From discovery call to production in under 60 days.
A structured, honest onboarding process for freight forwarders, NVOCCs, customs brokers and 3PLs — designed to prove quality before you scale.
The onboarding lifecycle
OperantaOps onboards every new client through a structured six-stage process. There is no lift-and-shift. Every desk is co-designed with your operations leadership, documented in SOPs, and proven through a 30-day pilot before it scales to full team strength.
Stage 1 — Discovery (Week 1)
- 30-minute call with your operations leadership
- Scope current TMS / ERP, volume, lane mix and offshore-able tasks
- High-level indicative team size and cost estimate
- Discovery memo shared within 48 hours
Stage 2 — Workflow audit (Week 2)
- Sample process review of 30–100 recent transactions
- Documentation of the as-is workflow
- Identification of high-leverage offshore tasks
- Baseline of quality, cycle time and exception rate
Stage 3 — SOP build (Weeks 3–4)
- Co-authored SOPs with screen recordings
- Clause libraries, macros and reference data captured
- Escalation matrix and communication plan defined
- Quality gates and independent QC framework designed
Stage 4 — Pilot (Days 30–60)
- Single specialist runs a controlled pilot on a defined scope
- Daily standup and full QC reporting
- Weekly scorecard against agreed KPIs
- Exit review with hiring / no-hiring decision at day 30
Stage 5 — Scale (Weeks 8–14)
- Phased ramp to full team strength
- Named Operanta team lead assigned from day one
- Back-up coverage built into every desk
- Handover of steady-state operating model
Stage 6 — Monthly review (ongoing)
- Monthly business review with your operations leadership
- Scorecard against SLAs and quality benchmarks
- Recovery and leakage reporting where in scope
- Capacity planning and quarterly optimisation review
Frequently asked questions
How long is the whole onboarding?
60 days for a single desk (documentation, tracking or CS). 90–120 days for a multi-desk build-out. We prioritise proving quality in the 30-day pilot before scaling.
Do we sign anything before the pilot?
Yes — a mutual NDA, a Master Services Agreement and a Data Processing Agreement. The pilot itself is scoped in a lightweight statement of work.
Can we exit after the pilot if it doesn't work?
Yes. The pilot is deliberately structured so both sides can walk away at day 30 with a documented exit. Full team scale-up requires an explicit continue decision.
Who provides system access?
You do. Our specialists log into your TMS, ERP and portals using accounts you provision under your user licences and permissions.
Do you interview candidates with us?
Yes. For dedicated FTE builds you interview and approve every seat before onboarding. Typical candidate slate is 3–5 per role, presented within 14 days.
Ready to start with a discovery call?
30 minutes. No obligations. We will share a discovery memo within 48 hours.