Essential Warehouse Management Practices

Studies show that people are not willing to wait longer than a week for orders made online, so having a well-stocked – and well-organised – warehouse is key.

Delays in deliveries caused by an untidy warehouse could result in customer complaints, requests for refunds and bad reviews – all of which are likely to impact the future success of your business.

With a bit of planning ahead, it’s simple to make the most out of your storage space. Here are just a few ideas.

Effective Storage Utilisation

A warehouse space without proper organisation can soon become a dumping ground, leaving you in a struggle to locate the right items when you need them.

Investing in a system of shelving and storage bins will give everything a home and using a clear labelling scheme will help you and your staff find them quickly and efficiently.

This may open up more delivery options for your business, such as next-day options – which customers are generally happy to pay more for and could result in a nice upsell opportunity. 

Automation Tech 

If your warehouse space is larger – perhaps you operate in construction industries where raw materials are often much bigger – then investing in some technological help could take your operations to the next level.

It’s certainly not cheap to add a robotic system into your warehouse workflow. However, if your turnover warrants speeding this process up, then it could pay for itself over time.

A reputation for speedy and efficient delivery and picking is a great boost for any business.

Invest in a Warehouse Management System

Having a computerised system that tracks your stock levels, future orders, anticipated orders and much more will ensure that you are far less likely to suffer unavailability and have to let customers down.

It can also streamline your own ordering process, ensuring that you do not waste crucial revenue on overstocking products that are either unwanted or are perhaps more prone to seasonal sales.

Track Your Warehouse KPIs

Set clear goals for your warehouse staff or the operations of your company in the warehouse.

Whether it be time targets for picking or optimised stock levels, setting these clear expectations means that staff have a clear set of guidelines to follow and will keep everybody singing from the same hymn sheet.

Prioritize Warehouse Safety

A messy warehouse is an unsafe warehouse and your operations will only get slowed down if staff have to take time off to heal injuries.

The HSE estimates that 441,000 people suffered an injury at work in 2020-21. Warehouses are generally more dangerous places to work, with the risk of slips and trips, falls from height, or items falling from height all ensuring that you should have robust health and safety protocols in place.

Regularly training staff on these principles also ensures that they remain fresh in the minds of your workers.

Re-evaluate and improve

Your business is unlikely to stand still, so you should never settle when it comes to your warehousing either.

If you are diversifying into new products and services, think about how this will impact your storage solutions and adjust them accordingly.