Voice Picking Technology for Warehouses

When it comes to picking solutions for the warehousing industry, there is one particular solution that is often preferred over others. It’s called “Voice Picking”. As the name indicates, the solution relies on voice technology. What voice picking does is that it establishes a clear line of communication between your teams and mission critical objectives by leveraging the simplest form of communication – a conversation (or speech).
The use of voice picking eliminates the need for paper or RF scanners. All that is needed is that your workers communicate picking orders via a headset. Pickers can then scan the warehouses based on the information given to them.
Voice picking allows for improved productivity, greater accuracy, and better safety.
However, when it comes to the actual application aspect of things, voice picking does present a few challenges. So, it’s a wise idea to educate yourself about these challenges in order to ensure smooth implementation and long-term operation.
Here are 6 key factors to consider with regard to these challenges.
WiFi/radio frequency
You will require a strong WiFi signal capable of covering large areas. It’s necessary if you intend to reach out to pickers across office and storage areas. So, ask your vendor for a signal strength test before making your choice. Also, think ahead. Even if you’re implementing this for the first time, consider future enhancements such as keyed data entry, voice support for mobile devices, and barcode scanning.
Voice clarity
Voice systems can have problems deciphering responses owing to background noises that might be present within the warehouse environment. Other than that, there are also challenges in the area of understanding dialects and accents. So, make sure your voice picking system is equipped to handle all these issues.
Alterations
Quite often, the implementation of a voice picking system requires products and locations to have their names changed. It’s a necessary to do this in order to make sure your warehouse is configured to fall in line with the voice picking system’s parameters.
So, make sure you calculate the costs of such alterations before you invest in a particular voice picking option.
Design
You also need to consider the possibility that your voice picking system might not be able to handle all requirements. For instance, some systems have exceptions that will need your pickers to go offline and switch to manual mode.
Make sure you discuss all of this with your vendor. Find out if there are particular sequences that require offline operation or any other similar challenges.
Training
Implementing any system obviously will entail training. However, the training part is one of the hardest. Often, your workers will simply find things to be too complex and refuse to adapt. But, if you want greater productivity and safety, you can’t ignore new technology.
So, make sure you are choosing a voice picking solution that allows for easier and more effective training. Consider things such as the availability of training materials, hands-on training, and the possibility of initial productivity loss.