One of the trickiest parts of the business is seamlessly integrating the new processes across the client and the provider's systems. In the case of Progistix, the largest Canadian-owned, third-party logistics service company in Canada, customers are from the technology and telecom world, and supply chains in these types of industries are notoriously complex; some companies have dozens of interfaces to address. Naturally, that presents a considerable challenge for the CIO and the IT department.

"More interfaces can add up to more potential points of failure," Nelson observes. "We've developed reusable templates and repeatable processes that make the transition faster, smoother and more reliable."

Speed to market is also a very real challenge. Companies like Xerox, Bell Canada, Entourage and Canon, for example, must make sure their large pool of on-site service technicians have the parts they need to do the job. A long wait time flattens field productivity and sends costs skyrocketing.

Yet, with thousands of items in inventory, it's not feasible for technicians to carry every part they might possibly need with them. Sooner or later there's bound to be a gap. You have to count on the sheer efficiency of your logistics processes to fill it fast.

Nelson and her IT team in collaboration with operations and engineering have optimized internal systems and workflow to do exactly that. Everything is tracked to meet specific performance targets from the moment a call comes in to the dispatch centre, to the time parts are picked and packed in the supply depot and loaded onto a waiting courier truck. Orders are in the hands of Xerox technicians at a customer site, for example, in as little as 30-minutes in selected urban centres. Bell Canada service technicians can order parts as late as 6 p.m. in some locations and receive the parts by 6 a.m. the next business day.