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 CIC's Distribution Center for Sale
The distribution center of Grafton, VT-based business-to-business cataloger CIC is for sale following CIC's sale to South Hackensack, NJ-based VCOM International Multimedia Corp...
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The Software Corner
By: By Ernie Schell
The Software Corner is a periodic feature of the O+F Advisor and is a round-up of the new and noteworthy from software industry guru Ernie Schell....
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The DCs of Madison County
The best-selling novel The Bridges of Madison County may have put Madison County, Iowa, on the map, but Madison County, Illinois, is now gaining attention for being a hotbed for distribution centers....
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Keeping Tabs on Carriers with Manifesting Software
By: By Sam Flanders
Manifesting software is becoming more sophisticated with each passing year. The software pinpoints the most cost-effective carrier for each package, based on criteria the cataloger has configured into the software. The criteria typically include the physical dimensions of the box the item will be shipped in, the weight of the package, the destination, and the approved carriers. ...
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The Promise of Service-Oriented Architecture
By: By Tom Lehmkuhl and William Taylor
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is generating a lot of buzz these days. In fact, according to a new AberdeenGroup benchmark report, “Enterprise Service Bus and SOA Middleware," nine of every 10 companies are adopting or have adopted service-oriented architectures. ...
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Survey Reveals Changing Trends in Distribution Centers
Early manufacturers and retailers would barely recognize today's complex, fluid distribution centers. Although the basic functions remain the same--receiving and storing products; picking, packing, and shipping orders--distribution centers have evolved along with customer demands. ...
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Proper Sizing in Practice
By: By Charley Johnston and Dale Barbee
A company recently completed an analysis of its pick location sizes and estimated that it could dramatically cut its labor costs. ...
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Why your material handling system may not be performing as expected
By: By Greg Chaffee
Integrated order fulfillment systems are the result of careful planning and countless hours of analysis and design. A major step in this process is understanding your universe of SKUs in terms of the frequency of hits and the associated cubic velocity. How often an item is picked and replenished is a key factor influencing the performance of your overall system. ...
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IT and System Maintenance in the DC
Why is it important to maintain or even monitor our computer systems that operate inside a distribution center? If it’s not broke don’t fix it. I paid all that money so I don’t have to worry about it any more. Why go looking for a problem when there are plenty looking for me?...
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Best Practices in Receiving
By: By Sam Flanders
Receiving is an often-overlooked process in the distribution center. It is common for DC managers to focus on the picking and packing functions instead. Still, if receiving isn't done efficiently and accurately, it can have a direct and dramatic impact on your order selection efficiency. Product that is sitting on the dock or on a pallet in a remote corner of the warehouse is not available for picking. The result could be shortages or the need for excess labor to fill the requirement....
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Using Speech IVR As a Holiday Staffing Strategy, Part II
By: By Mark Abramson
A recent Oracle survey entitled “Holiday Season 2006: What’s in Store?” noted that merchants “are putting IT solutions into place to address [holiday staffing] issues.” Speech automation—also known as speech-enabled interactive voice response, or SIVR—is well suited for addressing such issues because it enables you to streamline your contact center operations. A speech automation application gives customers a self-service option to access information or services they are requesting without the need for a live CSR. This solution can take the best attributes of their best contact center agents and replicate those in a consistent manner. ...
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Cramped Space a Problem in the DC?
By: By Sam Flanders
The effect of growth on the distribution center can be negative. Growth can decrease your performance and increase your errors. Space problems can occur so gradually that you may not even be aware of them. The easiest answer to a space crunch is to get more, but this may not always be the wisest decision. There is often a tradeoff between space and labor and adding space can actually increase your labor costs. Fortunately, there are some strategies can improve both space and labor! Here are a few low cost solutions as well as some higher tech equipment and system based options....
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B-to-B Marketers: Start the Chatter Now, and Bring in the Sales!
By: By Mike Zavershnik
Last month, we discussed five ways business-to-business marketers can use online chat to engage prospects and close deals in “Hey, B-to-B Marketers: Online Chat Isn't Just for B-to-C Anymore.” But if you’re still not convinced that chat is right for your marketing team, you’re not alone. Many b-to-b marketers have hesitations about integrating chat into their programs. Here are the most common concerns voiced by marketers and how to address each one of them: ...
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Survey: 48% Plan to Increase Contact Center Spending
According to research from Indianapolis-based American Teleservices Association nearly half of survey respondents planned to increase contact center spending. Among the key findings on spending and investment plans:...
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Evaluate Your Own Service
Most merchants will say that they shop their own catalog and Websites to monitor customer service, and most customer contact centers have a call monitoring process. But many aren’t doing a good job of evaluating the total customer service experience for their company. Curt Barry, president of Richmond, VA-based operations consultancy F. Curtis Barry & Co., has a question for multichannel merchants: “Are you shopping your company in a consistent and methodical manner across the fulfillment and returns process?” ...
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Service is Key to CCM Strategy
Customer contact management (CCM) is the method and approach that a company uses to manage all of its customers interactions, both incoming and outgoing, across all business functions such as sales, marketing, service, billing and others. CCM is a component of a company's broader customer relationship management and customer loyalty strategy....
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Report: RFID Tide Turning?
Another encouraging dispatch from the RFID front: Nearly three-quarters of second-generation RFID users report better read rates and are more confident that their technology won't soon become obsolete....
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Mandatory Employment Verification on the Horizon
By: By Les Gore
Direct marketing organizations, like all businesses, have been collecting I-9 information since the original Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, which made it illegal for employers to knowingly hire unauthorized workers. Although your attention may be focused on your hourly workers—typically high turnover individuals working in contact centers—all employees must meet the same scrutiny. Part of the IRCA created the I-9 document and the verification process employers must follow today in order to avoid sanctions. ...
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Legislative Update: Strengthening Port Security
The U.S. House of Representatives in May overwhelmingly voted to pass H.R. 4954, the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE). The act focuses on enhancing the security at U.S. ports, preventing threats from reaching the U.S., and tracking and protecting containers en route to the country....
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