6 Practical Ways to Support Retail Warehouse Managers
Retail warehouse managers have a tough job. They aren’t just transferring product from the warehouse to your stores. They are also receiving orders, stocking it in the warehouse as it awaits movement, and managing time, people, and other resources. If you want your entire retail chain to operate efficiently and profitably, you need to provide your warehouse managers with the proper tools. Here are six key ways you can support your warehouse managers with technology.
- Provide a robust warehouse layout tool – Your warehouse manager is responsible for the efficiency of your warehouse, which is intrinsically tied to its layout. A good warehouse layout tool should allow your warehouse manager to draw the placement of shelves, shipping and receiving terminals, sorting areas, bins, and the location of key assets like forklifts and other heavy equipment.
- Real-time status tracking – Knowing the status of your products is essential every step of the way. Once you make a product order, your warehouse manager should have a purchase order and a tracking receipt. She should be able to track each product order through the supply chain, receive it at the dock, and choose from between a variety of pick, pack and ship methods.
- Make cross-dock processing simpler – Your warehouse manager will need to sort product and have it loaded on various trucks for shipment to your stores, and this likely takes place throughout the day. Being able to process shipments across your various docks as store transfer requests come in mid-shipment is essential. Your warehouse will need to respond to real-time events, so make it easier.
- Simplify productivity reporting – Your warehouse manager isn’t the only one who needs eyes on warehouse productivity. Make reporting of warehouse productivity simple throughout your organization.
- Use the latest technology – If you want your warehouse to be efficient and your retail chain profitable, provide the latest technological developments throughout the organization, including the warehouse. Handheld wireless device improve efficiency and productivity.
- Provide advanced communication tools – You cannot be competitive in today’s retail environment if you do not facilitate electronic data transfers and advanced shipping notifications.
If your warehouse managers are efficient and productive, your retail chain will be profitable. Give them the right tools and your organization will shine.
Great piece that shows how the right systems will assist a warehouse manager greatly