Digital order picking - the next step to a digital warehouse

In times when customers are increasingly looking for online channels for their purchases, both personal and business, it is a good idea to think about the role of the warehouse in meeting rising customer expectations. 

Changing world

The world of resellers and wholesalers is changing rapidly. Customers buy online and expect to be informed in real time about delivery times and availability. In order to achieve this, the business software must be linked to the webshop or the customer portal AND the warehouse and the systems must be in order. Earlier we made the Inventory Management app available, making it easy to perform inventory counts. This app has been expanded and now includes the option to pick orders. Digital, i.e. without the need for paper and the associated delay and high risk of errors. 

Order picking

Online orders increase order volume. These orders are often smaller or consist of a greater diversity of smaller quantities. You don't have to be a scientist to realize that this hugely increases the complexity. At the same time, order picking is under increasing pressure and you need to be able to scale up the number of employees quickly to maintain flexibility. This means you want new employees to get started with a very short learning curve.   

This is why Exact's Inventory Management app has been expanded to include order picking. Naturally, this expansion works seamlessly with the 'To be picked' overview, a standard component of the Exact Trade and Manufacturing business software solution. This orders-ready-for-delivery overview allows  you to immediately see which orders are ready to be delivered in full or in part. They can just as easily be released to the order picking app, so employees in the warehouse can pick them again. 

The Share function in the app also allows actions to be shared with other employees, regardless of whether they have been completed or not. This can be done via WhatsApp or by email. If the delivery is carried out by a colleague, you can also send it to a printer and place it with the products. In any case, the deliveries automatically match the number of products picked. This allows you to see at a glance which items have been delivered in full or in part, with the quantity and a clear icon. This saves time and avoids errors. Extremely convenient. 

The digital warehouse – an essential link in the digital supply chain 

Smaller and more varied orders with larger volumes and efficient picking with a low risk of errors are now possible with the Exact order picking app. This allows online orders not to be touched until they appear on the warehouse employee's smartphone screen. You can immediately see which items have been picked, and your inventory is updated at the same time – a nice bonus for webshop visitors because they are automatically informed directly and correctly. 

A digital warehouse is also an essential asset in a supply chain that  digitally connects the merchant with both their customers and their suppliers. If the warehouse is digitally in order, efficient purchasing (including digital) is also possible. Even for composite items with parts having different delivery times. 

Working from home

The app provides the next link between the digital office and the digital shop floor, which is very useful in these times of homeworking, because pick orders can even be prepared digitally from home. Once the picking in the warehouse has been completed, this is then fed back digitally. All this without exchanging paper pick lists that need to be signed off. This makes it easy to complete all administrative tasks from your office at home. 

Availability

Exact's order picking app expands the inventory management app on Android and iOS and is available for the Premium editions of Exact Online for Wholesale Distribution and Manufacturing.