thing that never fails, however, is PBD’s attention to detail, flexibility and goal of providing Superior Service Every Time!