These days, the warehousing and order fulfillment industry is constantly growing. As it does, competition is becoming increasingly fierce. If you want to stay ahead of your competitors, you must keep your customers happy. How? By using the right warehouse management system for your business.
The best way to guarantee same-day-mistake-free shipments is by making use of a high-quality warehouse management system. Such a system will allow you to streamline your operations, boost efficiency, and stay organized.
If you find it difficult to manage your inventory using only spreadsheets, a WMS can help you automate the process. The system can also come in handy if your distribution center is running out of space or stock.
The same is true if you notice that your warehouse has become a cluttered environment that lacks organization. This can lead to an increase in recurring shipping delays, which a warehouse management system can help you avoid.
Factors to Consider While Choosing a Warehouse Management System for Your Business
Once you see that your business can benefit in various ways from having a warehouse management system, the important process of choosing one comes. Since there are many options out there, you must consider the areas where you believe your business’s day-to-day operations could use improvement.
There are also certain features that you do not want to miss out on. This is why it is important to think over the following:
1. Understand the different warehouse management system tiers
As you are researching various warehouse management systems, you will come across three main tiers. The most sophisticated (and most expensive) being tier 1 and the least sophisticated (and least expensive) being tier 3. See below:
- Tier 3 warehouse management systems: These systems tend to be relatively basic and cover standard receiving, putaway, inventory, picking, packing, and shipping. Their biggest highlight is that they will help your business minimize capital costs.
- Tier 2 warehouse management systems: They are more likely to include complex processes involving advanced functionalities. These systems can support multiple warehouse businesses, and a greater degree of automation can also be achieved.
- Tier 1 warehouse management systems: The systems can typically turn functions on or off to offer custom applications and accommodate individualized customer needs. These enterprise-grade systems are incredibly advanced and can even be global installations. With a tier 1 system, you will get the broadest support and the most flexibility.
2. What are your business’s requirements and ROI?
Before deciding on a warehouse management system, you should have a complete understanding of all your business’s requirements and the costs associated with these needs. This way, you will better understand your return on investment.
When determining how long it will take to make back the money you invest, consider the extent of its features. Features such as customer service, logistics management, inventory tracking, optimization reporting, etc. Then, think about how much you are currently spending on these factors.
If your business has a tighter budget now, you may want to go for a lower-tier warehouse management system. If you can afford a more comprehensive one, however, it will likely pay off in the long run.
3. Look into how the system can be further upgraded/developed
It is always important to look forward. A warehouse management system that meets your business’s current needs, may not in the future. Think about how those needs may change down the line.
Considering the various ways that trends shift over time, your requirements will likely change too. So, it is best to look for a dynamic warehouse management system that will grow and change with you.
Therefore, as you are researching different warehouse management systems, pay serious attention to the various upgrade paths that they offer.
4. Consider the technologies the system uses and their compatibility
Another important factor to consider is whether the system uses or is compatible with other systems. This can have a big impact on how user-friendly it is.
For instance, some systems can be serviced through a SaaS platform. This platform makes it possible to use the software as a cloud service for easier accessibility. Also, better information security, smoother upgrades, and changes. SaaS meaning
Since your WMS will process a ton of information, it helps to have a way to back that data up. SaaS platforms can serve to back up all your WMS data.
5. Choose a warehouse provider that has a proven Warehouse Management System
If you are too overwhelmed with the idea of purchasing and operating a WMS let Wills Transfer handle all your warehousing needs.
When you store your products at Wills Transfer, we offer a comprehensive Tier 1 warehousing system. A system that will help you get back your sales efficiency. Our WMS allows you to easily track your inventory so you have a full picture of your stock levels 24/7.
We also offer a wide range of other warehousing and order fulfillment services, such as;
So, if you require third-party assistance with any of these matters, contact Wills Transfer. An industry leader, with over 75 years of experience.
For more information about our in-house warehouse management system or to learn more about the other storage warehousing services we provide, call Wills Transfer Limited at 613-704-7549 or contact us here.
