How To Speed Up Your Picking Process

While order picking is still a warehouse’s primary workflow, it can be quite complex due to customer demands for faster and more accurate service. Navigating through multiple new expectations and compliance challenges, order picking now also contributes to an average of 55% of operational costs within any given distribution center. This means that in addition to damaging customer experiences, ineffective picking solutions can also inflate expenses, limiting optimization opportunities that are vital to remaining competitive in the e-commerce landscape. Ineffective order picking is often marked by lower accuracy rates, shipping delays, multiple bottlenecks in the picking process, and unexplainable product shrinkage. To combat these issues, over 80% of warehouses in the U.S and Europe have taken a step beyond traditional automated barcode scanning by implementing voice direction technologies

Unlike traditional systems, voice-based picking offers an adaptable and scalable solution to meet growing demands without compromising speed and accuracy. Previous studies have demonstrated its ability to boost productivity by 20% and cut training times in half due to its simplistic nature, all leading to as much as 99.99% order accuracy within fast-paced operations.

How SMG3 maximizes the power of voice with Honeywell.

Voice automation can speed your picking process up to build a more accurate and productive warehouse. That’s why SMG3 and Honeywell partner to empower your warehouse with reliable voice-picking technology solutions that enable the following benefits in addition to increased speed and accuracy: 

1. Hands-free scanning minimizes touchpoints and room for manual error - Equipping your workers with voice technology means they don’t have to handle a device when trying to move around items, so they can grab, lift, and move items more efficiently. This saves time in every pick and move to speed up your process. In doing so, voice picking also eliminates the need for manual data entry and reporting, curbing the risks of manual errors while facilitating data sharing through a digitized platform, tailored to your needs through our tech support teams. 
   
   
2. Faster training times makes sure new hires get productive earlier - Choosing to train your workers with verbal instructions speeds up the amount of time required for them to get settled into their roles. It is also easier to learn since voice automation also makes your workflows more productive and efficient. Honeywell’s Vocollect further drives scalability by offering over 40 language options to best cater to the user’s preference and proficiency.
   
   
3. Risks of inventory misplacement are diminished - By retraining real-time visibility into inventory location and cycle counts, employees can easily verify dipping inventory levels and prevent out-of-stocks and misplacements, thus protecting the bottom line from product shrinkage and backorders.  

The first steps to speeding up your picking process start with implementing voice automation into your distribution center or warehouse. Contact us to get a free assessment on your warehouse automation solutions.