Amongst your most important resources when running a warehouse based business are time, money and physical space. With this in mind, you invested in a Warehouse Management System (WMS) to streamline and organise your operation, with the ultimate aim to increase your profits.
But how do you know that the WMS you have is the best option for your business needs?
If you’re questioning the quality of the system you have in place, we’ve rounded up the top three ways you can determine if what you’ve got is the right fit.
3 ways to know you have the best WMS for your business:
- It integrates seamlessly with your existing systems
- Your stock accuracy has improved
- Efficiency has increased across your entire operation
It integrates seamlessly with your existing systems
A sure fire sign of quality warehouse management software is when it merges with your existing business systems without any dramas. A seamless integration removes the need for replicating any systems or having to jump between a number of platforms that don’t ‘talk to each other’, and in turn will save you time and money.
Ideally your WMS will be enabling you to have a 360° view of your entire operation as and when you need. You don’t have time to learn how to navigate multiple platforms for each aspect of your business, let alone train others in your team to do so. An integrated approach is by far the best approach to take and hopefully what you have in your business.
You should be empowered with accurate and useful data thanks to your WMS. This will be particularly true if your WMS is integrated with your other business systems, including transport management software. The power is in the numbers – and will be supporting you in making sound forecasting and ordering decisions faster.
Is your WMS fit for purpose and able to grow with your business as it evolves?
Your stock accuracy has improved
Across your operation you will be seeing a reduction in errors and an improvement in your stock accuracy since implementing your warehouse management software.
If your WMS is configured to your business needs, it will automatically update inventory levels in real-time, giving you the knowledge as to when to order additional stock and flagging which items aren’t moving and are potentially ‘deadstock’ costing you money to store in your warehouse.
An improvement in stock accuracy might also equate to less customer complaints as errors in picking and packing and product availability will have ideally reduced.
Efficiency has increased across your entire operation
If you compare how efficient your overall setup was pre-WMS to now, how do things look?
Your warehouse management software should be empowering you with the ability to generate highly configurable reporting and to automate a number of tasks. If these features are both in place you will have seen the positive impacts on saved time, money and increased efficiency.
Highly configurable reporting
Your WMS will ideally be able to give you a fast and clear overview of your current stock and revenue to empower you with the tools to make accurate decisions, not rely on guesswork.
If your WMS isn’t offering you this specific, real-time data, you are missing out on a powerful opportunity to increase operational efficiency, which can drastically impact your bottom line.
Task automation
Any quality warehouse management software system will provide you with the option to automate a number of tasks, which were previously performed manually, to save you and your team valuable time.
Automated tasks could be anywhere throughout the warehouse business lifecycle, from an automated system update when new inventory is delivered to the warehouse, through to customer notifications and alerts.
Your WMS should easily pair with devices and systems to support task automation and efficiency, such as electronic proof of delivery.
Your opportunity to automate tasks can be further maximised when you integrate your warehouse management system with your transport management system on the same platform. This integration is a game-changer for any sized warehouse based business.
The bottom line
At the end of the working day you want to be assured that the systems you have in place will support the delivery of the best outcomes for your business.
There are plenty of Warehouse Management Systems on the market, but not all of them are highly configurable. Ideally you want a warehouse management system that can be customised to meet the specific needs of your warehouse based business, while also having the flexibility to grow as your operation does.
At Infocomm we have developed one of the most advanced, yet user-friendly, software solutions, tailor made for warehousing operations of all sizes.
We can customise the warehouse management system to suit your business needs, while incorporating all modern warehouse management practices including:
- Cross-docking
- Auto put-aways
- Real-time stocktakes
- Dangerous goods
- Temperature control zones.
Ready to transform your warehouse business with customised warehouse management software? Contact the team at Infocomm to discover how we can help you.