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The Importance of Running a Tight Ship – Effective Workflow in the Stockroom

Written by Workhorse | Oct 21, 2019 9:34:00 PM

Your warehouse is your hub for meeting customer needs. It is the central place at which all orders land. 

If there is a disconnect between your incoming orders and your outgoing deliveries, tie it up. If there are unproductive employees in your warehouse, motivate them. Running your warehouse like a tight ship means developing an effective workflow in your stockroom and streamlining your order processes. This is the most direct contribution your warehouse will have to meeting customer needs.

So really, why is it important to run your stockroom like a tight ship?

Correct orders relieve pressure on customer services

Getting orders right is the first step to reducing customer complaints. Your warehouse being effectively organised and managed means more accurate delivery of orders, in-full and on-time. Tackling complex systems which lead to lost and late orders reduces customer dissatisfaction, and in turn reduces contact with your customer service team. 

Happy customers secure more customers

It’s the first thing they teach you in business school- happy customers will spread the word. Short lead times and order correctness are visible indicators to your customer of your efficiently. If your warehouse workflow is disorganised and unmanaged, it is likely the effect is being passed onto your customer. Optimising efficiency in your stockroom ensures customers receive orders in-full and on-time. Happy customers secure more customers. 

Long lead times lose customers

Restaurants offer a visible example of this event- customers have a preconceived idea of how long they expect to wait, if you exceed this, they go elsewhere. Remember, a customer isn’t a customer until they had the chance to leave you and chose not to (HubSpot*). Managing your warehouse workflow effectively allows you to meet customer wait time expectations by streamlining processes and purposefully building them for speedy delivery. 

Unclear goals equals an unproductive workforce

It is well accredited that setting goals increases motivation and productivity. Regularly setting clear, measurable goals for your workforce is crucial for the execution of planned processes. In order for your workforce to efficiently distribute 40 boxes per hour, they must first know that this is their goal. Introducing effective goal-setting into your warehouse can optimise your warehouse workflow and efficiency. 

That’s why running your warehouse like a tight ship is the most important way to optimise efficiency. How efficient is your stockroom workflow? Workhorse offer customisable software to help you to manage your sales and order fulfilment together. Sign up for a free trial with Workhorse to integrate all your order processes into one, neat place.