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the most efficient paths. Special items like rope, chain or netting that need to be
cut to size, or items that are custom-assembled for individual orders can be easily
allocated to specially trained staff and prioritized in the picking flow.
The right WMS can also help reassign flexible workers to whichever part of the
warehouse needs them at a particular time. As the workload within the different
zones ebbs and flows throughout the day, there's a great potential for
inefficiency. With a WMS, an idle worker on the loading dock can easily check to
see if another team has a backlog. What does this transparency mean for
management personnel? The answer is they no longer need to constantly track
how and where to shuffle employees throughout their shifts, resulting in more
time and greater efficiency.
Many WMS systems offer employee and warehouse metrics that give managers
the information they need to make their warehouses more efficient. Do you know
where your operation loses time? Is it in picking? Receiving? Cycle counts? All of
these elements affect your business's ability to deliver outstanding customer
service, and data from a WMS will help you find the problems and fix them
quickly.
A WMS gives near-instant access to a huge amount of information, which directly
translates to a better customer experience. With a WMS, employees can check the
status of orders or the exact location of inventory on the shelves. Looking at it
from your own perspective today, if a customer calls your team to ask about an
order, can you give that customer the status without even having to put them on
hold? If so, it's impressive; if not, perhaps it's time you took a closer look at your
systems.
The cumulative improvements made possible through the deployment of a WMS
mean that distributors can get more done in less time, giving them the freedom
to concentrate on delivering better service to their customers. Instead of
competing on price, companies can more smartly focus on quality customer
service through fast, accurate deliveries built on a lean, efficient distribution
process. It's a timeless competitive advantage.
About the Author: Eric Allais, president and CEO of PathGuide Technologies, Inc., has
over 30 years of experience in marketing, product management and sector analysis
in the automated data collection industry, including warehouse management
practices in wholesale distribution. Contact him at eric@pathguide.com.