Seamless Shipping Integration: Enhancing Efficiency in Warehouses

When you consider the many steps required to get an order processed in your warehouse, you start to understand the importance of finding ways to enhance efficiency. Seamless shipping integration offers ample opportunities to eliminate extra steps in the process, streamline operations, and improve overall shipping efficiency. Here’s how. 

Process Optimization with Automation

Seamless shipping integrations facilitate process optimization in logistics and reduce errors by eliminating manual processes. Optimization includes:

• Finding the optimum rate and printing address labels: Instant access to discounted shipping services ensures customers always receive the best possible rate. From there, the system produces shipping labels either individually or in batches to speed up the process.
• Centralized management of freight accounts: You can easily manage multiple freight accounts as the system consolidates the freight accounts for you and your clients across multiple carriers and sales channels. As a result, you simplify the shipping process while improving visibility.
• Improved accuracy: You can apply automated rules to ensure the correct freight account is used and billed. Incorrect billing is a common error when decisions are left to the warehouse floor. Better yet, you also automatically bill each order to the appropriate freight account, completely eliminating a step for warehouse staff and saving time.
• Reduce the number of returned packages: Address validation greatly reduces the number of returned packages related to address errors. You are warned when addresses are incomplete, so the errors are corrected, and the order is fulfilled. You also improve customer experience by reducing delayed and lost packages.

Shipping Efficiency and Savings with Carrier Integrations

Integration with leading carriers, including UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS creates flexibility so you always access the most cost-effective, fastest shipping solution. With automated rate shopping, your system assesses the order’s weight, dimensions, and destination, runs it through the system, and selects the most cost-effective carrier. ​ You can also make customers happy by using discounted shipping services to save money on shipping costs. Those savings can either be passed on to the end user or help clients improve their profitability.

Streamlined Operations with an All-In-One System

You also save money because there is no need to pay for two systems. Instead, you have a comprehensive end-to-end shipping solution integrated into your WMS. You reduce the need for training, as your team is already familiar with the system, which avoids operational disruptions when you deploy the system.

Reduced Steps to Improve Efficiencies

Through integration, your shipping team receives items for shipment sooner. You can use inventory management to identify top sellers and place those items closer to your shipping department. This reduces steps and streamlines the process so that orders spend less time traveling through your warehouse. This is even more important in warehouses with large square footage, where routes are everything when it comes to efficiency.

Improved Tracking to Resolve Mis-ships and Lost Packages

Integrated shipping systems operate within your WMS while sharing connections with carriers. When packages are lost, or you experience mis-ships you can quickly resolve the issue with complete visibility through improved tracking. You also improve accountability and can find where errors occur to put processes in place to improve accuracy and reduce errors.

Package tracking allows your team to quickly receive errors and complaints and get the ball rolling to resend packages. Effective labeling also creates easier customer returns. In fact, you can also minimize picking errors in the first place, by using the system to facilitate assembled products, bundling, batching, etc. When orders are easier to pick, pickers are less likely to grab the wrong items.

Reduce Common Shipping Errors

Shipping integration helps eliminate common shipping errors, including:

• Inaccurate shipment weights that lead to increased fees or, in some cases, returns by the carrier
• Inaccurate freight class, which leads to re-classification fees to ensure the carrier is paid properly
• Undeliverables related to special delivery instructions, such as delivering at the back where the liftgate is, leaving the package at a neighbour’s if the customer isn’t home, or receiving a signature. These mistakes can all lead to returns that impact efficiency.
• Relying on a single carrier that may lead to delays if they are unable to pick up shipments as required
• Incorrect addresses on the label or bill of lading

Eliminate SLA-Related Errors

You can eliminate errors based on special SLA criteria through shipping integration. For example, failing to follow protective packaging guidelines. In this case, carriers will likely put damaged goods costs back on you. Also, not following packaging criteria related to branding requirements can lead to lost contracts. Integrated shipping ensures your team has the information they need to follow SLA requirements.

As you can see, shipping integration improves all touchpoints of the shipping process allowing you to enhance efficiency in your warehouse.