From basic inventory management to sophisticated, system-directed put-away and picking, warehouse management systems come in all shapes and sizes. With so much choice and competition, multi-award winning Snapfulfil SaaS WMS offers the following tips to guide you through the selection process.
Identify your pain points
First, work out what you need. Maybe you find yourself facing frequent, unforeseen out of stock situations or ordering stock, only to discover a ‘hidden stash’ already in the warehouse. Does your annual stock-take take days to complete and uncover significant variances between your inventory record and your actual stock holding? Or, does your warehouse team struggle to complete the required work within the normal working day?
Make sure the WMS you select has the functionality to solve your specific problems.
Ease of Use
Pretty much any old WMS will improve the visibility and accuracy of inventory in the warehouse however, this is not much use if your people need an advanced degree in computing to use it. A good WMS should be simple, clear, intuitive and require minimal training.
Flexibility
A WMS solution needs to be able to scale in order to accommodate a company’s growth and adapt to meet changing requirements.
Price is only one measure of a WMS’ value and although the lowest cost solution may be appealing in the short term, the wrong system can end up costing you dear as you attempt to eradicate problems with costly integration or customisation work to fit a changing set of requirements. Treat your WMS as an investment in the future, not a purchase in the present.
Proven Track Record
To truly find out how well a WMS works, ask people who are already using it. Request customer testimonials and ask possible vendors for a site visit to see their WMS in action and get the chance to talk to existing users. Ask them questions. Did it meet all expectations? How good is the customer support? How quickly do they address problems and issues? Do they communicate well?
Select a Specialist WMS Vendor
Many WMS’ are sold as part of a wider suite of business solutions but, while it may benefit the vendor to diversify their offerings, this may not benefit your business. Although a bolt-on WMS solution might seem like a good buy, since they are often thrown in for next to nothing when you buy an ERP system, ultimately you get what you pay for.
Look for vendors who specialise in warehouse management. A dedicated WMS provider will frequently upgrade their product, incorporating market changes or, in some cases, actually instigating new technologies.
Consider Software as a Service Take a look at Software as a Service (SaaS). A best-in-breed, cloud-based SaaS WMS offers all the functionality of a traditional, on-premise WMS and can be deployed in a fraction of the time, at a fraction of the cost.
Choose Snapfulfil
Snapfulfil is a comprehensive Tier 1 WMS which can be deployed in a variety of ways to meet the requirements of any company, large or small.
Our fully-managed SaaS solution bundles the software licence, essential RF hardware, access infrastructure and services, rapid implementation and training into a solution with NO CAPEX required, allowing customers to immediately benefit from driving through savings, increased service levels and, in nearly all cases, an instant ROI.
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