Is It Time for a Warehouse Management Software Upgrade?

February 25th 2015 14:18:58 PM

Discovering the perfect time to upgrade your warehouse management system

How do you know when it’s time to upgrade your warehouse management software? Do you upgrade your software every few years, or do you wait until you simply cannot function on the software you are using any longer? Many manufacturers and distributors wait until the software has either become inefficient, obsolete or too costly to maintain. While this may seem like the norm when it comes to software upgrades, it doesn’t have to be.

You should upgrade your software before you begin to experience problems with the solution, for these could lead to costly (and sometimes unrecoverable) errors. Knowing when to upgrade, however, can be difficult to determine – especially if you are not a software professional.

Lucky for you – we know warehouse management software. We help our clients stay up-to-date on their solutions and partner with them to determine the best time for any software upgrades. Because we know the frustration that comes along with making an upgrade decision, we’d like to share a few pointers to help you determine if it’s time for a warehouse management software upgrade. Whether you are using one of our Sage 100 warehouse management products or another solution, the following scenarios will help you make the best decision for your company.

Indicators of Warehouse Management Software Health
Is your warehouse management software healthy or does it need a boost? Take a look at the following scenarios that indicate it is time for an upgrade, and see if you can relate:

• Your customers demand immediacy, but your warehouse management software does not support the immediacy your customers need. If you are unable to process orders for immediate fulfillment, it’s time to move to a solution (or version) that can. Your software must support order speed if you have any hopes of keeping your customers happy and loyal.
• Order inaccuracies and processing errors are costing you customers. Your bottom-line relies upon your ability to fulfill customer orders quickly AND accurately. If customers are receiving wrong or incomplete orders, you are putting your profitability in jeopardy. If your software is unable to help your company maintain the accuracy you need, you need to look for a new solution.
• The time you spend correcting human errors is negatively impacting your productivity levels. Even with the best software, human errors will find a way to creep in and cause havoc. However, if your software does not support the automation you need to eliminate human errors as much as possible, your productivity levels will continue to suffer. Companies who spend time correcting what could be preventable errors spend less time on value-adding processes, resulting in lower profits across the board.
• You spend more time waiting on the system than you do on the system. Does your software work when you need it to, or are your workers standing around waiting for the program to do its job? If the latter, it’s time to upgrade to a solution that you can rely on to do its job when you need it.
• You need features not included in your current solution. Have you thought about implementing barcoding or mobile into your warehouse but decided against it due to software incompatibility? If your software is unable to support newer technologies that could improve your company’s performance, you need to look at upgrading your solution.
• Your software is susceptible to security issues. In today’s day and age, protecting your company’s (and customer’s) data and information is top priority. If your current software version is susceptible to bugs or other security issues, you need to run – not walk – to an upgrade.

Do you find yourself identifying with any of the above scenarios? If so, you should begin to look at upgrading your software to improve your company’s performance, increase your efficiency, and boost your customer satisfaction rates.

Need more incentive? By switching to our Sage 100 mobile warehouse management applications, you won’t have to worry about upgrades ever again! Because our newest solutions connect to the Cloud, updates are automatic, leaving you with the assurance that your software is always up-to-date and capable of meeting your needs. Contact us today to learn more.

Do you have an upgrade story you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below this post.