Due to the current E-commerce and air logistics’ surge of demand, it can be challenging for your business to keep up with the competition and continue growing, especially if you can’t find digital solutions that meet your estimated budget. Additionally, according to recent warehouse studies, around 80 per cent of warehouse leaders believe that modern technology is the key to competing in the on-demand economy. This only makes it more challenging to find a cost-effective solution that keeps up with current trends. As a result, more emergent businesses are turning to optimization warehouse fulfilment solutions that let them do more with less while also shipping goods to the consignee or customers, faster.
The accurate and on-time delivery of products is essential to lead the competition. Evidently, companies should vehemently attempt for a full-proof order fulfilment strategy. Hence, a functioning and efficient order fulfilment strategy is definitely an obligation for successful business. If you rely on shipping to get your products to customers, the whole order fulfilment process can get much complicated than one may imagine. It is observed that a streamlined and optimized approach, paired with an intuitive Warehouse Management System, can make things more seamless. A chaotic warehouse can only cause further delays and inaccurate orders, consistently.
What is Order Fulfilment?
Order fulfilment is the process of receiving, packing, shipping and delivering an order (consignment) to a customer. There is no inclusive strategy that works for every business due to the many unique degrees of each organization. Some companies take care of all of their fulfilment practices in-house, while some are so large in scale or size that a third-party logistics (3PL) provider is required to distribute the burden thus, operation.
Nevertheless, the easy steps that a product is processed through, before completing the fulfilment process, are similar irrespective of the company’s size or method of business.
Receiving: In-house operations receive and stock cargo whilst bigger companies may outsource this task to 3PL providers
Storage: Maintaining organized and accessible storage is critical to a seamless, comprehensive fulfilment process
Processing: This step is about receiving a customer order and beginning the steps to fulfil it
Picking: Whether by human or a bot, the product needs to be picked up from its storage location and prepared for shipping
Packing: Products are categorised into individual shipments and prepared for transit accordingly
Shipping: The package is then transported from the storage facility and shipped to the customer via one of many transportation medium
Returns: Fulfilment doesn’t end with shipping; customers may send packages back as returns. Successful order fulfilment strategies must handle returns with the same care as shipping out the original product
Strategic steps to simplify the order fulfilment process:
One may effectively manage the inventory and redefine in-store fulfilment with these simple steps that don’t interrupt the business from growing.
Start with strong inbound operations: Inbound operations should be the priority because it is the first stage in the value chain and determines how the materials are stored and tracked. To prevent inventory from being misplaced or misidentified, incoming shipments should be tagged directly at the very receiving dock. One may amplify the front-line with mobility and real-time WMS access, so they can put away orders with rapid accuracy. Warehouses are implementing industrial-grade technology to make this step attainable
Transfer goods outbound: Load and ship consignments faster, safer and more efficiently with hands-free, automated technology to increase throughout while leveraging natural muscle effort for less effort
Pick scalable technology: Managements may empower their employees with fast processors and apps. Faster applications accelerate order fulfilment since employees don’t have to struggle in adopting new interfaces. It radically cuts digitization costs as well. Updated operating systems and some of the latest technologies exemplifies streamlined efficiency as it accommodates future-forward apps into an open ecosystem for seamless scalability
Stay connected: Change the way your business communicates with instant connections and maximize floor efficiency by working from anywhere, thus enhancing a wider and more productive networking
Track real-time inventory: Know where your inventory is, on-spot and let technology do most of the work so you can stop relying on manual counts and virtually eliminate hunting for products. This also minimises leakage of information and errors attached to it
Automate data collection:
You can create an efficient flow of data through warehouse management and reduce errors greatly with automated data collection
Every business needs to find solutions that don’t disrupt its operations, which is why Supply Chain Services specializes in customized warehouse strategies. Similarly, Cargo Flash Infotech is designating future-ready, cloud-based solutions to simplify your cargo and air logistics businesses whilst allowing the scope of scalability through digitalisation.
