Like the warehouse management system (WMS) software itself, WMS software training should be customized for your specific business requirements. With a generic training program, you run the risk of not giving your warehouse staff the necessary skills to productively complete daily warehouse operations. Not only that, but you’re also potentially putting worker safety at risk by not giving them the proper knowledge or tools to complete their tasks.
In this article, we’ll discuss the features of a good WMS software training program, tips for implementing an effective training program, and what DATASCOPE does to make the WMS training process easier for you.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD WMS SOFTWARE TRAINING PROGRAM?
The purpose of any good WMS software training goes beyond understanding how to use the hardware and software; the goal is to ensure software users know how to move products through your warehouses efficiently and safely. By cutting corners during the software training, you can almost guarantee poor worker performance, low supply chain efficiency and higher costs associated with user errors.
While training doesn’t have to be a sacrifice of short-term costs for long-term productivity, don’t underestimate the necessary investment in time and resources to get the warehouse staff completely trained. Generally, the more functionality the software contains, the longer the onboarding and training process becomes. Additionally, the type of software training program depends largely on the number of workers to be trained, the complexity of your organization, and whether you’re simply training new hires or getting everyone in your organization up to speed with a new WMS.
You should also take into consideration whether you’ll be doing in-person training or holding virtual, online training sessions. While an in-person training event allows trainees to network with other members of your organization, online or virtual training allows you to train workforces in multiple countries and avoid dealing with the logistics of sending workers to specific training locations, if you have multiple warehouses.
Most of the training process should be hands-on, training everyone in the most commonly used modules and functionality for the most common warehouse tasks. Train the warehouse area supervisors first so that they can then train their own teams. This practice is known as superuser training and it has been shown to be more effective than training everyone at once.
TIPS FOR IMPLEMENTING A WMS SOFTWARE TRAINING PROGRAM
Selecting and implementing a WMS into your supply chain can already be tricky if you don’t have the right procedures or tools in place. Don’t make the training process more difficult than it needs to be. Here are some tips for properly training your warehouse workers to use your WMS software:
- Whether you’re changing your WMS or onboarding new hires, make sure users don’t feel rushed while learning the new software system. The more relaxed and comfortable your staff feels, the quicker they’ll learn.
- Get your IT team involved right off the bat to fix issues that may arise throughout the software implementation, or to help guide the training process.
- Support your staff throughout training, encouraging everyone to attend and remain engaged throughout every training session.
- Complete the training in phases. You can do the general training first to give everyone a solid foundation in using the software for every-day tasks like picking, receiving, order management and inventory management. Later on, once roles have been more clearly defined, you can get into the specific functionality and special-use cases.
- Document everything as you go so that onboarding and training becomes more efficient in the future. With good documentation and standard operating procedures in place, you’re setting yourself up for long-term, sustainable success.
- Know the operational constraints of your business at the beginning so that the necessary resources can be acquired and training timelines can be adjusted. Training should only happen once all functionality is finalized and the testing and tweaks are nearly complete.
DATASCOPE WMS SOFTWARE TRAINING
DATASCOPE offers an online learning portal called DATASCOPE University to provide a wide range of free, high-quality warehousing and WMS software training to all of our clients and partners. With main training courses on how to manage the technical aspects of the software, including installation, hardware configuration, software administration, and voice-based technology, we’ve made sure our WMS software training is as relevant and informative as possible, while also keeping trainees engaged with various interactive, multimedia resources. Online quizzes are available to assess trainee progress. These quizzes include multiple-choice, true-false, and matching types of questions and are meant to act as a comprehensive, real-time evaluation of the worker’s understanding of the training materials.
In addition to the primary technical training, we offer a number of other training modules covering topics like how to run a successful warehouse, how to manage an effective DATASCOPE WMS project and what to expect from the DATASCOPE project lifecycle. DATASCOPE also has a well-developed, ongoing client support system thanks to our professional distribution network of DATASCOPE Solutions Providers (DSPs). Our site support methodology includes monthly support contracts, regular site visits from a DSP support consultant, warehouse health audits, and regular software updates with brand new functionality.
DATASCOPE is a premier provider of custom WMS software and world-class supply chain solutions for the global SYSPRO community. We’re focused on building long-term partnerships with our DSPs and clients to help them optimize their supply chain management — and that starts with the proper software training. Maximize your training ROI by ensuring all of your workers understand the WMS software inside and out so that they feel comfortable adding their own functions and features to suit your business needs.
Schedule your software demo today to see the benefits of DATASCOPE WMS firsthand.