What are the most common mistakes to avoid in order fulfillment?

Typically inaccurate inventory data is caused by bad process control and inventory management practices. This can be mitigated thru different strategies, such as: - Use of a WMS (something more than Excel) - Proper cycle count strategies - Changes to picking and replenishment strategies

Shipping is not just a final step; it's your brand's lasting impression. Staying ahead of the competition means reimagining shipping as more than a mere delivery process. It's your brand's final, most visible handshake with the customer. Be first! Be the pioneer, not the follower. Embrace cutting-edge technologies and tailor your shipping options to exceed customer expectations. Whether it's speed, accuracy, or flexibility, leading in shipping is not just about delivering a package—it's about delivering an experience. Stay ahead, stay innovative, and let your shipping strategy be your competitive edge.

Good leadership and a well-trained staff are fundamental in managing scalability and flexibility in order fulfillment. Strong leadership ensures strategic vision and direction, ensuring the operation stays agile. Well-trained staff are the backbone of this flexibility. They can quickly integrate new processes or technologies, maintaining efficiency even during peak times. When temporary labor is introduced, these skilled employees become invaluable, guiding and supporting newcomers. This seamless integration of temporary staff not only preserves operational continuity but also upholds service quality. It's this combination of visionary leadership and a skilled workforce that turns the challenge of scalability into a strategic advantage.

-As an Tier 1 associate at an Amazon Sortation Center, I have seen first hand what lack of performance incentives and accountability can do to negatively effect the bottom line (damaged goods from careless handling, inefficient loading of packages leading to waisted space in semi-trailers, etc.) Reinforce the importance of considering customers and facilities downstream in operations. -Do not provide pay strictly on the basis of Tenure. This is a major downfall I have observed at Amazon, and I am sure exists for many companies. Hard workers become burned out and disincentivised when they do not feel adequately rewarded for their efforts. Why work harder for the same, or less pay, simply because of when you were hired.

Performance measurements and communications can be key drivers to organically improving overall facility fulfillment. Showing the operators their performance relative to a goal naturally causes competition, either individually or at the team level. Further, the gamification of these processes thru Labor Management Systems (LMS) can incentivize operators for performance relative to a normalized goal and provide additional pay to operators at a lower net cost to the company by not having to hire additional heads.

Typically customers are looking at 1 of 4 reasons to change how they are fulfilling products: - Space Availability - Labor availability - Accuracy of the pick process and the cost of errors - Throughput improvements One or more of these factors contribute to the need for change and directly impacts the ROI. Generally, an improvement will utilize some kind of automation which can bring ancillary benefits. It's important to take a holistic look at the process improvements when calculating any ROI or change management.