This is the first in a series of What to Look For in Your Next Warehouse Management Systems.
If you are like most people on planet earth, you need to drink more water, you need to get more sleep, and you need a new warehouse management system (WMS).
In fact, a modern WMS has been shown to increase your longevity by 5-10 years.
Ok, I made that last fact up, but you probably still need a new WMS.
Why You Need A New WMS
Omnichannel brands fulfilling in-house or 3PLs fulfilling for their high volume partners ultimately are reliant on the productivity and accuracy of their warehouse associates. The tool most directly involved with the success of each warehouse associate is your WMS.
While there are many many many things your next WMS needs to do for you (keep an eye on this blog for all of them) if you can’t onboard your team members within hours to your WMS, it’s hindering your fulfillment operations and putting your company reputation at risk.
In the above brief video, our in-house WMS super users talk about the crucial, and often overlooked component, your WMS plays in your warehouse associate onboarding process, and subsequent operational efficiency and workforce productivity.
“How fast can you get team members up to speed and on the operation floor being productive?”
Time is Money
Did you know… most WMS require up to six weeks to train and onboard. That is six weeks of not only slower fulfillment but an increased likelihood of order errors, when your team isn’t fully up-to-speed with your WMS.
This time frame balloons during order spikes and seasonal peaks, as your team grows with new staff and temps - meaning more days of increased errors leading to frustrated customers and costly support tickets to resolve these errors.
“Having an easy-to-use intuitive system, especially during the onboarding process, allows that associate to feel comfortable right off the bat, almost like its second nature.”
A modern WMS should be designed such that the training time isn’t cut in half but rather the training and onboarding should take less than a day. One day to bring anyone with zero experience in logistics to a fully functioning and productive associate.
Effective Training Through Design
Stay tuned for more episodes of this exciting new series: What To Look For In Your Next WMS.
Up next, you have your associates onboarded…but can they be effective with your WMS as your business scales and exceptions arise? Time to dive into the importance of relying on an easy-to-use WMS, and how that can impact your warehouse operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Onboarding Video Recap
Tony Scharff: Does it allow for fast onboarding, especially during critical times like peak season?
Russ Jay: When considering a new warehouse management system, it's important to consider several different points.
Alisha Lehew: Onboarding can take a lot of time and training typically can be an up to six week process.
How fast can you get team members up to speed and on the operation floor being productive?
Russ Jay: I want a system that I can teach my folks within a day.
Tony Scharff: Having an easy-to-use intuitive system, especially during the onboarding process, allows that associate to feel comfortable right off the bat, almost like its second nature.
Quick ramp up times in order to get those associates working towards your overall goals.
