Social network for 3PL evaluation introduced

As a natural extension of its Third-Party Logistics market research work, Armstrong & Associates, Inc. (A&A) has launched 3PLAdvisor.com to provide 3PL customers with a platform for sharing customer relationship experiences about their third-party logistics providers (3PLs).

In-turn, 3PLs can receive feedback from customers at no cost. Customers can anonymously rate their current 3PLs and send request for information (RFI) forms to 3PLs they may be interested in working with.

According to A&A’s President Evan Armstrong, “We’ve developed a straightforward website where 3PL customers can easily provide feedback on their 3PL relationships and where 3PLs can see how well they are meeting customer needs. This type of no-cost information sharing forum is one of the greatest benefits from internet business social networking and customers’ shared experiences have considerable value as firms evaluate 3PL providers as part of their strategic outsourcing decisions. Unlike customer satisfaction surveys, 3PL Advisor takes an ongoing approach versus a one-time snapshot.”

In an interview with SCMR, Armstrong said that the coinage, “4PL” was deliberately avoided with this product launch, as he prefers to refer to value-added companies as “lead logistics providers.”

Armstrong added, “To ensure a high level of quality, A&A reviews each 3PL customer review and 3PL profile submission prior to it being displayed on 3PLAdvisor.com. While customers can anonymously post reviews of their 3PLs, we strictly prohibit 3PLs from evaluating other 3PLs and strive to ensure that the site contains the most accurate 3PL profile information possible.”

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