Transforming Onboarding Process

International Distribution Corp. is a third-party logistics, or 3PL, company based in Pasadena, Texas. Family owned and operated since 1977, IDC specializes in the warehousing, distribution, and transportation of both hazardous and non-hazardous chemical products. They boast over 1 million square feet of warehouse space, including a 317,000 square-foot HAZMAT facility. Some of the products they handle are transported in or out of the Port of Houston.

The challenge:

Two decades ago, IDC needed a more streamlined and efficient software solution for onboarding new customers.
In the words of Vice President Matt Walt, the system IDC was using at the time was, in short, “a piece of junk.” The software was cumbersome, time consuming, and stressful to use. It simply wasn’t tailored to the dynamic needs of the company’s warehouse management system.

The SC Codeworks solution:

SC Codeworks’ Enterprise software transformed IDC’s onboarding process and has helped them attract and retain business.
“Having everything organized and customizable from the start is huge for building these new accounts and new items,” said Walt.
“When creating a new account, it’s like, ‘Set it and forget it.’ You don’t have to keep going back.”

Lightning-Fast Set-Up

With Enterprise, the new customer onboarding process takes only 20 to 30 minutes.
The customer confers with IDC’s customer-service and operations managers, who process the company’s information along with their wants and needs into the Enterprise software program.
"The initial set-up is just lightning fast,” said Walt. “It’s a very smooth process. We breeze through it."
Before Enterprise, IDC used a different WMS that was so clunky, onboarding took two days. The system wasn’t even Microsoft compatible.

Requires answering a few questions about the company's products, including:

• Weight
• Whether they are hazardous
• How they need to be picked - whether racking them or keeping them in bulk

Provides customizable options:

• Invoices can be emailed or sent via snail mail at the customer’s preferred interval.
• If the software can't meet a customer's particular need, IDC can work with SC Codeworks to customize the software accordingly.

Real-Time, 24/7 access to inventory data:

• Customers receive access to an online portal that provides them with real-time access to all of their inventory.
• The system can pinpoint the precise location of inventory dating back a decade or more
• It's super easy to produce custom-made reports from the inventory data
• With such robust information at their fingertips, customers can get answers to many of their questions on their own, saving calls to customer service.

Helps IDC Maintain a Competitive Advantage

Communicates directly with SAP

A big concern for many companies shopping around for a third-party logistics company is whether the 3PL’s system can communicate with their enterprise resource planning, or ERP, software.
Most of the chemical manufacturers IDC work with use SAP.
The Codeworks Enterprise software does indeed integrate seamlessly with SAP via a scheduled time or near instant API connection to best suit the operational needs.

Transmits the customers' needs to everyone across the organization, including:

• Customer service team
• Facilities managers
• Accounting team
• C-Suite and Executives

Maintain competitive advantage

• Customers are so happy with the ease and flexibility of the Enterprise onboarding system; it helps keep them with IDC for the long haul
• Potential customers get wind of the benefits of this software and want to work with IDC.
• SC Codeworks routinely updates and enhances their Enterprise software to help 3PL companies maintain their own competitive advantage.

IDC doesn’t have a sales team, getting their business through word of mouth. The Enterprise software helps burnish their most valuable asset: their reputation.

“Part of that reputation is high-quality service and customization,” said Walt.

Potential new customers have called off the remainder of their search for a 3PL company and signed with IDC immediately after learning about the company’s onboarding speed.

“The new customers come in and ask 'how soon can we get started'. We tell them hours. They’re used to hearing weeks,” said Walt. “‘Wow, that’s fast!’— That’s a pretty common reaction. It’s great to hear that—that we’re able to offer a much faster service.”

SC Codeworks has walked the walk

Many people on the SC Codeworks team have their own history of warehouse work. So, they leverage that rich professional experience and savoir faire to inform how they tailor the Enterprise software to meet the needs of 3PL companies like IDC.

“It’s nice having a team working on a program who have actually sat in my spot before,” said IDC customer service manager Leslie Willis. “And they’ve got a very good personal touch. We have a lot of different vendors, and I’d say that SC Codeworks is the most responsive. They’re very friendly and ready to help.”