Document Management – Improve your shipping and delivery document processes

Distribution centers must include numerous shipping documents
before products can be released. The speed and accuracy of obtaining the
right documentation has a direct impact on a company’s bottom line.
Such documents may include information that may not be currently maintained
in your current systems (such as routes, stop and customer information).
They may be generated from multiple systems including the billing system,
accounting system, warehouse management system, customer relationship
systems, labeling, and freight systems. Multiple documents are released
by users at staggered times of the day.

Ninety percent (90%) of these documents require
manual handling and preparation of customer delivery documents.

The delivery documents that are part of the current processes have a
measurable impact on business. Preprinted documents are very costly. Document
management, if not properly streamlined with your warehousing solution,
can increase staffing requirements.

Employee moral will decrease with high volume levels of shipments or
as shipment expedition increases. Customer service is impaired if documents
are not properly organized. Manual preparation and processing of documents
allows the opportunity for mistakes by overwhelmed staff members during
busy or peak periods.

Streamlining customer delivery documents can reduce costs in two areas:
1) labor costs and 2) paper costs.

Labor costs can be reduced by:

• elimination of direct “manual” labor required to produce
  delivery documents;
• elimination of operator intervention of releasing the shipping documents;
• reduction of operator time to manage forms-based printers; and
• eliminating manual collation of these documents.

Paper costs can be reduced up to 75% by:

• converting to plain paper from pre-printed forms;
• using plain versus preprinted forms; and
• reducing supplies, maintenance and storage costs with fewer documents.

Streamlining of documents has other “intangible” benefits
that have a direct impact on customer service.

These benefits include:

• elimination of human error in assembling customer delivery documents;
• automation of processes and reduction of turnaround time for delivery
  drivers;
• enhanced controls for manifests, labels, packing lists, invoices,
  credit notes and return material authorizations; and
• automation of supporting forms such as UPS or FedEx shipping labels.

These benefits also reduce handling costs and improve shipping accuracy.
Most importantly, streamlining documentation increases on time performance
and increases customer satisfaction.

If your business will benefit from streamlined document generation process
for warehousing or distribution, please contact us to discuss your needs.
As your trusted business advisors, we have several different options that
can be implemented immediately to provide fast return on investment. Additionally,
we can review your current processes and make recommendations to operational
procedural changes that can increase efficiencies of your company. Please
contact us at info@axisintegratedsoltions.com.