Step Inside this Data-Driven Warehouse: How C&C Warehouse is Delivering Big to Customers Worldwide

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Kristina Mustenikov

Real relationships, real-time data, and a promise to treat every client like they’re right next door — that’s the level of service C&C Warehouse delivers; whether its clients from down the street or across the world.

What once began as a small, family-run moving business in South Carolina in the 1970s, C&C Warehouse has now rapidly grown into a modern 3PL supporting international retail and OEM customers — all thanks to their unique calling card: a powerful mix of local-level support and providing live, on-demand data for their customers.

TL;DR: Discover how C&C’s small team uses customer care and data-driven technology to fuel their growth and become a trusted partner for clients worldwide.

Overcoming The Barriers to Better Service

From day one, providing top-notch customer service has been the backbone of C&C’s 3PL business; driving them to find tailored solutions that go above and beyond for every client.

“We like the idea of coming up with creative solutions that benefit all customers.” — Greg Cate, Owner and President, C&C Warehouse

As the Port of Charleston in South Carolina grew into a major hub for imports, C&C was in the perfect position to capitalize on the opportunity. More than 90% of their business came through the port, moving straight from the docks into their warehouse before being distributed to customers elsewhere. While the demand was there, their outdated processes made it difficult to keep up.

“We were growing at a faster pace — and our customers were [too] — than our WMS was.

We were having to create all these workarounds and just ways outside of a system that we were paying a lot of money for to do things. And it’s like, this can’t be the answer.” — Greg Cate, C&C Warehouse

They were dealing with critical gaps in invoicing, documentation, and visibility — forcing the team to juggle manual files and endless steps just to keep things moving.

“We were only able to basically pick orders and then import stocks. There was no invoicing support or documentation — all of that was done outside [our system]. Everything [was] in a file folder on either desktop or a shared folder — and just so many different steps.” — Alex Mathis, Production Director, C&C Warehouse

Even with the hurdles, the team kept pushing forward — driven by their commitment to excellent service. What they needed was a system that could match their energy and support their growth without the extra admin weighing them down.

Finding the Right Fit

When their old system could no longer keep pace, Alex Mathis took the lead in searching for a better solution — with a quick Google search leading to CartonCloud. After one live demo, the team knew they’d found the right fit.

“I just Googled and then researched a couple of different ones, and then pretty quickly I got an email, scheduled a call, and we started moving pretty fast after the first call. [CartonCloud] filled in all the gaps [we] were missing.” — Alex Mathis, C&C Warehouse

From the very first training session, the difference was clear.

“I just remember laughing when [Olivia, our implementation consultant] was explaining things and I was like, you do not want to see what I’m currently doing. I wish you could come here and just see how much this is going to help!” — Alex Mathis, C&C Warehouse

In just 2 weeks, the team was up and running live on CartonCloud.

Almost immediately, their customers gained access to live portals, real-time notifications, and stock records — giving the C&C team finally the breathing room to focus on delivering the customer service they were known for.

Delivering High-Touch, Customized Service Across Borders

Now that C&C had unlocked greater capacity for their team, they could now go above and beyond standard 3PL services and help their international clients confidently enter the U.S. market.

“Over 90% of my business is imported. It comes straight from the Port of Charleston to my warehouse, and then it’s distributed to my customers’ customers or to their retail partners. If you’re coming to a country that some of my customers have never even visited… wanting to start doing business and selling things, [it’s] a huge undertaking.

A lot of my customers are really looking for custom solutions because they're new or they don't have a lot of experience in this market. And they're looking for someone to support their operations, but [also act as] a resource to help them with things outside of the scope of normal 3PL tasks.” — Greg Cate, C&C Warehouse

For clients entering a new market, Greg and his team act as a hands-on partner — not only handling fulfillment, but also helping with the little things that make a big difference to their clients. Whether it’s arranging shipments, sourcing local products, or even going to retail stores to buy and send items overseas, Greg’s team steps in where other 3PLs might not.

“[Our clients] have very specific qualifications, and products that are available — in let’s say India — [that] aren’t necessarily available in the United States, [or] vice versa. So when they need something, it's one of those things of, ‘Hey, can you go to the store and get me these things?’ or ‘Can you order these things’… they just send me a picture or a list [of what they need].” — Greg Cate, C&C Warehouse

When serving clients halfway across the world, visibility matters just as much as personal care. By pairing CartonCloud’s real-time data with their own high-touch approach, C&C gives customers the confidence of a truly one-stop-shop service.

Serving Global Customers with Real-Time Data

High-touch service builds trust, but true confidence comes from transparency. That’s why C&C combines their personal support with CartonCloud’s real-time data from the customer portal, giving clients 24/7 access to the information they need.

“I remember our customers would always ask for — and CartonCloud had it — was access to a portal. Having your customers being able to access a portal and seeing what’s happening is a huge reduction in communication on our end. They can go get the answer rather than asking [us] for the answer.” — Greg Cate, C&C Warehouse

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Through their own dedicated login, C&C customers now have complete visibility over their inventory and orders at any time, allowing them to:

Track orders and stock in real time.
Generate customizable reports with a click.
Upload documents directly into the system.
Receive automated notifications (from low-stock alerts to inbound receipts, order fulfillment, and deliveries).

This level of visibility means customers no longer need to chase updates or wait for reports — they can access everything themselves, instantly.

See more on why your customers will love a cloud-based WMS here.

Reporting and Data Customers Can Count On

When you deal with shipments moving across borders and through customs, delays and questions are inevitable. Having access to live stock reports and notifications means customers can see exactly what’s happening, without ever having to chase down updates.

“We ship daily for a lot of our customers. They're always looking for [stock reports and] notifications upon receipt.

For them to know when [stock was] actually received and also for their customers to know, we have it set up where when we receive something, their customers find out [too].” — Greg Cate, C&C Warehouse

There are several types of reports customers can generate in CartonCloud, including:

Stock reports to check current inventory on demand.
Historic stock reports to see exactly what stock looked like at a past point in time.

From the customer portal, C&C’s clients can run reports themselves, export them into different formats, and even configure notifications to trigger when stock is running low, new shipments arrive, or orders are fulfilled.

“Whenever there's some sort of issue, [our customers look at] what’s the shipping and receiving history. The interesting thing is, [with CartonCloud], they’re solving it themselves. Whatever their problems are, they’re solving them on their own, on their own time. [And because] nobody’s in the same timezone as us, it's really nice for them to able to get the data when they need it.” — Greg Cate, C&C Warehouse

Find out more here about how smart 3PLs are winning bigger clients with data.

Key Takeaways

By cutting out admin and pairing human care with real-time data, C&C Warehouse has scaled their services to support global customers with exceptional value.
C&C Warehouse empowers their international customers to have real-time visibility through CartonCloud’s customer portal, where they can easily monitor stock at any time.
Through real-time reports and automated notifications, C&C Warehouse’s clients are able to have direct oversight of their operations, minimizing the need for constant communication.

FAQs

Q: What kind of reports can customers generate in CartonCloud?

A: Customers can run live stock reports, historic stock reports, and stock movement reports at any time. Reports can also be exported in different formats, giving clients the exact data they need without waiting.

Q: Is CartonCloud suitable for global customers?

A: Absolutely. CartonCloud’s cloud-based system means clients can access their data anywhere, anytime. This is especially valuable for international customers, who can log in on their own schedule and get the visibility they need.

Q: How can I support international clients in different time zones?

A: By giving customers self-serve access to CartonCloud’s data dedicated customer portal, 3PLs can cut down on constant “Has this shown up yet?” emails and calls. Clients can track orders, view inventory, generate reports, upload documents, and set automated notifications — all in real-time, no matter where they are located.