eBooks

New employees can also be up and running in a matter of hours rather than weeks. Most importantly, clear navigation ensures that all employees will be able to leverage the WMS functionality to its fullest. When choosing a WMS, look for a system that offers easy-to-follow menus and help screens that can improve usability. For example, make sure the WMS allows for simplified data entry and creation of template reports and charts. Similarly, dashboard views (which automatically update in real-time) provide users with a single location to access all of their most critical data. 5) Is inventory where it should be? At its core, a WMS needs to be good at controlling inventory. For example, it should quickly be able to show who picked what, how much and when. By managing inventory more efficiently, companies can reduce unnecessary overstock caused by duplicate purchases or "lost" inventory. More accurate inventory data results in lower costs, increased profitability and better customer service. 6) Can you scale with me? As the needs of your business change, the WMS should be able to scale and adapt. It should interface with conveyor and carousel systems and extend easily to support multi-branch operations. The WMS will ideally provide an extensive suite of software modules to handle your unique business requirements while offering the flexibility to enable user-level control of things like user-assigned menus, report design, labeling options, performance metrics, and more. But not all warehouse management solutions are created equal.

• Cover