Streamline your dispatch process, cut costs and improve customer service with our top tips.
With most retailers going into end-of-season sale this weekend, warehouse teams are likely to have a busy day next Wednesday! So this week we thought we’d talk about warehouse efficiency and what you can do to improve your dispatch process. If your business is feeling the pressure and struggling to get customer orders out on time, here are our 5 tips on how you can improve operations and increase efficiency moving forward.
1. Get your dispatch process right
To avoid confusion and prevent reporting errors, define your dispatch process and make sure everyone in the warehouse is following it. Make sure workflows are documented and that staff are provided with adequate training so that everyone is on the same page.
2. Picking lists ready printed
Have your picking lists ready printed before the picking team arrive for work each day. This means that as soon as they arrive they can start picking. Our Venditan Commerce Platform allows retailers to schedule the printing of picking lists for “can-ship” orders at certain times each day.
3. Consider your warehouse layout
Laying your inventory out in a more practical manner could save your warehouse staff huge amounts of time on a daily basis. There’s no single correct way to lay out a warehouse – it varies from retailer to retailer. A good starting point when planning a new layout for your warehouse is to make sure that quick movers are stored in easily accessible places close to the packing area. You could also consider storing products that are frequently sold together in close proximity.
Once you’ve decided on the best layout for your warehouse, it can be entered into our Venditan Commerce platform. This way picking lists can follow the most sensible and efficient route around the warehouse – saving your pickers from having to keep walking from one end of the warehouse to the other.
4. Direct courier integrations
By having direct integration between your ecommerce platform and chosen courier(s) you can save time that would otherwise be spent on manually entering tracking codes and delivery addresses. Barcoded labels can automatically be printed and tracking codes assigned to orders. Your platform can also automatically send shipping manifests to couriers so that they know what needs collecting each day.
5. Improve picking accuracy with handheld scanners
Handheld scanners can really help when it comes to picking – taking away a lot of the human error which comes into play when performing repetitive tasks. They allow the team to scan as they pick so as not to grab the wrong colour or a style that may have been accidentally placed in the incorrect bin.
Venditan Commerce Pack Check™ allows the picking team to double check items against invoices using scanners at the packaging area. Once the system confirms that all items from the order are present and correct, the invoice and barcoded shipping label are automatically printed ready for dispatch.
Final thoughts
Get in touch to discuss how the features available within Venditan Commerce could help you to streamline your operation.
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