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6 min

How to conduct a logistics survey in 6 easy steps

Learn how to conduct a logistics survey in 6 easy steps

GrapeData
Apr 3, 2023
Logistics & Supply chain

Introduction

A logistics survey is an in-depth look at how your supply chain works. It can help you identify its strengths and weaknesses, which will help you make strategic decisions about future growth. Conducting a logistics survey can also help you improve your operations and lower costs by identifying potential savings opportunities. Learn more about the role of logistics in business in this article

1. Define your logistics survey goal

Before you start, it's important to define your logistics survey goal. This will help you stay focused and avoid getting distracted by minor details. What do you hope to accomplish with this survey? What are you trying to find out? Are there specific questions that need answers, or do you just want a general picture of how things are going in your company's supply chain?

The first thing you need to do is define what you want from the survey: what information do you need about suppliers and how can this data be used? You may want basic information on where each supplier is located, their capacity and capabilities; or perhaps more complex information such as their financial performance over time or their ability to meet quality standards. Once these questions are answered, it's time for planning and execution.

Additionally, you can set up a deadline for completion. You should also set up an initial meeting with those who are involved with the survey process. This is so that everyone can get on the same page about what needs to happen next. Finally, determine how much time and resources are available for conducting a logistics survey.

2. Create a survey plan to conduct your logistics surveys

Conducting a logistics survey is an important step in gaining insight into your company's current logistics processes and identifying opportunities to improve them. One of the first things you need to do is create a survey plan. This will outline the goals of your survey, how you'll go about collecting data, and what steps you'll take after collecting it. Here are some things to keep in mind when creating this plan:

  • Define what information you want from the survey and why it matters. The more specific your objectives are (and the more likely they're aligned with those of other key stakeholders), the easier it will be for everyone involved in carrying out this project.
  •  Conduct interviews or surveys by phone or online using multiple methods such as email invitations sent automatically upon registration. You can also set automated reminders sent periodically throughout each campaign.

The scope of a logistics survey is defined as the range of topics that will be covered in it. It's important to define this before conducting any research. The reason is that it helps ensure that you have enough data for analysis and reporting purposes. For example, if you want to survey logistics managers about their hiring practices, then one question might ask: "How many applicants do you receive on average?" Another might ask: "What percentage are hired after an interview?"

3. Choose your survey methodology and know what data you need to collect

In the logistics survey, you can choose between quantitative and qualitative methods. This is one of the first steps in conducting a logistics survey. Quantitative methods are more expensive than qualitative ones. However, they give you more precise results and can be conducted in less time than their qualitative counterparts.

A logistics survey is a structured process for collecting data about your supply chain and its performance. Conducting a successful logistics survey involves understanding what information you need to collect, analyse and use.

The list below outlines some of the basic pieces of information that should be collected during a logistics survey:

  • Transportation costs (shipping, trucking, and airfreight)
  • Product packaging costs
  • Inventory carrying costs (including storage space)

4. Select a sample population

Once you have a clear idea of what you want to measure, the next step is to select a sample population. When selecting a sample population for a logistics survey, it's important to keep in mind the following:

1. The sample must be large enough so that conclusions drawn from the results are statistically valid. 

2. It should be representative of the population as a whole. The best way to ensure this is through random sampling: gathering data from people who represent all demographics and ages. You can use software like R or Python which will help manage your data collection efforts and produce reports from raw data.

3. You want your sample to be diverse enough so that no one group or subgroup has undue influence over the results of your survey.

5. Analyse the results of the logistics survey to understand how you can improve your supply chain

Use the results of your logistics survey to make strategic decisions about future growth, including:

  • What markets do you want to expand into and why;
  • How much of each product line should be produced;
  • Where you should allocate resources (for example, hiring new employees or establishing new facilities); and
  • What equipment upgrades do you need to undertake for your company's supply chain processes and systems to meet current industry standards?

The logistics survey can also help you determine which product lines are most profitable and which ones aren't worth pursuing.

6. Report results, make recommendations, and create action plans

After you have conducted your logistics survey, it is important to report on the results, make recommendations and create action plans. This will help you learn from your experiences and conduct future logistics surveys with more confidence. A logistics survey helps organisations understand their current state in terms of:

  • Customer satisfaction levels about delivery services;
  • How well they meet customers' needs (e.g., timeliness, reliability);
  • Competitive benchmarking against competitors within your industry or sector type;
  • Potential areas for improvement based on trends identified through analysis of historical data.

You can analyse all your data so that you can understand what it means and how it relates to other surveys that have been conducted in the past. This will help you identify trends, which will help guide future decisions about logistics processes and policies. In addition to reporting on surveys, trends, and analyses, organisations need to learn from them over time by conducting future studies. For example, an organisation can use information collected to update its logistics policies.

Some tips to analyse data from a logistics survey

When analysing the results of a logistics survey, there are several things to keep in mind. First, you should ask yourself whether there were any outliers in your data. A "lone wolf" may have put in an answer that no one else agreed with or understood, so it might not be representative of your overall results. For example, if someone answered "10" when most everyone else answered "5," it might be worth considering whether that person's answer was a mistake or if it reflects a different experience than other participants had.

As you go through each question, you should consider whether any responses were particularly positive or negative compared to the rest of the data. If so, ask yourself why those results stand out from the rest. Maybe, they're an accurate reflection of how people felt, or maybe they're an anomaly that you need to further investigate.

Finally, keep track of which questions seem to have more variation across respondents than others do. This will help you later on when you try to understand why certain responses were more popular than others and how you can use those insights to improve your product or service offerings in the future!

How to use the data from a logistics survey? 

A logistics survey is an essential part of a company's operations. You can use it to look at the current state of your logistics system, and then make improvements so that you're able to optimise it. A logistics survey can be done in many different ways. For example, you could send out a survey to your employees who are involved in the process of getting goods from one place to another. You could also have an outside company come in and do the survey for you. The method you choose will depend on what kind of information you need, how much time and money you want to spend on the process, and how much knowledge about logistics systems each person in your organization has.

Once you have collected and analysed data from your logistics survey, you can use it to make decisions. You may be wondering: "What kind of decisions?" Here are some examples:

  • Strategic decisions. These are long-term plans that determine the direction and focus of an organization over time. They often involve policy changes, strategic planning, and risk management.
  • Tactical decisions. These are short-term plans that help achieve goals within specific areas or departments in an organisation, such as production scheduling or inventory control strategies. 

Conducting a logistics survey can help you gain insight into your supply chain

A logistics survey is an important tool for understanding the health of your supply chain and identifying gaps in it. It can help you gain insight into your supply chain, even if it's not broken, so you can make strategic decisions about future growth. By conducting a thorough logistics survey and analysing the results, you'll be able to:

  • Identify any areas where you might need to make improvements (e.g., better communication between teams)
  • Understand what your suppliers are doing (e.g., using outdated technology)
  • See how your suppliers are performing (e.g., meeting delivery deadlines)

If you're conducting a logistics survey, the first thing to do is assess your current situation. You want to know where your supply chain is strong and where it needs improvement. This will help guide you in making strategic decisions about future growth. For example, if one of your suppliers does not have good quality control practices in place, then using them as an intermediary may cause problems. Logistics surveys are also useful because they allow companies with multiple locations or warehouses to compare performance across different facilities. They take into account regional differences such as labour costs or freight rates between cities.

A logistics survey is a way to ensure you know what you're getting into when choosing which suppliers to work with

The purpose of the survey is to give you insight into the supply chain, including:

  • The supplier's capabilities
  • Understanding their capacity and capability
  • A breakdown of their cost structure (including labor costs)
  • An understanding of their customer base

The goal is also for you to get an idea of their financial health before deciding on whether or not this would be a good partnership for your business.

Conclusion

A logistics survey is a valuable tool for any company looking to cut costs and improve its supply chain. Or you could use a survey as an evaluation tool for current suppliers. Or you can use it to help you decide which new supplier will provide the best service at an affordable price.

Companies can run a logistics survey for a variety of reasons. For example, if a company is planning to move its headquarters or an important facility, it may want to conduct a logistics survey to determine the best location for that facility.

Another common reason companies run logistics surveys is that they want to determine the best way to handle their supply chain management. This could involve determining how much inventory you should keep in which locations and what kind of transportation you will need. Companies can run logistics surveys themselves or hire an outside firm for assistance with these surveys. Conducting a logistics survey can be a great way to ensure that you know what you're getting into when choosing which suppliers to work with. 

The information gathered from this type of study can help you make strategic decisions about future growth and expansion in your supply chain. By conducting regular surveys, you will also be able to identify trends in the industry. In addition, it can help you find areas for improvement within your own organisation's logistics processes. Learn more about a logistics survey in 4 sectors a panel provider could run industry surveys in.

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