Improved Accuracy
From a consumer’s perspective, there are few things more disappointing than opening a package only to find out it’s the wrong product. The buyer is left inconvenienced and empty handed, while the company also takes a hit, and is stuck paying for returns or exchanges. Voice guided solutions, however, ensure that any room for error is virtually eliminated. By notifying the DC worker that they have selected the wrong product, the employee is allowed the opportunity to correct their mistake before the shipment leaves the center. After a major healthcare provider implemented this new system, it saw a 50 percent reduction in errors, improving the accuracy to over 99.99 percent.

Increased Productivity
While speed and accuracy tend to be inversely related in the workplace, voice picking proves to be the exception. By communicating directly with DC employees, devices help workers navigate the warehouse using a “hands free, eye free” approach. This is similar to the transition from paper maps to GPS devices. Picking routes are optimized for peak efficiency while workers save time by not having to determine the location of their next item. Companies that implement voice guided solutions report increased worker productivity of 30 percent or higher.

Not only is this valuable for the long-term success of the company, but it’s especially useful for training seasonal workers. Voice guided equipment virtually eliminates the need for some trainings, particularly with the general public’s growing comfortability of using consumer-based virtual assistants like Alexa or Siri.

Greater Functionality
Android voice picking devices also offer connective functionality and provide far more offerings than traditional scanners. By making the upgrade to connected devices, technology solutions can communicate with one another and with the DC worker to increase performance. For example, a device can reroute an employee if they’re in the path of an approaching forklift, or the device can provide progress updates to workers by letting them know if they’re ahead or behind of schedule, ensuring maximum efficiency and safety.

Whether you’re upgrading your current devices or implementing voice guided solutions for the first time, you can rest assured that your profits, productivity and customer satisfaction will rise. Be sure to talk to your ScanSource representative about next steps, and don’t forget that our Customer Configuration Center provides turnkey offerings, including software installations, hardware configuration and warehouse mapping.