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Furniture

Synopsis

SBA manages a national white glove distribution program for a leading high-tech furniture manufacturer, its dealers and online customers.

Project Requirements / Specifications

• High-value product with high damage risk
• Expedited vendor to DC / Store routing
• Last mile specialized deliveries – residential, lift gate, inside delivery
• Scheduled appointment pick-ups and deliveries
• Unpacking, installation and debris removal
• Electronic billing and data management
• E-Commerce collaboration with multiple authorized dealers

Background

Our client has been providing consumers and businesses with state-of-the-art furniture solutions for over 28 years. With a wide range of customers including professional athletes, chiropractors, back pain sufferers and everyday consumers, our client provides many different order channels. Customers can order from:

• The client’s company website
• Internet retail sales partners
• National retail stores and specialty retailers

To support a 25-30% annual growth rate, our client needed to partner with a reliable freight company that could not only pick up and deliver where and when needed, but also deliver premium service at a value that its customers have come to expect. In addition, our client had a great desire to cut previous transit times and increase shipping communications between all parties involved.

Prior to managing our client’s national white glove distribution program, SBA had been doing occasional weekly air shipments for them for 5 years. In 2006, SBA became the primary carrier for this client’s business-to-business volume. Riding on a high degree of success that was developed by effectively handling their business-to-business shipments, SBA developed an effective value added solution for the client’s residential and white glove business, which was not being handled well by their previous carrier.

SBA’s Solution

SBA proposed many key components for a national white glove distribution program that would transform certain key areas of the client’s shipping communications, delivery service levels and overall transit time. The program had the following goals:

• To improve shipping communications, SBA created a 2 step process:
  1. To simplify the tracking and billing of freight, SBA created automatic tracking numbers for each of our client’s online pickups, whether they were being shipped direct to a customer or an authorized dealer via an in-store or online purchase order. This allows for immediate company-wide awareness of the SBA tracking numbers, enabling people within all of their departments to access tracking information. SBA also initiated EDI billing that allowed for greater efficiencies in the client’s IT and accounting departments. They now receive billing information that encompasses all of their shipping programs from a unified single source.
  2. To facilitate their distribution program, SBA's proactive communication and 24/7 availability gave the client a level of flexibility that they did not have before and much greater access to real-time shipment tracking and status information. SBA always provides a live person familiar with the account, instead of a voicemail, that helps track freight, schedule appointments and follows-up, if necessary.
• To ensure premium white glove service levels, SBA teamed up with specialized service partners. SBA was able to handle the client’s final destination deliveries with the utmost care and respect.
• To relieve stress and shorten transit times, SBA shipped directly to the destination instead of consolidating freight and having it sit in the dock for days, as the incumbent had done.

The Results

• This program was quickly adopted as the "gold standard" for our client's white glove delivery program and SBA was awarded all of their white glove and residential delivery business.
• SBA has now completed our third highly successful year as the client's primary air, ground, white glove, trade show, and residential delivery carrier. In fact, the client recently honored SBA by naming us as the best freight services provider they have ever had!
• SBA successfully improved white glove transit times by 7-10 days over the client’s previous carrier, sharply reduced damages, and provided significantly more effective communication across all of the services we provide.
• SBA has just been awarded an additional area of client business, where SBA will be handling very high profile in-store showcases for a national retailer.
• Due to the high success level of work we have done for this client, SBA has been referred to three additional major clients that are customers of our client. We have successfully implemented similar programs for their shipments, which include chairs and other products. We have already received numerous shipments from all three of these new referral customers.

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