Any business managing inventory fulfillment via an ERP or legacy system with WMS features designed in 2003 should closely examine how these WMS capabilities align with the demands of modern commerce. Or don’t, rather.
Over the next few years, rapid growth in the global warehouse order market will force a great divide between companies that use a legacy solution just to keep up vs. those that invest in top features of a WMS built to fuel growth.
These modern systems prime your warehouse to fulfill orders with top speed and accuracy—and keep doing so at the market’s pace. That’s what growth looks like.
High-growth companies have proven the only way to scale and see rapid benefits year after year is to introduce these 6 features of WMS into their warehouse management process:
- 100% visibility & real-time updates on inventory in the warehouse
- Automated fulfillment – pick-pack-ship with full supply chain integrations
- Waved or waveless order prioritization
- 24-hour-or-less order fulfillment
- Direct API integrations and SSPS label generation for EDI
- Seamless returns & barcoding integrated into order management
The features of WMS can grow (or slow) a business
Here’s a deeper look into how a top WMS system that offers these capabilities will fuel business growth:
Real-time visibility and updates – inventory, staff performance, customer insights
Make better decisions when you can see everything going on with inventory inside your warehouse, at all times. This includes day-to-day activity—like cycle and physical counting, tracking, receiving and replenishment—as well as the things you never have time to dig into.
For example, rich insights into worker performance enable you to continuously optimize your labor for efficiency and improved customer service, tied to the larger picture.
Automation – end-to-end fulfillment (pick, pack, ship)
Spend less on labor with WMS capabilities like automated order picking, packing and shipping, barcoding, labeling, cross-docking, returns and more.
Pre-built supply chain integrations into warehouse automation systems, such as fulfillment robotics, pick-to-light, print and apply and sortation systems, enable more orders with the greatest speed, accuracy and savings.
Waved or waveless order prioritization
Empower teams to work easier and keep customer promises every day. Strategically allocate order fulfillment processes based on priority or order size. You can segment workgroup assignments, pick tasks, and RTVs to best fit your business model.
24-hour-or-less order fulfillment
That has become the expectation and differentiator between companies that grow profitably and those that just react and put out fires at all costs.
Best-in-class WMS solutions establish fluid processes to significantly cut fulfillment times, boost sales, and improve customer retention. Staging and packing stations optimize retail labeling and palletization, while best-practice picking strategies, such as batch, bulk, case/pallet, and cartonization, reduce the time and cost of fulfillment from click to delivery.
Direct APIs and SSPS label generation for EDI
Warehouse management sockets connect seamlessly to parcel and local carriers, calculate dimensional weights, and rate shop for you. The WMS’s capabilities can then generate shipping labels, documentation, and full order tracking for both you and your customer, saving time and money.
Seamless returns & barcoding integrated into order management
Advanced scanning technology with system directives, validation, and warehouse processes creates a clear fulfillment process for teams to work efficiently. With a clear understanding of where all inventory is located at all times.
Fully integrated WMS and OMS (order management) systems allow you to easily manage the receipt of goods against a PO or ASN in receiving. Dictate system-directed putaway, user-directed putaway and stock replenishments for different types of inventory based on volume or popularity.
Benefits of a top WMS system
The advantages of having modern WMS features vs. legacy solutions include built-in scalability, enterprise-grade visibility, flexibility, and speed. It’s what your business needs to grow profitably.
A top WMS system enables your business to:
- Get trustworthy, real-time data about everything going on inside your warehouse
- Automate warehouse tasks to create massive operational efficiencies and labor savings, eliminate human error, speed fulfillment times, and dramatically increase daily throughput
- Enable staff to make better decisions easier on the floor
- Quickly analyze customer insights and staff performance
- Integrate quickly and easily into existing systems and extended supply chain applications
- Implement new technology quickly—without the long, expensive, custom IT project
- Onboard new staff in 15 minutes or less
- Integrate barcoding into order management – full order traceability to both staff and customers from click to delivery
Businesses that invest in top features of WMS will experience rapid growth in profits and order throughput with +99.95% order accuracy, vs. the industry-wide average of just 65%.