3PL Client Onboarding Checklist Template

Owned by the onboarding lead. Enter the planned go-live date, the day the first live orders reach your warehouse: every due date counts from it in working days. This template allows seven working weeks from the sales handover to go-live, with the agreement in the first three and the build in the last four; for a bigger client, enter a later go-live date. Answer the questions about orders, stock, special handling and the order connection from the sales handover: they add the tasks this client needs.

• Record the client, the go-live date and the people — the client’s legal and trading names, what it sells, the planned go-live date, the orders you will fulfil, where the first stock comes from, any special handling, how orders will reach your warehouse management system (WMS), and the six people this checklist assigns
• Take the handover from sales — the proposal and quote, the volumes and services the client was promised, any special terms, the decision-makers on the client’s side, and anything sold that your site has not done before
• Hold the kick-off with the client — introductions on both sides, the plan to go-live, what you need from the client and by when, how you will keep in touch, and who to call with a problem
• Build the client profile — the SKU count and product sizes, orders per day now and at peak, items per order, the share of orders by channel and country, the delivery options it offers, its returns, and how its stock will be stored: pallets, shelving or bins
• Agree the onboarding plan and the dates — the dates for the agreement, the item data, the order connection, the first delivery, the test orders and the go-live decision, and what the client must send for each and by when, shared with the client

The account manager agrees the commercial terms and the billing lead sets them up, so the first invoice charges what was agreed. The data processing terms are signed here, before any real customer order reaches you.

• Agree and sign the warehousing agreement — the services, the term and notice period, minimum charges, payment terms, your liability for loss of or damage to the client’s stock and its limit, who insures the stock and for what value, and the signatures of both sides
• Agree the service levels and the KPI report — the order cut-off for same-day dispatch, the time to receive and put away a delivery, pick accuracy, stock accuracy, the time to process a return, how each is measured, and the report the client gets and how often
• Agree the data processing terms for the client’s customer data — the client’s customers’ names, addresses and order details that your systems will hold, whether you act as the client’s processor, and the contract terms that cover it, signed before real orders reach you
• Load the rate card into your billing set-up — every charge in the agreement set up with the unit it is counted in: set-up fees, receiving, storage, pick and pack, packaging, carriage, returns, extra services and any minimum charge, checked against the signed agreement by a second person
• Set up the client’s billing account — the legal entity to invoice, the billing contact, how often you invoice, payment terms, currency and tax details, and any credit check or deposit your own policy asks for

The systems lead creates the client in your WMS and loads its item data; the warehouse operations lead allocates the space. Item data that is wrong here shows up later as stock that cannot be received, picked or charged correctly.

• Send the client the item data template — the fields you need for every SKU: code, description, barcode, unit size and weight, case quantity, case size and weight, pallet configuration, whether lot or expiry is tracked, value, and for international parcels the country of origin and commodity code, with the date it is due back
• Create the client in your WMS — the client account, its address and contacts, the stock statuses it uses (such as available, quarantine and damaged), its units of measure and reference formats, and the user roles for your team
• Allocate the space and locations — the storage type for each product group, pick locations sized to the fastest-moving SKUs, room for the first delivery and for peak, and the locations set up in the WMS
• Check and load the item data — every row complete, barcodes unique and scanning, sizes and weights plausible, duplicates removed, the data loaded into the WMS, and errors sent back to the client to correct
• Agree the barcode and labelling rules — who labels products that arrive without a scannable barcode and at what charge, the case and pallet labels the client’s suppliers must use, and the label format your WMS prints

The systems lead connects the client’s orders to your WMS and sets up the carriers. EDI and your API each add their own set-up task. The flows are tested with test data before the first delivery arrives, so the test orders in Phase 7 test the whole job, not only the connection.

• Connect the client’s order source to your WMS — the route chosen in the first task set up: orders arriving with the delivery address, shipping method and items, order status and tracking sent back, and stock levels sent to the client’s store
• Map and test the EDI messages — the messages each way agreed with the client and its EDI provider (orders in; shipment confirmations, receipt confirmations and stock reports out), the identifiers and the connection set up, and each message tested with sample data
• Give the client’s developers API access and test their calls — test credentials and your API documentation, the calls they will use for orders, stock and shipment status, and each call tested before live credentials are issued
• Set up the carriers and map the shipping methods — whose carrier accounts are used, yours or the client’s, each delivery option on the client’s store mapped to a carrier service, labels printing, collection times, and customs documents for international parcels
• Test the order, stock and tracking flows — a test order in through the connection, a cancellation and an address change, stock levels back to the store, and tracking numbers back to the order, with each result recorded
• Set up the client’s portal access and reports — accounts for the client’s team, what each can see (stock, orders, receipts and returns), and the daily reports and the KPI report agreed in Phase 2

The warehouse operations lead writes down how this client’s stock is handled and briefs the team before the first delivery. Lot and expiry tracking, kits, dangerous goods and orders to retailers each add their own task when the first task says the client needs them.

• Agree the packing specification — boxes and mailers by order type, void fill, inserts and samples, gift notes, the client’s branded packaging and who reorders it, and how fragile items are packed
• Agree how returns are handled — the returns address and how customers get a label, how returned items are checked and graded (back to stock, quarantine or disposal), what the client is told and when, and the service level for returns
• Set up lot and expiry tracking — the SKUs tracked, how lot and expiry are recorded at receipt, the picking rule (such as first expiry, first out), the shortest remaining life the client accepts on a shipped item, and what happens to short-dated or expired stock
• Set up the kits and bundles — each kit or bundle with its parts in the WMS, whether it is built ahead or packed to order, how the client’s store sends it, and how kit stock shows to the client
• Check the dangerous goods products before they arrive — each product the client classes as dangerous goods, with its safety data sheet and the UN number and class the client gives for transport, whether your site may store it and where, and whether your carriers and services accept it
• Set up the retailer orders and their compliance rules — each retailer’s routing guide: how deliveries are booked, the pallet build, carton and pallet labels, the advance shipping notice the retailer expects, delivery appointments, and the charges it makes when they are wrong
• Write the client’s work instructions — receiving, put-away, picking, packing to the specification, special handling, returns, the cut-off, and who to call at the client with a problem, kept where the team works
• Brief the warehouse team — the shift leads and the receiving, picking and packing team briefed on the work instructions, the packing specification and any special handling, before the first delivery arrives

The first delivery tests the item data, the labels and the receiving instructions together. Receive it against the advance shipping notice (ASN), check the item data against the products, and tell the client what arrived. A stock transfer from another site adds the tasks to plan it and reconcile it.

• Agree the stock transfer with the client and its current site — the stock list by SKU (and lot) from the current site, how the stock will be packed and labelled, the delivery dates, and which orders the current site still ships until go-live (the client gives its current 3PL notice under its own contract)
• Get the ASN for the first delivery and book it in — the SKUs, quantities, lots, cartons and pallets, the carrier and the date, and a delivery slot booked
• Receive the first delivery against the ASN — counted by SKU (and lot), condition checked, barcodes scanned, labels checked against the rules, and every difference recorded with photos
• Check the item data against the products received — a sample of SKUs measured and weighed, barcodes scanned, the item data corrected in the WMS, and the client told of each change
• Put the stock away and make it available — the stock in its planned locations, available in the WMS, and stock levels showing on the client’s store and portal
• Send the client the receipt report — what arrived by SKU, the differences and damaged items, and what happens to each, confirmed by the client
• Reconcile the transfer against the current site’s stock list — what arrived by SKU (and lot) compared with the list sent before the transfer, each difference investigated with the client and the current site, and the agreed stock figure recorded

Test orders go through the whole job, from the client’s store to a carrier label, using the real stock. The client confirms the results, the onboarding lead reviews readiness, and the go-live approver alone records Go, Go with conditions or Not yet. Nothing after the decision can be completed until the approver completes it with Go or Go with conditions. Not yet hides the go-live and shows the task to put things right.

• Process test orders from the client’s store to the carrier label — one test order for each case that matters: each delivery option, an order with several items, an international order, a kit where the client has them, a cancelled order and a return, each picked, packed to the specification and labelled, with the result recorded
• Correct each failure and repeat its test — failed tests only: the cause of each failure found and fixed (item data, the connection, carrier mapping or packing), and the test repeated until it passes
• Get the client’s confirmation of the test results — the client checks the test orders (packing, labels, and tracking on its store) and confirms in writing that it is ready
• Review readiness for go-live — the agreement and data processing terms signed, the rate card loaded, stock received and available, the order connection and carriers tested, the work instructions and briefing done, the client’s confirmation, and the hypercare plan and contacts, with a recommendation to the approver
• Put right what held up the go-live and agree a new date — Not yet only: each gap the approver named fixed and checked, a new go-live date agreed with the client and entered on the first task, and the decision recorded again
• Decide whether the client goes live — Go, Go with conditions or Not yet, with the conditions or the reasons, recorded by the go-live approver alone

Applies only when the go-live decision is Go or Go with conditions. Hypercare is the period of closer checks straight after go-live; this template runs it for ten working days, with a check each working day, then hands the client to account management.

• Meet the approver’s conditions before the first live orders — Go with conditions only: each condition the approver set met and recorded before the first live orders
• Switch on live orders — the order connection set to live on the go-live date, the client’s store sending live orders to your warehouse, and the first orders picked, packed and despatched by the cut-off
• Check the first day’s orders with the client — every order received and despatched, tracking showing on the client’s store, and any issue logged with an owner
• Run the daily hypercare checks — each working day: orders received and despatched by the cut-off, picking and packing errors, stock differences, connection errors and the client’s questions, with each issue logged, owned and closed
• End hypercare and hand the client to account management — open issues with owners and dates, the dates of the regular reviews and the KPI report, and the client told who its contacts are from now on

Applies only when the go-live decision is Go or Go with conditions. Check the first invoice before it goes out, count a sample of the client’s stock, and review the first 30 days with the client. In this template the first invoice falls 15 working days after go-live and the review 22 working days after it; match them to your billing cycle.

• Check the first invoice before it goes out — the set-up fees and the first period’s receiving, storage, pick and pack, packaging, carriage and returns, drawn from the WMS activity, checked against the rate card, and sent with the activity report
• Cycle count the client’s locations — the client’s fastest-moving and highest-value SKUs counted against the WMS, each difference investigated and corrected, and the result shared with the client
• Review the first 30 days with the client — each KPI against its service level, the issues found and their causes, any invoice queries, the client’s forecast for the coming months and its next peak, and the actions agreed with owners and dates
• Record the lessons and close the onboarding — what went well and what to change for the next client, the onboarding plan and work instructions updated, and the record filed