Modern warehouses are under more pressure than ever. Consumers expect lightning-fast delivery times and tend to be less understanding of delays. To adapt to shifting consumer expectations and keep pace with leading distributors, warehouses should consider upgrading their tech stack to include cloud-based warehouse task management software.  

According to Global Newswire, the market size for global warehouse management systems is expected to reach a value of $51.36 billion by the year 2030 and experience a staggering compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.3%. This growth has led to countless innovations, resulting in warehouse task management software that meets the needs of modern businesses. 

You may be wondering just what, exactly, warehouse task management software even is, and more importantly, how it might be able to help you oversee warehouse tasks and build your business more effectively. Let’s take a deeper dive so that you can take your operational efficiency to the next level.

What Is Warehouse Task Management? 

Warehouse task management is the process of ensuring that the right warehouse tasks are assigned to the appropriate team member at the correct time. Traditionally, you are responsible for manually creating, assigning, and overseeing the completion of these warehouse tasks, but you can optimize the process by using warehouse task management software.  

How Can a Warehouse Task Management Software Help? 

Leading warehouse task management software automatically creates warehouse tasks, which you can then assign to workers based on factors such as: 

• Priority level
• Task type
• Equipment type
• Employee proximity to the work zone 

Facilitating the assignment and prioritization of warehouse tasks optimizes operational efficiency and helps your team get more done. Additionally, warehouse task management software tracks the performance of both the team and its individual employees, compiles that data, and provides real-time insights into the status of your warehouse tasks. At a glance, you can see which tasks are still pending and ensure that mission-critical work is performed on time.  

One of the most notable logistical benefits of warehouse task management software is that it supports task interleaving — the process of merging multiple tasks and performing them on a single trip. For instance, instead of performing a putaway and pick in two separate trips, a worker could carry the putaway stock with them, stow it on the appropriate shelf, and then pick items while they are in the vicinity. This process of interleaving saves time and eliminates the need to make multiple trips.  

You can also use your warehouse task management software to generate detailed performance reports and identify potential bottlenecks in your workflow. In turn, you can proactively address them and promote operational efficiency. 

8 Benefits of Warehouse Task Management 

Integrating warehouse task management software into your facility management strategy will allow you to unlock benefits such as: 

1. Increased Productivity 

Once implemented, warehouse task management software will automatically create and queue tasks for you. You can then ensure that each task is assigned to the appropriate team member based on need, priority, and other factors. As such, warehouse task management technologies reduce wasteful employee downtime and accelerate decision-making, for as soon as an employee completes one designated task, they are assigned another one in the queue. 

2. More Efficiency 

Managing warehouse tasks with automated technology and tools can take your efficiency to the next level, as you will no longer have to spend entire workdays creating tasks and going behind employees to ensure all assigned work is completed on time. 

Instead, you’ll gain a high-level view of your entire operation via your warehouse task management technology, where you can also track in-progress tasks, address delays or other issues, monitor team performance, and redistribute work as needed to maximize your overall efficiency.  

3. Eases the Need to Hire Qualified Workers 

When your existing team becomes overwhelmed with work, the traditional solution is to hire more staff members. This is a bigger issue since the industry for a long time has challenges hiring qualified workers, according to the latest MHI Annual Industry Report. 

With a warehouse task management software, it can allow you to get more tasks done with your existing resources, removing the need to hire more.  

One way your new tech tool can help do this is by task interleaving, which combines warehouse tasks so they are completed in one trip. Additionally, you can use your warehouse task assignment tools to maximize both staff and equipment utilization rates, thus reducing waste. 

4. Complete Visibility 

Losing sight of your warehouse tasks and processes can cause major bottlenecks to go unnoticed, and before you know it, your team will be in the hot seat as they scramble to make up lost time and correct mistakes. 

Warehouse task management software makes these nightmare scenarios a thing of the past, providing you with complete visibility of task statuses, due dates, and more, and you can access that data from your office or while on the go using an intuitive mobile app. With the right warehouse task management solution at your disposal, you will always be in the know.  

5. Fewer Disruptions 

When you assign warehouse tasks manually, certain pieces of work can get stuck in limbo. Warehouse task management software prevents that from happening, as it automatically creates and queues tasks for your team members. 

The task distribution capabilities of leading software solutions make delegating work effortless. If an employee fails to complete a task by a set deadline, you will receive an automated notification so that you can address the issue and prevent disruptions to your workflow.   

6. Easier Task Prioritization 

Warehouse task management software uses advanced algorithms to automatically prioritize tasks so you don’t have to, and tapping into such capabilities allows you to increase operational efficiency and promote continuity. You can avoid task backlogs and ensure that the most critical tasks are completed on time. 

7. Improved Customer Satisfaction 

When you modernize your warehouse management processes, everyone wins, especially your customers. Your team will become more efficient and achieve a higher perfect order rate, meaning your customers are less likely to encounter an issue with their deliveries. 

Improving customer satisfaction with warehouse task management software will, in turn, support the long-term growth of your business, as you will set the stage for greater retention rates while strengthening your brand’s reputation within your industry.  

8. Increased Employee Satisfaction 

In the chaos of a poorly-managed warehouse, top-performing employees typically shoulder a disproportionate level of responsibility, which, over time, can lead to burnout, poor morale, and turnovers. Fortunately, you can protect the morale of those employees by ensuring that the workload is properly distributed through your warehouse task management software. You can assign tasks to team members based on skill level, equipment availability, and other relevant factors.  

Summary 

Warehouse task management software can be a true game changer for your organization. By integrating such a solution into your workflow, you can: 

• Increase productivity
• Improve efficiency  
• Reduce hiring needs
• Achieve end-to-end visibility
• Minimize disruptions
• Prioritize tasks more effectively
• Improve customer satisfaction
• Increase employee morale  

Are you ready to automate key workflows, modernize your warehouse, and elevate your productivity? If so, try out our solutions finder tool.  

For more information about warehouse task management software or other warehouse technologies, you can follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook. If you have other inquiries or suggestions, feel free to contact us here. We’ll be happy to hear from you.