Small businesses, distributors and retailers are interested in building automation that allows for functions like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics heatmaps, intelligent routing, and robotics. Looks like you’re playing catchup with them. It’s time to make a change.

The days of the foreman walking through a warehouse holding a clipboard and smoking cigarettes, shouting orders are gone. Before you start putting up your hand to say “we don’t allow smoking in the workplace anymore”, let’s talk about the foreman with the clipboard.

This was the warehouse operator’s everyday scene at least a decade ago. For those who missed it, this was even considered romantic.

What’s wrong with this picture? If you haven’t guessed by now – it’s that almost dirty word of “manual”. It may not be four letters but it is a dreaded swear word in today’s warehouse and fulfilment world. Customers complain about missing items, clients go elsewhere, or worse, the swear word can be used to describe your facility.

Coming back to the (less romantic) reality of today, we are seeing many retailers and brands equipping themselves with artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and the like. Science fiction? It’s a nightmare for anyone not moving in the same direction.

My friends in the warehousing industry and fulfilment business are talking about automation. We don’t mean the drinks vending machines.

Automating your business is a serious consideration. Just like how your customers such as the distributors, the retailers and the brands are moving up the technology chain, you should at least catch up quickly.

Customer portal

First, let’s look at keeping your customers updated; in real-time, anytime. This is what’s known as a customer portal. They will pay a lot to have your space, and they look forward to receiving the next shipment when they arrive. As organizations running a living, breathing business, they need to know how much inventory they have and where it’s stored. It is essential to have accurate and real-time information about all of this. It is crucial to be accurate and fast with consumer trends constantly changing.

Mobile barcode scanning

An electronic device can register a wide range of data simply by scanning the SKU. This is extremely useful. The data is instantly stored in the system unlike paper recording, which can lead to errors and loss of sheets of paper. Imagine being able to pull out data on demand or sharing it with customers instantly – the machine helps you do that.

Billing automation

Have you ever heard someone say, “Have you billed company X?” A bill not made is not charging for services rendered. Paying in cash is more expensive than not getting paid. Automated billing ensures that the machine does not forget and sends reminders to you if payment is not received.

Prepare for the flood of orders

Your customers are swiftly moving into omnichannel or multi-channel distribution. When business is good, a rise in order processing will have stretched your limited resources. All hell probably breaks loose when orders go up by two or three hundred percent.

Prepare for the huge volumes, inventory allocation by letting WMS help you. You’ll be grinning from ear-to-ear when the money rushes in – rather than pulling your hair out just trying to cope.

You can also get digital assistance to avoid being overwhelmed by the “big event” like the Dutch built levees to protect themselves from the flood waters.

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