Digital transformation is changing the way businesses manage their warehouses. Those who fail to adapt are in danger of falling behind their competitors. Hence, you must always be on the lookout for new tools and strategies to optimize your warehouse management. This is where warehouse management software comes in.

According to Accenture, three out of five companies are planning to embrace automation and digitization for their warehouse management as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It estimates that WMS will attract 15%more investment in the next five years. This makes it the best time for you to start looking for the right WMS for your business.
With that, this article will show you how to choose the right WMS by pointing out some of the key factors you need to consider.

 

1. Automation

On top of the WMS functionality checklist is automation. This is a critical feature for businesses that plan to scale their warehouse operations and make sure that it runs smoothly. It offloads manual tasks from your core processes such as data gathering and analysis, report generation, communication, and even inventory management.

There are many benefits to leveraging automation in your warehouse management. For one, it can reduce potential errors that usually come from manual data entry. It ensures that all data and information regarding your goods and warehouses are updated and accurate. Moreover, it allows you to do away with menial and repetitive tasks so that you can focus on other responsibilities.

 

2. Tracking and Monitoring

Warehouse management is all about tracking and monitoring your goods as it goes in and out of your warehouses. It only follows that your WMS must also provide you with reliable and accurate tracking and monitoring tools to help you oversee your operations.

With this feature, you can have a clearer visibility of your supply chain. It tells you when, where, and how your goods enter the warehouse until they move out. Most importantly, it gives you greater control over the various processes in your warehouse operations. This can be in the form of real-time dashboard reporting where you can easily monitor critical data about your warehouses and goods. Software like Oracle WMS offers serialization solutions to help you manage and trace your products via their respective serial numbers.

 

3. Personalization

There is no such thing as one-size-fits-all WMS for businesses. Every company has its own needs and demands. Hence, having a customizable WMS makes it easier for you to tailor-fit your warehouse management according to how you want it to be.

Level up your brand with Oracle WMS Cloud. It is a highly customizable warehouse management solution that adapts to however you want it to be. You can add extra functionality into its systems such as augmented technology and new display fields. Moreover, its personalization engine makes it easier to apply changes without code compile or server bounce. You can even integrate with your other business solutions such as your ERP systems.

 

4. Flexibility and Accessibility

Nowadays, flexibility is one of the top priorities for many logistics firms. The COVID-19 pandemic proves to be a lesson for many business owners as they now have to adapt to health protocols such as social distancing and limited mass gathering into their warehouse operations.

What you need is a WMS with multi-channel capability. This feature allows you to complete warehouse fulfillment from any devices from anywhere. You don’t even need to go to the office or the warehouse to work. You can simply pull out your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to access all the data and tools you need to keep your operations running. For a seamless and enhanced experience, consider investing in a cloud-based WMS. This provides you with a single WMS platform that is accessible to any web-enabled devices.

 

5. Usability

It will take some time for you and your employees to adjust to new software for your operations. After all, not everyone can be tech-savvy enough to instinctively know how to navigate and use new technology. Nonetheless, you would want to have a WMS that is easy to understand, use, and set up. Hence, usability is another essential WMS selection criteria to look out for.

Make sure that your WMS interface is intuitive and navigable especially for beginners. This way, you can spend less time training your employees to use the software and more time using it for your operations.

 

The Future of Warehouse Management

The future of warehouse management now lies in digitization and automation. Investing in the right WMS will make sure that you remain on top of your competitors in the industry. Nonetheless, the tool is only as good as the people who use it. You must also make sure that you have the right people for the job. Is economics a good major for warehouse management? In fact, it does since it deals with managing the demand and supply in the market.

With the right skills and tools, you can optimize your warehouse management so that it can face the future head-on. So go ahead and explore what technology has to offer for your business and find out how WMS Cloud Software can help it grow.