A warehouse management system plays a significant role in the supply chain process of every business. A computerized system helps to track and manage the entry and exit of products from a warehouse. This improves efficiency in logistics and helps to determine the quantity of goods available, thus making it easier to restock.
With the ever-changing technological patterns, most businesses still want to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. Companies are constantly replacing their older systems with new, more efficient systems that meet their business needs and reduce operating costs.
Finding a new warehouse management system isn't an easy task if you don't know what qualities to look for so that you don't interfere with your budget, business needs, and expectations. Below are 5 qualities to look for in a new warehouse management system:
1. Ease of use
Ensure you consider how easy it is to use the new system compared to the existing one. An easy to use warehouse management system will generally help eliminate the challenge of time wastage. Remember, for a smooth supply chain process; it's essential to reduce the time required in various operations.
The new system should enable employees to use the minimum time possible to perform different tasks, including real-time monitoring of processes.
Additionally, since businesses hire new employees from time to time, an easy-to-use system will also reduce the time spent on training. Your new employees will be able to use the system to enter data, generate charts and reports quickly without spending too much time.
2. Optimal functionality
You must understand what the system will do for you and how it'll probably solve some of your current supply chain problems. Analyze to see if the system will streamline some of your business processes and the rate it'll help.
It can be disappointing to purchase a new warehouse management system only to find that it's still working the same as your previous one. This will not only be a loss but a huge financial mistake. If previously you had challenges measuring your employees' productivity, ensure the new system helps you in this.
Generally, the new system should help you scale down the usage of your business resources while maximizing efficiency.
3. Flexibility
Every business usually has some future projections on how to scale up and grow. Therefore, it's essential to keep in mind that you need a new warehouse management system that's flexible enough to accommodate your future business needs when you scale up.
To do this, you need to check if the warehouse management system supports various kinds of ERPs. A good system should support the NetSuite implementations.
The system should also have an open design to make it easier to work with future operating systems, apps, and hardware devices such as label printers, scanners, and scales.
4. Value for ROI
The initial cost for bringing a new warehouse management system shouldn't be taken much into consideration, unlike its long-term value. Remember, your goal is to find an easy to use, functional, flexible system that'll help you reduce further operational costs in the future.
Therefore, you should be keen not to choose a warehouse management system that'll bring more future losses than benefits. You need to undertake a thorough cost-benefit analysis before you invest in the system to understand aspects like the customization and integrations that might be required.
5. Complete transaction management
When choosing a new warehouse management system, ensure that it can manage all your supply chain processes. The system should provide all details of products, their quantities, employee details, and all transactions.
Typically, a good warehouse management system should track product shipping, receiving, placed orders, received goods, inventory audit, bad goods returned, and other essential product movements.
Tracking all these movements makes it easier to identify what happens at each stage, whether or not you need additional employees to support the processes, and the right time to restock products depending on demand.
In conclusion, these are the top qualities to look for in a new warehouse management system. The system should also be able to track various helpful metrics.
Generally, if you choose the right warehouse management system, you'll reduce time wastage and operational costs while improving your customer service.
