Picture this: a client has confirmed a project, you’re going to provide gear and crew for an event. The equipment list is ready to go, the people have been planned: time to gather the necessary equipment.
Warehouse staff takes over and decides to make some convenient additions to the planned equipment, handwriting down the changes on the equipment list. But as things go in a hectic warehouse, the invoicing time comes, and that paper is nowhere to be found. Sounds familiar?
You have no idea what changes have been made, no way to tell what equipment is in or out. You are now risking upcoming shortages, have no grounds to calculate losses; ultimately, you are losing time and money.
Warehouse management tools (those with your industry’s workflows in mind) can help you reduce human error. Here are 3 reasons why warehouse management software will bring you peace of mind.
1. Pack and track efficiently
A good turnover in the warehouse is crucial. The faster, the better. Yet you cannot lose accuracy for the sake of speed.
One of the main benefits of adopting a warehouse management solution is that your staff can work simultaneously on one digital packing slip – no need to share the same physical logging paper. As soon as one of them marks an equipment item as prepped, colleagues will see it updated in real-time and will know exactly what’s left to handle.
Some tools also offer scanning functionalities. That means that your crew can scan items in and out (on a serial number or bulk basis) to keep track of their location at any time. If you are willing to invest a little time; applying QR or barcodes on your gear allows for better oversight by tracking equipment at serial number level and building a rental history of each item.
2. Keep information centralized and up to date
Miscommunication is the number one cause of errors. Managing your warehouse from the cloud means that the communication between planning and execution can be flexible while staying accurate.
The main danger of paper lists is them not being up to date. By taking it online, whatever your colleague does is immediately registered in the system and visible to all. No more tiny notes added on a sheet, no need to reprint the new list all over again. It’s all synced instantly, providing everyone with one centralized and easily accessible source of truth.
Make sure any last-minute change is conveyed to the people who need to know, no delays or lost info. Your warehouse staff keeps the freedom to make changes, and you can sleep soundly.
3. Work everywhere, anytime
Here comes the main benefit; all of it can fit in your pocket. Warehouse management solutions that offer their functionalities on mobile are massively empowering staff both on and offsite. Not only can daily operations in the warehouse be carried out much faster, but the same goes for your crew on the field.
Imagine: 3 AM, your staff is loading the truck to return the equipment to the warehouse. The CUE Button of your CDJ got hammered a bit too much again, they quickly put tape on it to mark it as defective and put it back in the flight case. Chances are no one is going to open that case until the next gig. Last-minute stress incoming.
Wouldn’t it be better if they could just report it from their phones? It’s possible, with a warehouse management tool that is available on mobile. You’ll be notified of necessary repair, you can charge your client additional costs, and the item will be shown as unavailable for the next projects. The same goes for lost equipment.
Let staff report any information when and where it happens. That’s fewer grey hairs on your head and extra cash in your pocket 🙌.
Find the right fit
Every rental business works its own way, especially in the warehouse. Finding the best way to reduce human errors and manage unexpected events may take slightly different forms, but some things are true across the board. Keeping track of the work (while still empowering those who need to execute the job), boosting collaboration and simplifying workflows are game-changers for any business.
There are many rental management solutions on the market, some of which are specifically made for the event industry. With functionalities such as QR and barcode scanning from a mobile App, planning extra equipment and alternatives, reporting repairs and lost equipment; Rentman works relentlessly to be the best one-stop solution in the industry.
Try it out for yourself and see what a stress-free night of sleep feels like!