Although it might not be the first thing that comes to mind, warehouse management systems play an important role when it comes to customer service. Having a great customer experience is important, and it’s one of the things that can help to set your company apart from all of your competitors. When you optimize your warehouse, it can help to improve the customer experience, and it becomes easier for you to attain your business goals.
Top 4 Ways a Warehouse Management System Improves Customer Service
1. The Right Items in Stock
When you track your inventory, you will have a better understanding of your inventory. You will know which items are selling and which items are just sitting on the shelves. It becomes easier for you to ensure that you have plenty of the right items and that you get rid of the items that aren’t selling. Customers will be happy that you have what they need available.
You’ll find that this can also help you if you have seasonal items. You can control the inventory that you have available for different times of the year. When customers want seasonal items, they will quickly move on to your competitors if you don’t have what they need.
Along the same lines, you won’t have to worry about your customers placing an order for items that you do not have available. Today’s best WMS options can ensure that the stock is updated in real-time, so you will always know what is available. Your customers won’t try to place orders for items that aren’t on your warehouse shelves and ready to ship.
Few things are as frustrating to customers are loading up their virtual carts, buying an item, and later being told that it’s back-ordered and they will have to wait weeks or longer to get it. A good WMS will help to ensure that this doesn’t happen, so your customers don’t have to deal with this frustration, and you don’t have to deal with an increase in customer service calls.
2. Faster Order Fulfillment
A warehouse management system also makes it easier for you to organize your warehouse space and know exactly where all of the items are located. While this might not seem like it’s important to customers at first, think about the speed of order fulfillment. When your employees know exactly where they need to go to get the items they need, it means the orders can be packed and ready to ship in far less time.
Anyone who has dealt with a disorganized, untidy warehouse in the past knows that without organization, it can often be difficult to find items. It could take hours or longer to try to locate products that show up as being in the inventory.
3. Accuracy
Of course, customers don’t just want their products to arrive quickly; they also want to be sure that they have the right products. When customers receive the wrong number of items or the wrong item, they won’t be happy. They will lose faith in your company, and this can send them to your competitors.
Warehouse management systems help ensure better accuracy when it comes to picking and packing items. The use of barcode scanners and similar tools helps the employees to be sure they are choosing the right items off the shelves. All of this ties in with the benefit of having an organized space with all of the right products in stock.
4. Better Return System
Sometimes, the customers will need to return items they bought from you. They may have placed an order for the wrong item by mistake. Perhaps the wrong item was sent to them. Even though a great WMS can help to reduce these problems, human error can still occur. In these cases, the customers often want to have the correct items shipped to them, or they want a return.
A quality WMS can check to see whether the products needed are in stock and can make the returns processing easier on your employees and the customers.
Make Customer Service Easier with a Great WMS
You should have a better idea of what a good WMS can do for your customer service by this point. If you don’t have a warehouse management system in place, or if yours is underwhelming you, it’s time to find a system that works well for your needs. Take the time to explore the features and options that you need and find a warehouse management system that will fit those needs. It will make a larger difference in your customer service than you might imagine.
If you are ready to learn more about implementing a warehouse management system, contact us to get started.