There are countless reasons to consider a move from a paper-based warehouse management system to a software-based solution. A software-based Warehouse Management System plays a vital role in reducing waste in your operations and increasing efficiency at every stage of the process. Here are five facts about Warehouse Management Systems that you may not know.

1. You could reduce your paper management costs by up to 80%. According to some studies, companies spend an average of $20 per invoice on manual processing. By contrast, automated processing can cost less than $5 per invoice and reduce the processing time significantly.
   
   
2. You are missing the big picture. Warehouse management software is designed to collect data and analyze metrics on many different levels and across multiple activities. With paper warehouse management, it is nearly impossible to collect all of these numbers and put them into a meaningful format for analysis. Software-based systems are able to isolate trends and track metrics that you have never been able to see in the past.
   
   
3. WMS is proactive. Instead of thinking about WMS as simply a different way of processing information, think about it as a proactive solution that helps prevent errors. With barcoding and compliance enforcement, your new warehouse management software will relay important information to your team members and keep them from making mistakes by alerting them when there is a problem. Mistakes that are caught in-process can be corrected far more easily than mistakes caught down the road.
   
   
4. It's custom fit for you. No two warehouses are exactly alike in scale or operation. Every Warehouse Management System should be custom designed to work in your environment. The team of professionals at your solutions provider are experts in implementation and bring their experience to the table when designing a system that is right for you.
   
   
5. You could keep less stock on your shelves. As you start getting more information out of your WMS, it will help you find slow movers where you are overstocked. In addition, since you are moving products smoothly and not allowing them to be misplaced, you will be able to replenish your stock on a tighter timeline. This means less wasted space and less product gathering dust in the corners of your warehouse.

Warehouse management software is the best alternative to paper-based warehouse management. It saves you money in many ways but can also help you reinvent your warehouse processes. By choosing a fully customized warehouse solution, you will know that the information you are getting is useful and relevant, and you can put it to use immediately to improve your efficiency all around.