The 3PL SLA Checklist — 7 Metrics That Matter
Got a fulfillment quote and comparing nothing but the price? If you ignore the SLA (Service Level Agreement), a low unit rate can still cost you far more once missed shipments, inventory discrepancies, and slow returns pile up. Here are the 7 SLAs RUNIC recommends you confirm before choosing a 3PL.
1. Order Accuracy
The share of orders shipped exactly as ordered. Anything at or below 99% is a warning sign. If 1 in 100 orders goes out wrong, then at 10,000 shipments a month you are looking at 100 claims. Set 99.9% or higher as your standard.
Questions to ask: "What was your average order accuracy last quarter?", "How many QC steps do you run?", "What is your compensation policy when a mis-ship occurs?"
2. Order Cut-off Time
The last moment at which "ordered today = shipped today" still holds. Usually between 1:00 and 3:00 PM. The later the same-day cut-off, the higher your sales. Some providers run a morning cut-off, which can look cheaper on paper — watch for it.
3. Inventory Accuracy
The share of items where physical stock matches system stock. 99.5% or higher is the standard. As discrepancies accumulate, you end up with items shown as "in stock" on the channel that are actually gone. Confirm the provider's cycle count and real-time inventory update policies.
4. Returns Handling SLA
- How many days from collection to inspection to restock
- QC grading policy (sellable / B-grade / disposal)
- Whether repackaging is available, and at what rate
- Visibility into return progress from the client dashboard
The standard is within 3 business days. Anything over a week starts to hurt your channel ratings.
5. System Visibility
Clients should be able to check the following in real time, on their own:
- Real-time inventory by SKU
- Today's inbound / outbound status
- Processing stage per order (picking, packing, shipping, transport)
- Tracking numbers and delivery tracking
- Monthly operational KPI reports
If you only get an Excel file each week, treat that as a lack of visibility. A web dashboard or an API is the standard.
6. Channel and System Integration
Whether the following channels and systems connect automatically:
- SmartStore, Coupang, 11st, Gmarket, Cafe24, Imweb
- Global channels such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and MakeShop
- The client's ERP / accounting system
- Major carriers (CJ, Hanjin, Lotte, Korea Post)
If manual Excel uploads are the only option, operating hours stretch out and the shipping cut-off suffers as well.
7. Single Point of Contact (SPOC)
Confirm that one person — not a chain of departments and handoffs — owns storage, shipping, transport, systems, and settlement end to end. Whether you can reach them instantly through a single channel (KakaoTalk, Slack, or phone) is what determines operational efficiency.
RUNIC's SLA Policy
Across its Gimpo center operations, RUNIC holds the following SLAs as standard:
Once You Have a Quote, Ask for These 7 in Writing
Requesting the SLAs in writing at the quoting stage gives you a read on operational quality. RUNIC states order accuracy, cut-off, and returns SLAs in writing from the quoting stage, and shares actual measured figures through quarterly operational reports.
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