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“Our Implementation was as close to painless as it was possible to get. We couldn’t have done it without Socius24.”
– Smart Garden Products
“By upgrading to the latest version of Dispatcher WMS we have been able to fully leverage the power and flexibility of this platform … and ensure we deliver the best possible service in a highly efficient manner.”
– Versteijnen
Interested in a free demonstration of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS?
Socius24. Warehouse Management Software Solutions
Managing a complex warehouse operation can be nonstop at times
You have to know what’s going on, where, all of the time. It’s not easy, but there are tools that can help you be ‘everywhere (doing) everything, all at once’.
Using configurable overviews, dashboards, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from a Warehouse Management System (WMS) can be a game-changer. Properly matched to your own, personal requirements, they can offer numerous benefits and alleviate some of the stress that a job like this brings with it. Here’s why we believe these features are crucial:
Configurable overviews and dashboards provide real-time, on-demand visibility into critical warehouse data. As a warehouse manager, having instant access to key metrics such as inventory levels, order status, and productivity enables you to make informed decisions – quickly. With the right information, you can identify bottlenecks, monitor performance, and take proactive measures to resolve issues promptly – and sometimes even before they start to really cause problems.
Pre-defined dashboards allow you to tailor the information you see to your own, specific requirements. With the right system, you can choose relevant KPIs and arrange them in a way that aligns with your workflow and the business’s priorities. It’s the kind of flexibility that allows you to focus on metrics that matter most to you, while at the same time, providing a personalized user experience that suits you.
KPIs that you’ve identified as important can provide a clear (and instant) snapshot of what’s going on in your warehouse. By tracking metrics such as order accuracy, fulfilment rates, and labour productivity, you can quickly and easily see how well your warehouse is functioning. These days, configurable overviews and dashboards can show those KPIs in a visually appealing and easily digestible format, making it much simpler to monitor performance trends and identify areas for improvement.
And once you have all the data you want, in the format you want it, it’s much easier to detect anomalies or deviations from targets in real-time. If your chosen KPIs indicate a decline in performance or are showing that a potential issue is brewing, you can quickly investigate and take proactive measures to rectify the situation before it escalates. You don’t have to take time out to trawl through the data – everything you need is already at your fingertips. Being able to proactively make decisions (rather than fight fires once they’ve taken hold) minimizes disruption and costly errors.
Properly configured dashboards can help you improve overall operational efficiency and allocate your resources effectively, aligning warehouse operations with broader business objectives. You’ll have the tools you need to make data-driven decisions and drive continuous improvement to achieve long-term success.
If you’d like to spend less time gathering data and more time focusing on strategic goals, contact us on info@socius24.com today.
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Creating a robust returns policy
… can help improve your bottom line whatever the size of your operation. If it’s something you’ve been thinking about, but haven’t taken action on yet, here’s a quick checklist that covers the main points.
- Your returns policy needs be clearly defined, easily accessible, and transparent to both customers and employees.
- It should have defined, straightforward and easy-to-follow procedures that your customers can understand and follow without confusion or frustration. It’s best to communicate these procedures before an order has been made or a purchase has taken place.
- It should provide your customers with a clear process for obtaining authorization, which in turn will ensure efficient handling of returned items when they arrive back at your dock door.
- It should include effective communication between you and your customers. Communication should be regular, transparent and take place throughout the returns process, providing updates on return status, refunds, or replacements.
- You will likely want to implement a thorough inspection process to assess the condition of returned items and determine appropriate actions for them, such as restocking, repair, or disposal.
- You should integrate your returns with any inventory management to ensure proper tracking, restocking, or disposal of returned items.
- It’s best to process refunds or replacements in a timely manner, ensuring efficient and accurate handling of issues to maintain customer satisfaction.
- Adopting a customer-centric approach will help you increase customer satisfaction – address concerns or issues promptly and empathetically.
- It helps to regularly evaluate and refine the process based on customer insights and operational efficiency goals.
- Analysing return data can help you to identify trends, root causes, and areas for improvement. You can use this kind of data to make informed decisions on product quality, supplier selection, and process enhancements.
Handling returned inventory efficiently can significantly reduce operational costs and wastage and there are options available that could help you to automate many of these steps. If automated returns are something you’d like to examine in more detail for your operation, request a free demo of User Services Portal today, by emailing us at info@socius24.com.
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WMS Mobile-Friendly Technology – it’s time
As a company, we’ve made it our business to be at the leading edge of WMS for the last 10 years, drawing on the deep industry experience of our directors and employees. We were one of the first WMS software companies to recognise the potential mobile-friendly technology – and this is why:
During our many experiences of installing WMS, we talked to our customers and one of the most frequent requests was for the ability to access crucial information and perform tasks from anywhere within the warehouse, without being tied to a fixed workstation that’s stuck in an office somewhere. With User Services Portal (USP) – built specifically to work with mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets, our customers can now easily carry out inventory management, order processing, and other essential tasks while they’re out on the warehouse floor. This flexibility and mobility significantly reduces errors and improves operational efficiency.
The other thing that we were asked for was easily accessible real-time data and insights. We deliberately developed our mobile-friendly WMS solution so that warehouse personnel can capture important data (like images and unexpected changes to receipts) directly into the system in real time. We know that real-time data gives our warehouse managers what they need to make informed decisions, respond to customer demands swiftly, and optimize their warehouse operations for maximum efficiency.
By providing warehouse staff with mobile devices, our USP customers give them access to task lists, pick lists, and work instructions, etc – all of which reduces (and in some cases eliminates) the need for paper-based processes. This lets warehouses streamline their workflows, reduce errors, and increase productivity. And incorporating Barcode scanning or RFID technology into our mobile-friendly software has facilitated rapid and accurate data capture across the whole of the warehouse.
The other thing that USP has done is to provide seamless communication and collaboration among team members and customers, ensuring that everyone is on the same page, at the same time – which gives clearer conditions and faster problem-solving.
We’ve seen that adopting our mobile-friendly technology has reduced the need for costly infrastructure, like dedicated workstations or fixed terminals – tech that’s typically limited to specific locations in the warehouse. And mobile-friendly solutions are much more scalable, businesses to easily expand their operations or accommodate seasonal fluctuations by adding more users without expensive (and often time-consuming) infrastructure investments.
If this sounds like something you might find useful, email us now for a free demo – info@socius24.com
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Congratulations to FatFace for winning the WAREHOUSE INITIATIVE Supply Chain Excellence award - 2017
FatFace won the SCEA Warehouse Initiative award in 2017 for their beautifully executed move to a new distribution centre while performing a Dispatcher system upgrade and implementing User Services Portal.
The company designed, fitted out, and then went on to operate a new purpose built multi-channel national distribution centre for its branded retail apparel business.
The judges were impressed by the impact of the new distribution centre, and the 2017 Award went to FatFace.
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Socius24 customer, DCS Group (UK) Ltd has 17 years of experience in creating Health & beauty products in the UK.
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Why focus on Optimising Inventory Control?
Investing in a new WMS needs to be worth the cost and effort required. It’s often not a small undertaking – and sometimes the individual benefits that a newer WMS brings to the table can be lost in the overall noise of such a large project. So, let’s talk about the inventory control side of things for a moment. Just optimising inventory control alone can bring with it huge savings that contribute to a faster Return on Investment for your new system.
The first thing we’ll look at is minimizing holding costs. There’s a cost attached to everything in business, and holding costs are the fees incurred through the act of storing physical products in physical warehouses.
Efficient, optimised inventory control helps keep the holding costs associated with carrying excess inventory to a minimum. By accurately forecasting demand (by using the data a well-setup WMS can give you), implementing just-in-time inventory practices, and regularly monitoring stock levels, businesses can reduce their exposure to the dangers of overstocking. Doing this kind of forecasting well helps businesses to reduce storage costs, minimise the risk of product obsolescence, and reduce the need for additional warehouse space.
Connected to this is the ability to minimise inventory holding time. A well-configured WMS facilitates efficient inventory control, which reduces the time that inventory spends in storage. Look out for systems that offer varied inventory management techniques like first-in, first-out (FIFO), or, if it works better for your business model last-in, first-out (LIFO). The more configurable the system, the better tailored it can be to your desired results. Using putaway and picking algorithms that are specific to your setup can help prevent inventory from becoming stagnant or obsolete. Doing this can help minimise holding costs, reduce the risk of perishable goods expiring, and help your business to maintain a lean and agile supply chain.
Effective inventory control gives you the power of efficient order fulfillment. By accurately tracking stock levels, businesses can optimize picking, packing, and shipping processes. They can reduce labour and transportation costs by consolidating work. And real-time visibility of inventory helps warehouse staff minimize order errors and improve accuracy, which has the knock on effect of enhancing customer satisfaction.
But it’s not just customers who gain from this – optimised inventory control allows for better collaboration and negotiation with suppliers. By accurately forecasting demand and sharing data on inventory levels, businesses can work closely with suppliers to coordinate production and delivery schedules. This can in turn lead to volume discounts, reduced lead times, and improved supply chain efficiencies that result in cost savings for everyone.
And savings to the bottom line can come from other areas too – inventory optimisation ensures that while you don’t have too much stock, you are carrying sufficient stock levels to meet customer demand. Something that has become exponentially more important in the last few years. By having the right products available at the right time, businesses can reduce lost sales and dissatisfied customers. And maintaining appropriate levels of inventory can also reduce the need for rush orders, emergency sourcing, or expedited shipping – saving on additional costs.
If you’re considering implementing a new WMS, contact us today to see how we can help you get a faster ROI on your investment – email info@socius24.com
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There’s a growing industry trend towards tailoring your WMS.
It’s not always easy to tailor your WMS, especially if you’re running on older systems, but it is possible, and there are significant benefits to making the effort. Read on to find out what the biggest benefits are.
Tailoring gives you enhanced efficiency
Customizing your warehouse management software lets you streamline existing processes and adapt them to any specific requirements that your business might have. By eliminating and bypassing unneeded features, and including only the functions that support desired workflows, you can optimise operations, reduce errors, and improve overall efficiency. This tailored approach ensures that your software complements your existing processes rather than overwhelming them, which is something that naturally leads to time and cost savings.
Tailoring your WMS gives an improved user experience
When you customise the software used by your employees, you can prioritise user experience by designing interfaces and workflows that are intuitive and user-friendly. Which means that you minimise the learning curve for your employees – which in turn leads to increased productivity and reduced training time. User-centric configuration is always going to improve adoption rates and overall satisfaction among your staff – which inevitably means better results.
Tailoring gives you increased scalability and flexibility
Every business has its own specific requirements to start off with, and then established workflows might change over time as additional equipment is brought in, or business needs adapt to external influences. Tailored software allows Warehouse Managers and Business Owners to accommodate their changing needs and support business growth. By using a scalable solution, you can tailor your WMS and add or modify features as the business expands – or as new industry trends emerge. This flexibility allows futureproofing of WMS investments, while making sure that what you installed continues to meet evolving business needs.
Tailoring your WMS gives you a competitive advantage
It gives you a competitive edge by allowing you to differentiate your business from competitors. You’ll have the ability to address unique operational challenges efficiently and effectively – which positions your company as an industry leader.
Tailoring supports cost-effectiveness
Buying customisable software like User Services Portal does involve upfront costs, but it can lead to long-term cost savings. Tailored software eliminates the need for purchasing multiple off-the-shelf solutions or investing in expensive workarounds to accommodate your specific requirements. By customizing the USP to precisely fit your needs, you could minimise unnecessary expenses and ensure that your WMS investment delivers maximum value.
If you’d like a free demo of User Services Portal, contact us now on info@socius24.com to see how the ability to tailor your WMS could transform your business.
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Take a look at the latest video from Socius24 Customer DCS Group (UK) Ltd!
With the opening of the new 200,000 sq/ft distribution center in Banbury, DCS Group needed a new and sophisticated Warehouse Management System (WMS) that would enable effective management of stock across both the new site and the existing Warwickshire premises, with full integration to the company’s ERP system. It was also critical that the new WMS could handle the increased level of order volume the company would now be operating with, including a new pharmaceutical division. Socius24 were chosen to help DCS Group implement the Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS.
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It’s important to follow Returns Policy Best Practices if you’re going to have a Robust Returns Process.
Because inevitably, warehouses are going to receive returned goods.
There are probably as many different reasons for this as they have customers – but in order to process returns in a way that’s fair to both the customer and to the business that sold them the goods in the first place, it’s crucial to have a robust returns process. It’s something that can sometimes take a little while to consider and set up, but it’s an important element of a profitable business.
There are lots of benefits to having a considered and robust returns policy – not least customer satisfaction: when customers have a hassle-free and efficient returns experience, they’re more likely to trust and continue doing business with your company. A positive returns process enhances their overall customer experience, which in turn contributes to customer loyalty.
And a well-executed returns process will always reflect positively on a business’s reputation and brand image. When your customers find it easy to return products and receive prompt refunds or replacements, it enhances their perception of your company as customer-centric and reliable.
Businesses that prioritize and excel in handling returns differentiate themselves from competitors. By offering a seamless returns experience, including clear policies, easy return methods, and efficient processing, your company can stand out and attract customers who value a hassle-free returns process
And when you follow Returns Policy Best Practices and your process works properly, it’ll help you manage inventory better and keep costs to a minimum. By promptly processing returns, you’ll be able to ensure that returned items are appropriately inspected, categorised, and either restocked or disposed of – depending on their condition. Optimisation like this minimises inventory discrepancies, reduces your carrying costs, and maximizes the value that you can recover from returned items.
In turn, by analysing return data, your business will be able to identify patterns, uncover product or packaging flaws, and make informed decisions about supplier selection. Data insight like this can be a crucial contribution to continuous improvement and help you drive operational efficiencies throughout your business.
Best Practices for Robust Returns:
- Make sure it’s Clear: develop and communicate a clear and easily understandable returns policy at point of sale – one that outlines your business’s conditions, timelines, and procedures for returned inventory.
- Provide a streamlined returns authorization system: implement a system that allows you to provide the sort of returns authorization that ensures proper validation and tracking of returned items.
- Offer efficient return methods like an online returns portal, to simplify the process for your customers.
- Process returns promptly and maintain clear communication (and visibility of process) with your customers throughout the returns journey, providing updates on return status, refunds, or replacements.
- Implement a thorough inspection process to assess the condition of returned items and determine appropriate actions, such as restocking, repair, or disposal. This can be facilitated through the use of pre-defined condition codes, which then define the journey of the returned goods through the warehouse.
- Consistent categorisation of returned goods can provide data that helps you identify trends, root causes, and areas for improvement. Which can feed into continuous improvement.
- Use the kind of technology that reduces errors by allowing staff to use it at the point of return receipts; for example, being able to record an image of the returned item can help resolve queries and discrepancies.
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Have you ever wondered what’s the best way to improve customer experience and streamline communication between your business and your clients?
When it comes to improved customer satisfaction, there are some widely accepted best practices. We’ll cover them below:
- Provide accurate and timely information: Your customers – not unreasonably – expect to be informed about the status of their orders, they want to know where their stuff is and when they’ll get it.
- Offer multiple communication channels: Your customers are all different, and as such they’ll probably have different needs when it comes to communication. If you need to communicate with them frequently, then it’s important to offer multiple channels such as email, phone, and chat. That way, they can choose the channel they’re most comfortable with.
- Implement a feedback system: Asking for feedback allows businesses make improvements based on their customers’ suggestions – improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Provide excellent customer service: This is key to improving customer experience – businesses need to respond to customer inquiries promptly, resolve issues quickly, and go above and beyond to meet customer needs.
- Streamline order fulfilment: This helps improve customer experience by reducing order processing times and improving order accuracy – meaning that they get what they asked for quicker – and it’s actually what they asked for.
Acting on all the above is crucial if you want to improve your customers’ experience (and their corresponding satisfaction with the service you provide. Projects like this take time and effort. You might feel like you need to redirect resources that you believe would be better employed elsewhere.
Or, you could install User Services Portal from Socius24 – which helps you provide your customers with access to real-time updates about their purchases. Plus, it helps make sure that what they see (from an efficiency, order-processing, and accuracy point of view) is going to make them happy in the first place. Email us now on info@socius24.com to request a free demo of how it could work for you.
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