Dispatching goods – how to improve your warehouse operations

10.06.2021

One of the main functions of any business who is stockpiling or manufacturing goods is to dispatch them to the customer who has ordered them. The goal of the dispatch stage is to ensure that the goods are delivered on-time, in perfect condition and in the agreed quantities.

What are some of the phases of the dispatch process?

Planning of deliveries

Planning is very important from a dispatch point of view, as some products may be perishable, some products may have a next-day delivery guarantee or some larger orders may have much longer lead times. It’s important that the staff who are responsible for dispatching goods have a clear understanding of this process and they have the tools necessary to ensure that goods are sent out to customers in a timely manner.

This means having a system in place that works for your business, so that orders can be sorted,  prepared and sent throughout the day.

Picking/Packing

Picking the correct items and quantities from stock to fulfil orders is seen as a big challenge for many businesses. Validating information during picking will reduce errors and provide an audit of each item picked. Scanning barcodes is a well established & relatively cheap way of validating products & reducing errors at picking stage.

A well thought out checking and packing process will often allow for a faster picking process by a team who are stationary, thus saving time in travelling the warehouse. Best practice packing should be quick and carefully designed to account for the size and weight of items being shipped.

Documentation & quality check

Dispatching goods represents the last contact between the product and the warehouse. It is during this process that final quality & document checks should be completed. This prevents errors and ensures that customers receive what they have ordered in the correct quantities, with all procedures being followed correctly.

How can Herbst software improve your dispatch process? – A look at our touchscreen dispatch Kiosk.

Our touchscreen dispatch kiosk is designed for warehouse / factory floor environments to facilitate dispatch procedures.

Our kiosk allows employees to view orders that are scheduled for delivery and dispatch those orders in real time while adjusting stock levels in the process. As our kiosk is integrated with our ERP software, this allows for efficient communication between back office and frontline staff, with scheduled orders appearing instantly on the kiosk as they are completed by the back office. 

This relieves a huge amount of paperwork & administration from the back office staff, as responsibility can be delegated to the staff who are actually on the warehouse floor dispatching the goods.

Orders are displayed on the kiosk with relevant dates and delivery times. The order is then selected, item barcodes can be scanned and labels can be printed. Once checks are completed the order can then be dispatched, with stock levels being adjusted accordingly & a delivery note being raised.

Full traceability is also supported on our dispatch kiosk, allowing for greater quality control and complete batch management. Customisable checks & procedures can also be enforced on the kiosk interface to suit the individual requirements of your business.

Benefits:

• Complete batch management
• Checkpoint for goods leaving the premises
• Enforce quality control with various customisable checks & warnings
• Supports barcode scanners
• Integrated haulier management
• Print labels 
• Adjust stock levels on the spot

To learn more about how we can improve your dispatch processes & our touchscreen kiosks, please email us at sales@herbst.ie