Set your warehouse up for growth

A rapidly growing warehouse business can get very complex, very quickly. However, the right system can change the game for growing 3PLs, allowing you to implement systems and procedures that enable you to optimize workflows, onboard new customers and team members with ease, and get the most from your resources.

With the right processes in place, you can scale up your business with accuracy, control, and simplicity— and say yes to new business with confidence.

Set up scalable processes

The key to navigating complex logistics — even during peak demand, is being able to scale up processes and boost output with the greatest efficiency. Implementing a warehouse management system to streamline processes, ensure accuracy at each step, simplify tasks, and where possible remove time-consuming manual tasks with automation. 

Having supported numerous west coast Canadian warehouses to scale up and implement new systems, CartonCloud Implementation Specialist Mitch Whitnack knows firsthand how important it is for growth to have the right systems in place.  

“Small businesses who scale up quickly often find it hard to maintain the quality assurance processes they have in place as they grow,” he said. 

“It can happen quickly too— when you do get that increase in demand, all of a sudden, you just snap your fingers and your warehouse is full. Your team is overwhelmed, you’re needing to send your goods to an overflow warehouse and somehow trying to bring in new processes to keep track of all of these moving parts.

“It comes down to this; you need to have the right software in place — software that will allow you to scale up with accuracy and efficiency, and allow you to keep transparency in tracking and recording goods from order to dispatch.

“One you have that foundation in place, you can take on new business and keep the systems your team is used to, keep your order and accuracy, and it’s just so much easier to grow and take on that new demand.” 

An easy-to-use cloud-based system with automated processes also means you can easily bring on new staff, or increase the services your workforce can offer — because it’s all there already, and it’s intuitive and simplified. Tasks are easy to follow, verified through the system, easily tracked, and updated in real-time. 

Having spent years helping warehouses in British Columbia to implement warehouse management software solutions, Mitch said the most important things to look for in a solution are; that the software has features specific to your operations and how easy it is to get the system up and running.

“Most importantly is the ability to adopt the software fully, and CartonCloud just makes the onboarding process so easy. It’s so streamlined that you can just give your phone to someone in the warehouse and they can just pick it up and go. It’s so easy to use, and that’s a game changer,” he said. 

Integrate with transport management 

Warehousing and distribution go hand in hand, which is why it’s essential to ensure your warehouse system can seamlessly transfer data to your transport system or partners.

For local delivery having the ability to pass warehouse information seamlessly through to transport operations is an important step in simplifying dispatch management and planning.

CartonCloud Implementation Specialist Robb Sollows has had over 40 years in the transport industry on the west coast of Canada, and has seen many systems come and go.

“With CartonCloud, we’re seeing customers have the ability to easily pass that information back and forth, which is saving them so much time, and also makes sure they have complete accuracy on both sides,” he said. 

“In North America, transport management systems are a dime a dozen, but they don’t have this warehouse integration side — that will be a game changer for transport companies. Especially those providing cross-docking, and for transport companies who want to provide warehousing services as well; this is a unique product that can help them in providing those services.”

Get a system your team will love 

Keep things simple. Even the most complex logistic operations, detailed rate cards and charging scales, order picking, and distribution planning can be simplified with the right software. 

For Mitch and Rob, the simplicity of use was one of the first things they noticed about CartonCloud— and one of the reasons that drew them to join the team as the first two local Canadian hires within the company’s North American expansion. 

“The design is so user-friendly,” Mitch said. 

"The mobile app is one of the most exciting features. You can use it on any phone, just pull it up and you’re in. See your order, pick, pack — how simple is that?

“The web app just makes life easier. The logic behind the software is so intuitive, it takes complex tasks and simplifies them. Even setting up a rate card; you just start at the top level and work your easy down. It’s simple, it makes sense, and it speeds up the process considerably.”

This month Robb and Mitch traveled to the Gold Coast CartonCloud base to meet the team and get to know some Australian customers. 

“It offers flexibility too. For three different customers of three different sizes, each one can use the software in the way that suits their operations best.” Robb said. 

“Even for smaller transport or warehouse companies who might have been hesitant to invest in software or hardware solutions, we’re seeing that with CartonCloud the implementation is so simple and the software is so intuitive to use, it just fits into their processes perfectly and does what they need it to do.”

“Compared with other software implementations I’ve seen in the past, they were often quite a lengthy processes and the software not as user-friendly so it took quite a bit of training to get the team on board. 

“However, with CartonCloud the software is designed to be used by each person, each step of the process, from admin and customer ordering to the person using it for dispatching, to pick or manage stock in the warehouse, drivers making deliveries — and the ease of which these tasks can be done, really supersedes anything else I have seen.” 

Want to know more? 

Get in touch with our friendly team today to book a FREE Demo at a time that suits you. See our software in action, talk to our experienced team about your operations and services, and find out how CartonCloud can help you revolutionize your operations with ease.