A well-organized, accurate inventory is necessary to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction. That’s why your receiving operation is a key component to the success of your business. But truth be told, most inventory issues arise from oversights and errors in those same warehouse receiving processes that are so critical.

But what if I told you the path to a smooth, error-free warehouse is easier than you think? Here are some easy steps you can take to optimize your receiving process and create a more efficient warehouse.

1. “Pre-Receive” to Prepare For Success

Taking the right steps before your shipment arrives is probably the most important thing you can do. Make sure you know exactly what items will be delivered, in what quantities, and the number of boxes. Some of the common packaging requirements you should take note of include:

• Label position & information
• Number of packages per pallet
• Items per container
• Package size/weight requirements

You should also plan ahead to ensure you have enough staff on hand to handle your shipments and schedule those man hours accordingly. 

2. Thoroughly Identify/Document Incoming Shipments

Once all your information is up-to-date and you know the items you’ll be receiving, you’ll have the data you need to check your shipments to ensure accuracy and that your items are free from damage. Make sure you compare the purchase order, invoice, and receipt and report any issues to your supplier to ensure replacements or refunds can be sent out in a timely manner. Finally, your inventory clerk should take the product information and enter that into your warehouse management system (WMS) to allow all departments in your organization to access the information they need.

Tip: A good WMS can help expedite this process along with a supply chain visibility tool that allows you to compare what was ordered vs. what was shipped and view a timeline of your entire order (date/time of creation, shipments, docs, exceptions).

3. Have a Plan for Stocking & Replenishing

Before moving items to their designated area of the warehouse, make sure to scan them into your ERP or WMS—replacing barcodes if necessary and updating bin and shelf numbers. After that, it’s all about restocking. This is a critical part of the process because it’s key for maintaining customer satisfaction and an efficient warehouse. Leaving a bit of wiggle room will allow you to not miss a beat should you receive damaged goods or incur clerical errors. Make sure items are consistently re-ordered in a timely manner (e.g. every week, every 4 weeks, etc.) as well to ensure there’s no interruption in availability.

Ready to Take Charge of Your Receiving?

With the right software in place to work with your ERP or WMS and a little bit of guidance, you too can create an efficient receiving process that optimizes your inventory and maximizes customer satisfaction. And we can help!

Meet Syncrofy! Designed with non-technical users in mind, Syncrofy provides full supply chain visibility and actionable insights from day one—no need to configure, map, or develop a specialized data warehouse. It calculates fill rate and lead time for both orders and shipments and reconciles invoices against POs, shipment documentation, and receipts to identify quantity and price discrepancies. Not only are you empowered to make smarter, better-informed decisions, but you’ll be able to monitor and compare suppliers on KPIs to improve your order fulfillment accuracy and timeliness, prevent stockouts, and achieve an ROI up to three times your initial investment.

What else is Syncrofy capable of? To learn how it can help you take back control over your receiving and supply chain, click here.