Ware house receiving procedure
Having a set in stone routine that employees; even yourself if you are the one who is on the receiving end when items come into the warehouse or holding area, is vital to having a successful warehouse and to also save expenses that will soon build up if care is not given to the following four areas. We'll also explain why each part is crucial.
Shipment Identification
This is when a shipment or delivery is made to the warehouse. The first step is to identify the w's who, what, when, where (from)
Then to go through a mental checklist, if a reference order sheet is made between the shipper and the receiver, this would be when you whip it out to cross check. This is also the point where you whip out a receiving form for products and fill out the details
Who is making the delivery, the employee from the shipper must sign said form to confirm that they did indeed make that shipment.
But why? Because if there still somehow was a mix up, the person signing off the delivery will be held responsible.
What is being sent through the delivery? Does it match up what the business ordered?
Why? Because if the order does not match up, but is something relative to what you do usually order, you may have the wrong reference sheet or there may be a communication issue within the business thus you aren't informed about the shipment. Sometimes the shipper gets mixed up and also makes the wrong delivery so double checking is important. Always try to go to the reference sheet to double check
When the shipment is made, the date that said shipment is delivered needs to be filled out on the form given to shipper as reference to when this specific shipment is made.
But why? Because you may have multiple shipments of the same order, or you may have multiple shipments from the same shipper and you need to have a reference date to fill in the blanks and make sure you get all the orders you paid for.
Where (from) In some cases, shippers may have multiple branches or multiple factory's, you want to specify on your own receiving form which branch that the shipment came from to avoid any miscommunication
Product Count
Now that you've gone through the basics you need to thoroughly, if time provides, to go through the shipment and check for faulty products as well as make sure that all items ordered and stated in the delivery form are accounted for. This is an appropriate time to do a round of QCing to ensure that the standards are met.
But why? Even though most business relationships between factory and and business are on good terms, it is always better to count items and check items whilst a member of staff from the factory is present so that they can confirm with the upper men in the case of there being a few product returns
Receiving Documentation
Once a check through and count of products/shipment items has been made, it is the warehouse's responsibility or the person overlooking this process to fill in the receiving form accordingly and to give a copy to the deliverer.
Why? Proof, proof of everything, the deliverer signing ensures that they confirm what the document says thus both the warehouse and the shipper are on the same terms.
Product Inspection
Adding on to what is mentioned above, this is the real deal. It is done thoroughly again within the warehouse staff to check items and ensure that they follow the list of set standards given by the company.
Why? Easily said, to make sure that customers are satisfied with you. If customers order once, then return and get the same product at a different time to get a faulty product. You are poisoning yourself because unsatisfied customer = bad reviews and then it spreads like an infection.
Even though it may be a lot to take into account to, and may even same tedious at times but it is definitely something all business owners specifically in the e-commerce area must think about thoroughly to ensure it doesn't come back to bite.