How To Know if Your 3PL WMS is Working For You?
Warning: All systems are NOT Created equal.
Wondering if your WMS is really working for your business? You are not alone. The 3PL supply chain industry has exploded over the past decade with an increasing number of logistics partners serving a variety of industries. The days of picking the best software solution for your warehouse from a quick Google search are over. How can you possibly choose which provider is the best fit for your warehouse without defined requirements? Even worse, how do you know if you chose the right one?
The answer is actually quite simple: determine what your WMS is actually costing you. Not just how much money you pay, but what other resources, time and opportunities are you losing. Keynote speaker, Scott Steinberg said, “There’s a hard-dollar cost but there’s also a hard-opportunity cost.” Finding the right solution for your business is about prioritizing your technologies based on usage and opportunity potential rather than hard monetary measures. Your WMS should not only pay for itself over time but also increase business opportunities and growth potential.
To find out if your WMS is working for you and what it is actually costing, answer these simple questions:
Does it operate every facet of your warehouse? Or does it leave you mainly operating some aspects of your warehouse or having to buy an additional system or solution?
Can you measure the boost in productivity in your warehouse?
Does it allow you to reduce your costs to clients to stay competitive while still making a larger profit?
Does it allow you to integrate to other client systems to improve communication and accessibility to real-time information?
Do you take advantage of all the technology that is available to you?
Do your customers notice the better service that you are providing them?
Is it designed for the end-user? Do the end-users see the value and appreciate the system or can only their higher-ups?
Will your system provide as much value as your warehouse expands? And does it still prove to be valuable when business is slow?
Technology is the driving force of competition and your clients trust you to stay on top of it for them to deliver the inventory accuracy and supply chain visibility that they need. In order for you to succeed in this and allow your WMS to work for you, you have to make sure you have the correct system. After all, having the latest and greatest technology won’t do you any good if you don’t actually use it or don’t know how to use it.
No two warehouses are created equally and no two systems are created equally. If your answers are making you question your WMS solution, contact Camelot 3PL Software today so we can help you find the best solution for your business.
