How SLA Tracking Works

3PL Pulse measures fulfillment performance using carrier pickup as the source of truth—not when your provider claims to be “done.” This gives you an accurate picture of when packages actually ship.

The Problem with Provider Dashboards

Most 3PLs measure their own performance in ways that favor them:

• ShipBob stops their SLA clock when they print a shipping label—typically 3-4 hours before the carrier picks up the package
• Other providers may use “fulfillment completed” which can be hours before the package leaves the warehouse

This creates a gap between what your provider reports and what actually happens. A provider might claim 99% on-time performance while your customers experience later deliveries.

How 3PL Pulse Measures

We use carrier pickup as the default measurement point—when the carrier physically takes custody of your package. This is when your customer’s order actually starts moving toward them.

Why Carrier Pickup?

Event	What It Means	Why It Matters
Label Created	Label printed, package packed	Package still in warehouse
Fulfillment Completed	3PL marks order done	May not be picked up yet
Carrier Pickup	Carrier takes package	Package actually ships

Using carrier pickup gives you the most accurate view of when orders ship and whether your 3PL is meeting their commitments.

Order Statuses Explained

Every order in 3PL Pulse gets an audit status based on where it is in the fulfillment process:

On-Time (Green)

The order shipped before your SLA deadline. This is success.

Late (Red)

The order shipped after your SLA deadline. This is an SLA breach. If you’ve configured credit amounts, this order counts toward credits owed.

Pending (Gray)

The order is still being processed. It hasn’t shipped yet, but it’s not past its deadline. These orders are in normal processing.

Issues (Yellow)

Something needs your attention. This includes:

• At Risk: Past the SLA deadline but not yet shipped. Contact your 3PL immediately.
• Exception: Your provider flagged a problem (out of stock, address issue, etc.)
• Stuck: No movement for an extended period (7+ days on hold, 14+ days processing)
• Rejected: Your 3PL couldn’t fulfill the order

Excluded

Orders that don’t count toward SLA calculations:

• Cancelled orders
• Orders without trackable data

SLA Deadline Calculation

Your SLA deadline is calculated from when the order was placed, based on your provider settings:

SLA Deadline = Order Created + SLA Target (adjusted for cutoff time and excluded days)

Example:

• Order placed: Monday 3:00 PM
• Cutoff time: 2:00 PM
• SLA target: 1 business day
• Excluded days: Weekends

Since the order came in after the 2:00 PM cutoff, it’s treated as a Tuesday order. With a 1-business-day SLA, the deadline is end of day Wednesday.

Comparing with Your Provider

When your provider uses a different measurement point (like label creation), you may see a “Provider” badge on your dashboard showing their claimed on-time rate. This badge only appears when the numbers differ.

If you see this badge with a higher provider rate, it means your provider is measuring in a way that makes them look better than reality. Use this data in contract negotiations.

Tracking Credits for SLA Breaches

When your 3PL misses an SLA deadline, you may be owed credits per your contract. 3PL Pulse tracks this automatically.

How Credit Tracking Works

1. Configure credit amount: In your provider settings, set the “Credit Per Breach” amount from your contract
2. Automatic calculation: Every late order shows the credit amount owed
3. Running total: Your dashboard shows total credits across all breaches in the selected time period

Viewing Breaches and Credits

Your Provider Dashboard shows:

• Recent Issues: The 10 most recent SLA breaches with credit amounts
• Total credits owed: Sum of all credits in your selected time period
• View all: Click to see the complete list with pagination

Each breach shows:

• Order number (links to Shopify)
• Your 3PL’s order reference
• Days late
• Credit amount owed

Exporting for Negotiations

Click Export CSV on the Issues section to download a spreadsheet with:

• Order IDs (Shopify and provider references)
• Full timeline (order received, processing started, SLA deadline, shipped date)
• Hours and days late
• All timestamps in your provider’s timezone

Use this export in your monthly reviews with your 3PL to claim credits owed.

Tips for Credit Claims

1. Export regularly: Download breach data monthly before it ages out
2. Match to contract: Verify the credit amount matches your 3PL agreement
3. Include context: The export shows full timeline so your 3PL can verify
4. Track trends: Compare breach counts across time periods to spot improvements or regressions

Tips for Better SLA Tracking

Keep Data Fresh

Sync your data regularly. Stale data can show orders as “at risk” when they’ve actually shipped. Daily syncs are recommended.

Configure Correctly

Make sure your provider settings match your contract:

• Correct timezone
• Correct cutoff time
• Correct SLA target (same-day, 1 day, 2 days)
• Correct credit amounts

Monitor the Issues Bucket

Check orders in the Issues bucket daily. These need immediate attention—either follow up with your 3PL or investigate the problem.

Use Historical Data

Look at trends over 30 and 90 days, not just recent performance. This shows whether your provider is improving or declining.

Next Steps

• Configure your providers with the right SLA terms
• Import your 3PL data to start tracking
• Understand your metrics to read your dashboard