Is Your Warehouse Management Software Working for You?

June 25th 2014 16:59:12 PM

Warehouse management is both a challenging and rewarding process. Every day workers are faced with unique situations to overcome, and new problems to solve. Despite the challenges, however, your warehouse is the place where you make things happen. It’s where your customers’ desires are fulfilled and your company’s vision is carried out in a real and tangible way. Because so much lies on the success of your warehouse operation, having effective (and unique) processes and procedures in place is crucial. You cannot maintain your warehouse based on someone else’s procedures; it won’t work. In order to effectively manage your warehouse, you need to have an understanding of what your warehouse needs to be successful.

When it comes to the technology you use to manage your warehouse, it needs to be as unique as your warehouse’s processes. While many out of the box warehouse management solutions offer the option of customizing the software to fit your needs, it can often be expensive and challenging to maintain. These “simple” customizations typically lengthen the implementation process, add significant cost to the overall software package, and require re-customization every time you upgrade the software. Wrestling with out of the box software will only result in frustration, stress, and wasted effort. No general solution can meet your every need, even with extensive customizations. In order to run your warehouse effectively and – in turn – carry out your business vision, you need to have a warehouse management system that fits your business like a glove.

3 Signs Your Software Isn’t Working for You

Before you can determine what works for your business, you need to determine what isn’t working. Many warehouse managers make the mistake of assuming “that’s just the way it is” when it comes to warehouse management software. They resign themselves to the challenges of the system, develop complicated workarounds, and allow their productivity and efficiency to suffer as a result. This often leads to significant frustration in the warehouse and on the business side, where processes cannot be carried out as smoothly as possible.
If you are constantly running into issues with your warehouse management software, it may be time to look for an alternate solution. Here are three signs your current software is not working for you:

1. Your business requires a unique set of processes to sustain a competitive advantage.
   We’ve seen it before: businesses invest in out of the box solutions, add on massive customizations, and end up having to hire people to help support the data and data entry processes required of the “customized” solution. The software, for all of its promises to reduce the workload and improve business efficiency, actually creates more work just to meet your warehouse requirements. If you’re relying on a general warehouse management package to fit your needs, you are going to be disappointed. While it may be designed and work for a similar business, it hasn’t been designed for your business and unique processes.
2. Your extensive software customizations are becoming difficult to maintain.
   Hefty software customizations may seem like a good idea in the moment, but what manufacturers and distributors often fail to realize is that they are not sustainable in the long term. Software customizations require a lot of time, money, and effort. With every software upgrade comes the risk of losing your customizations and custom data. We’ve had several customers come to us over the years as a result of losing valuable custom reports due to a “simple upgrade”. Don’t take that chance with your business.
3. Your warehouse workers have created workarounds that don’t involve the software.
   If your users aren’t actually using the software, you have a problem. One of the surest signs that you’re current solution isn’t meeting your needs is when your employees are relying on spreadsheets and other internal systems to get the job done. If you are tracking data outside of the system, your current system is not the right fit.

Warehouse Management Software Stitched Together with Your Needs

We understand the need for simplicity when it comes to warehouse management. It’s the reason so many manufacturers and distributors invest in out of the box solutions; they figure it will be easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to manipulate to fit their needs. The reality is, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In order to truly carry out your business vision effectively, your warehouse management software needs to be tailor made to fit your business. While this may have required a lot of time and money in the past, today’s technology has made it possible for even the smallest warehouse to benefit from solutions tailored to their specific business needs.

Here at Scanco, we are committed to bringing the latest and greatest technology advancements to warehouses across the country. We have paired mobile technology with exemplary warehouse management software to create a solution that fits your business perfectly. Our newest solution, Scanco Warehouse, is designed to provide you with everything you need to take your warehouse to the next level. This Sage 100 mobile application is tailored to your specific business needs, allowing you to take full control of the warehouse management process. Whether you need a simple mobile app to view your warehouse activities and create custom reports or a robust warehouse management solution, Scanco Warehouse is designed for you. It’s tailor made down to its core.