Friday 12 May 2017

Does Your Business Need A Barcode Warehouse Management System?

By Susan Bailey


Barcodes are widely used in the retail environment to improve the checkout process for customers. That said, most businesses haven't fully embraced the technology. Many potential areas of application remain unexplored in all but the most tech-savvy retail outlets, especially when it comes to the back end of inventory operations. But how could a barcode warehouse management system benefit your own organization?

Generally, most packages that go through warehouses usually carry a barcode tag of some kind. Because these labels make it easy to track and account for products, the technology could be used to enhance inventory control. And if your organization could link its warehouse management system to an online portal, barcoding could further help you enhance the buying experience for your clients.

Manually keying in numbers, or even writing them down, can be quite the pain. More significantly, manually entered data is highly prone to error. And in the logistics department, where packages can change hands several times, information needs to be highly accurate. Barcoding not only limits the possibility of human error, but the systems are also able to gather and record data much quicker.

When dealing with large amounts of inventory, it's almost impossible for anyone to collect, process and analyze information within an acceptable timeframe. With the barcoding system, however, the process of registering packages only takes a short while. Besides, the technology can be used to ring up multiple products within a few minutes. Some sophisticated systems can even read package information from hundreds of coded packages as they travel down conveyor belts.

Gone are the days when barcode technology carried a steep price tag. Thanks to the availability of affordable equipment and the proliferation of the technology, barcodes can now be used by almost any organization. Your accounting operations will also become much easier, since fetching data and relaying it to your head office will take less time and effort. And this is something most business owners will appreciate, especially during tax season.

Before implementing the technology, it would be crucial to take a look at your warehouse operations first. This way, you'll be able to identify the kind of features you'd benefit from when acquiring the barcode system. Don't forget to check if your current tools will be compatible to the system you intend to deploy.

The kind of support you'll be getting from your hardware vendor will determine how well you're able to utilize your newly-acquired system. So make sure you ask about this when interviewing different providers, and whether they'll upgrade your tools to keep abreast with upcoming developments. If you're not sure of how to go about the implementation process, you could hire a consultant to make matters easier.

A large number of retail outlets tend to rely on manual record-keeping for their logistics operations. Not only does this make tracking and accounting for inventory a difficult undertaking, but costly errors are also very likely to occur. Barcoding is a cost-effective, easy and practical way to eliminate these risks and transform your warehouse into a more efficient element of your business.




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