The process of streamlining is key to any business’s success regardless of industry. Streamlining can simplify tasks, improve organization decrease energy waste and lower costs. With all of those benefits, why wouldn’t your company want to streamline it’s business processes? Oftentimes, companies steer away from streamlining innovations because it requires change and change can be uncomfortable. Here are 2 easy steps to begin streamlining day to day operations in your industry.
1) Improve Order Processing
Processing orders quickly and efficiently is key to client satisfaction. If your warehouse or order fulfillment department is slow to meet the customer’s needs your reputation can take a hit. One way to start the process off right is to implement customer tracking. We live in an impatient world. People want what they want and they want it now. If customers can track their own orders it decreases the number of phone and email inquiries your team will receive. Second, clean up your inventory control. Depending on the size of your operation, utilize software to track inventory. Have employees take barcode scans regularly to keep your numbers accurate. Finally, ensure fulfillment accuracy with barcode scanning and mobile picking. Shipping the incorrect product can be disastrous and time-consuming. If you implement mobile picking and barcode scanning during fulfillment it can reduce human error drastically.
2) Reduce Maintenance Costs
Maintenance will also be required to keep your company’s assets in working order. However, with a little planning, you can streamline maintenance tasks and implement strategies to reduce costs and downtime. Think ahead during purchasing. Before you buy expensive equipment, research all of your options. You’ll want to choose products that have simplified maintenance in mind. For example, if you run an industrial plant with 100’s expensive metal holding tanks, purchase those with a rubber tank lining. This simple step will decrease the need for constant re-painting and re-sealing which lowers maintenance time and costs. Another critical component to streamlining maintenance is to continually educate your maintenance team. A crew that is experienced in identifying issues early can help avoid costly repairs that are caught too late.