Is Your LTL Carrier Helping You Improve Your OTIF Score?

Precision is key when building relationships with top retailers.

On-time and in-full (OTIF) delivery requirements are the norm today for retailers, as are the penalties they charge for noncompliance. However, nearly every retailer has different definitions and requirements for OTIF deliveries. This makes keeping up with the complexities of requirements a challenge for even the most seasoned logistics managers. If you’re shipping to multiple retailers, it sometimes can be a cumbersome task in understanding each of your customers’ protocols.

Five Ways Your Carrier Can Help Improve Your OTIF Score

• They perform with high reliability. Has your carrier proven they can consistently deliver on-time and damage-free? Are they consistently meeting the delivery requirements and maintaining your OTIF scorecard? Look at their core service offerings and make sure the carrier is delivering on the basics. Build trust with your carrier that’s handling shipments going to customers you worked hard to acquire.

• They demonstrate knowledge of retail shipping compliance. The complexities of shipping to retailers are not tasks you should tackle alone. It’s helpful to have an expert in your corner tracking and communicating changing compliance guidelines, so you can focus on the bigger picture of your business. How is your carrier managing and meeting the various requirements of your customers?

• They offer specialized service options. Maintaining a strong relationship with your customer is critical and each shipment that shows up on their dock is a representation of your business. Basic service will only get you so far, so investing in a shipping solution specialized for retail shipping will enhance your performance. Features like enhanced track and traceability, real-time monitoring, proactive communications, and dynamic upgrades can have a real impact on your performance.

• They provide real-time information about each shipment. We live in a dynamic economy where things are ever-changing. Knowing where particular shipments are every step of the way helps you anticipate and proactively address potential issues. Flexibility is important; if your customer calls and needs your product a day earlier, or a day later, can you upgrade or reschedule your delivery in transit? 

• They are responsive with customer support and provide tools to contest chargebacks and fines. With all the shipments your team handles, it can be difficult to track which shipments incurred penalties and verify the charge is warranted. Traditionally, this is a time-consuming process with research, follow-up with the carrier, and a lot of phone calls. At OD, our recently launched Chargeback Research Tool gives customers easy-to-access, empowering information to contest inaccurate chargebacks. 

In the end, it’s all about having a carrier that functions as an extension of your business — one that focuses on your business needs. Your carrier should help improve your on-time-in-full score and strengthen your relationship with your retail customers.

That’s how we do business at OD, helping our customers defend their profits, listening to their needs, and developing innovative tools to make retail shipping as efficient as possible.

Let us be part of your team. To connect with an OD Expedited specialist, call us at (866) 637-7333, or send us an email at Special.Rollouts@odfl.com.