How Error-Free Order Checking Can Help Streamline Quality

Error-free order checking is critical in streamlining quality control processes for 3PL warehouses. It allows you to optimize accuracy and ensure client satisfaction with robust quality control measures. However, error-free order checking requires effective technology to help improve quality control and apply order-picking criteria that reduce the risk of errors. Here’s how error-free order checking is critical to your quality control processes.

Improving Your Ability to Meet SLA Criteria 

Your clients rely on you to improve efficiency in their supply chain. Because you often drive the final legs of the supply chain, you are responsible for providing brand-friendly customer experiences. Without error-free order checking, you can’t fulfill common SLA criteria such as reducing the risk of damaged and lost items, eliminating mispicks that lead to returns, avoiding mis-ships that impact customer trust, and inaccurate inventory levels that lead to order delays.

Improving All Fulfillment Touchpoints 

Error-free order checking helps streamline quality control processes across all fulfillment touchpoints. From the moment the items are received to improved and accurate putaways, you can optimize allocations to streamline your picking processes. However, you must constantly re-evaluate your strategies to find opportunities to reduce touchpoints so orders are processed quickly without increasing the risk of errors. Error-free order checking ensures nothing leaves the warehouse without confirming everything is correct, reducing the number of returns and improving reverse warehouse management processes.

Creating an Error-free Order Checking Process

Quality control sets standards that must be followed every time an order is processed. To create an error-free order-checking process, you need to outline a step-by-step guide for all possible order and delivery scenarios with defined roles and responsibilities for each step. Order checks ensure everything is perfect before shipment and constantly look for opportunities to improve the process. As a result, you introduce checks at the proper touchpoints to create logical workflows at each stage of the receiving, picking, packaging, and shipping process, streamlining quality control.

Deploying Barcode Scanning Processes    

Scanning automates double-checking before orders reach the packing and shipping stage. Barcode scanning ensures that the correct items are placed in the right location during the putaway process so pickers always find the correct items. Pickers can scan the barcodes on items, locations, and orders as an added layer to verify accuracy. It also matches the items to location barcodes to reduce the risk of a picker grabbing misplaced items or items that look alike with less noticeable variations such as color or size. Adding smart space allocation into your process reduces these types of errors. Finally, scanning also eliminates common error-prone manual steps such as data entry.

Use Order Criteria

Technology allows you to set order criteria to alert pickers and team members when an order isn’t handled correctly. You can eliminate errors before they reach the shipping area, as pickers will know a mistake is made and will take steps to ensure the error is corrected.

Setting Precedent Protocols

Errors can occur if your clients have confusing order protocols. For example, if an order indicates free shipping, but the item’s size applies additional shipping costs, what takes precedence, charging the customer or sending it for free? If it is a multiple-item order, does the client prefer items in stock to ship right away and the customer is informed via email that part of the order has shipped, or do they want the entire order to be sent at the same time, regardless of the delay?

Improved Onboarding

Error-free order checking is only as effective as the training you provide warehouse staff. Introducing a robust training process when onboarding new hires or temps helps ensure all steps are followed in your checking process. Using technology to create more streamlined processes with fewer steps and manual tasks simplifies training. It makes it easier to utilize temporary workers during busy seasons without increasing the number of order errors.

Leveraging technology allows you to introduce error-free order checking to streamline your quality control process. You don’t risk slowing down the order process, as the checks are automated, improving customer service. As a result, you help ensure clients renew their contracts and attract more clients via word of mouth.