Category: Process Management

Is now the time to migrate to Android devices in your warehouse?

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Is now the time to migrate to Android devices in your warehouse?

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Guest Blog Post
Finn Madden, Product Content Specialist • eCommerce/Marketing
Emkat, a Barcodes Group company

Android has industry-leading security features for your warehouse

In a digital world, every organization—big or small—is exposed to the threat of cyber attacks. Regardless of size, cyber security is critical for all organizations and goes beyond protecting networks, devices, and data. This includes assessing hand-held scanning devices used in the warehouse that may be running outdated operating systems. Read on to learn why now is the time to migrate to newer Android devices in your warehouse.

Microsoft ends support of the Windows Mobile operating system

Microsoft’s commitment to enterprise mobile computing is waning. As of December 10, 2019, Windows mobile device users are no longer eligible to receive new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free assisted support options, or online technical content updates from Microsoft for free. This means that Windows devices will still work, but those devices running the last official supported version of Windows 10 Mobile won’t receive any more updates or patches from Microsoft. Without updates or patches, the Windows 10 Mobile device’s security will be at risk.

Outdated operating systems increase security risks

Using outdated mobile operating systems creates cyber security vulnerabilities and compliance risks that can have enormous cost and business implications. If your company still uses Windows Mobile, Windows CE, and Windows Embedded Handheld devices, you must be aware of the risks in your enterprise mobility strategy: security risks, a lack of new Windows device availability, and most importantly, a lack of future operating system innovation.

Windows applications are not forward compatible. This means if you want to remain with Windows, you’ll have to take on the costly, time-consuming process of reprogramming and migrating applications and databases. With Windows devices posing a serious security risk to organizations of all sizes, migrating to a new platform is necessary to avoid cyber attacks. Given this, the industry is switching to Android.

Why switch to Android devices in your warehouse?

Android incorporates industry-leading security features and works with developers and device implementers to keep the Android platform and ecosystem safe. Android is the world’s most popular mobile operating system. It offers a user-friendly, intuitive interface along with many development tools supported by a global developer community. This makes the process of migrating to new solutions such as riteSCAN 8 Mobile Warehouse for SYSPRO much more efficient.

Android has been subject to a rigorous security program. It was designed with multilayered security that can adapt to support an open platform while still protecting all its users. Users can have full control over their own privacy and security through visibility into the permissions requested by each App. Designed with the expectation that cyber attacks would occur, Android security both reduces the chance of these attacks and greatly limits the impact of an attack if one were to occur.  

Future proof your technology investment with Android solutions. Android stands out from the crowd as an open, user friendly operating system while still maintaining vital security controls for mobile platforms and mobile warehouse management software like riteSCAN.

Learn more about Android hand-held devices
Learn more about riteSCAN that runs on the latest handheld devices

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Managing Your Business Diet for the Long Haul

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Managing Your Business Diet for the Long Haul

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With every diet, you set a goal, determine the steps you’ll take to attain it, and get to work. And, with enough effort and perseverance, you may eventually hit your goal. The same is true for your business. But what is the real measure of success? Is it when you initially ‘hit the goal’? Or, is it figuring out how to maintain the goal for the long haul?

Tips for Managing Your Business Diet for the Long Haul

Use a Schedule

Times may look different in 2020, but people are still as busy as ever. When life gets chaotic, the first thing to fall off track is usually my diet. But when I schedule my workouts and plan meals, I stay on track. This works for my business too. When my team schedules time to work on specific tasks, their projects are more likely to stay on track with a lot less stress.  

Block Time for MITs

Another benefit of scheduling is efficient time management. When your to-do list is a mile long, every second counts. When I schedule blocks of time for my most important tasks (MITs)—especially those that take hours to complete—I stay focused and get more done. Your team can make every second count too—even when time is limited—by using scheduling software.  

Track Your Progress

Do you remember when I talked about using a food diary? While I like to consider myself accountable, maintaining a food diary quickly highlighted the flaws in my diet. Those extra calories really added up. Scheduling and tracking time are similar. You can’t see how much time is being wasted, or what processes are slowing you down, until you take the time to track what is done throughout the day. Use time tracking software with real-time dashboards and scheduling. It can give you the visibility you need to identify issues and make changes that will help you achieve results for the long haul.

Have you started a ‘business diet’ yet? Now’s the time. Start tracking time to identify ways to improve productivity now and for the long haul!

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Thinking About Going Paperless?

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Thinking About Going Paperless?

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Now more than ever, we are living in a digital world where access to information is a top priority. If 2020 has taught us anything, we’ve learned that being nimble is critical to achieving long-term business success. Going paperless with a digital warehouse management solution can not only help you adapt as the market changes, but also provide real-time insights from any location and improve your bottom line.

There are four key money saving benefits to going paperless that are often overlooked in the manufacturing world.

1. Reduced Errors

Did you know that, on average, humans make one error per every 300 characters entered? These errors are more easily avoided with a paperless system. We’re all human after all; so when an error does occur, corrections can be made quickly and seamlessly as transactions occur in the warehouse. With paper, errors may not be caught until days, or even weeks later.

2. Less Wasted Time

How much time do you spend entering data manually? And afterwards, can you rely on the accuracy of those numbers at any given moment? Have you ever walked across the warehouse in search of an item, only to find that it is not where it is supposed to be? Before you know it, 30 minutes have been wasted looking for it. Going paperless, not only reduces duplicate data entry, but saves time by helping you to locate items in your warehouse with the ease of a hand-held device.

3. Lower Warehousing Costs

Good warehouse space is important, but expensive. Inaccurate inventory numbers drive the need for larger inventories and increased warehouse space to compensate. Reduce errors and maximize the space you already have by improving your processes and going digital.

4. Higher Satisfaction

Inventory inaccuracies and mispicks create frustration, reduce customer satisfaction, and negatively impact your bottom line. On average, one mispick can cost a warehouse up to $200. That number can add up quickly. Investing in an inventory system that increases accuracy and efficiency will also result in increased satisfaction for all parties involved.

Are you interested in learning more about how going paperless can benefit your warehouse? Watch the webinar below!

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Our sales & implementation specialists are experts in the field and would love to help you. Contact us to learn more!

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How to Tell if Your Business Diet is Working

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How to Tell if Your Business Diet is Working

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If you’ve been following along, you know that I recently started a food diary. Working from home was wreaking havoc on my diet. I realized that tracking what I consumed and how I ‘spent’ my calories was the reality check that I needed. The same can be true for your business. Tracking activities can help jump start your business diet, but how do you know if your diet is working?

Check your ‘diary’

Greater Accountability

I have reached for more than one unhealthy snack since I started my food diary. But, keeping track of what I eat keeps me focused on my priorities. The same mindset applies to your business. When you and your team write down how you spend your time, it holds you accountable and keeps you on track.

Greater Accuracy

One of the big benefits of a diary is that it gives you a more accurate reflection of your daily activities. When you track your business activities in real time—instead of relying on job or task estimates after the fact—the data is more accurate. It becomes easy to discover where your ‘wasted calories’ are coming from. Plus, you’re less likely to forget that extra ‘time snack.’ Five extra minutes might not seem like much, but it really adds up over time!

Use Your Data

A big challenge with most ‘diets’ is knowing what works. Are you seeing changes? Do the changes align with your priorities? A simple way to measure progress is to use a dashboard. It helps you see where you can improve team performance and productivity. Plus, the adjustments you make will be based on facts instead of guesswork or out-of-date job standards.

Compare Performance

When I started my food diary, I needed a little bit of extra motivation. So, I teamed up with my neighbor to track our performance together! Use your data-driven dashboards to compare team performance and generate a little friendly competition. This will drive accountability and generate performance improvements.

Stick with it. Watch your dashboard to identify opportunities for improvement and and make adjustments accordingly. You’ll be seeing results in no time.

tips and tricks to trimming up your business diet

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Does your business need a diet?

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Does your business need a diet?

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When I got dressed last week, I learned the truth. Too many trips to the refrigerator for snacks while working from home has made me—and my cat—gain a few pounds. I knew it was time to make some changes in my daily routine. As a small business owner, this made me stop and think. How do you know when your business needs a diet and where the extra “calories” are coming from?

Start a “food” diary

These days, it is easy to eat too much. I started tracking what I eat, the amount of exercise I get, and my weight. This lets me see the overall impact of my routine. The same can be true for your business. People operate differently when they see the bigger picture and the impact of how their time is spent. Have your team start tracking time. Think of it as a food diary. It will help identify where the extra “calories” are coming from.

Skip the paper; use an App

I quickly discovered that I kept losing my food diary. It was never where I needed it, and I kept forgetting what I ate. The same is likely true for your team and paper time sheets. Skip the frustration. Use a simple time tracking App. Your team will never lose it; and better yet, time can be accurately tracked as work happens on or off-site.

Make changes and see the results

My food diary shows that I love chicken wings. I cut back and started spending more time on my bike. I’m starting to see results. Your team’s “food diary” will capture where time is spent, track productivity, and help you pinpoint problem areas to address.

ideas to have heatlhy habits for yourself and your business when working remotely
Start a "food diary." You'll be seeing results in no time.

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Tips to Help Your Staff Work Remotely

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Tips to Help Your Staff Work Remotely

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During this time of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people still need human interaction. Thanks to technology, it is easier than ever to stay connected — even when we can’t be together in person. As a software company, the riteSOFT team routinely works remotely while serving our global customer base. While we may be working from home, we still have practices in place to keep us connected and encourage collaboration. Keep reading for some tips and tricks to help your staff work remotely.

Tips to Help Your Staff Work Remotely

man working remotely with headset in living space

Provide the right communication tools

Today’s communication tools can make remote work easier than ever before. Utilize products like Microsoft Teams and Zoom video conferencing to communicate effectively to enable chat communication, phone calls, and video meetings. Many of these services are available for free right now to support remote workers. Start using remote technology if you are not already doing so! Efficient, secure file sharing is also important. Consider setting up a SharePoint site for your team.

Touch base with your staff regularly

With remote work, it can be easy to become disconnected. Morning chats in the break room and catching up on each other’s weekends becomes more challenging. Check in daily. Do more than a quick e-mail. Take the time to schedule a phone call, video session, or team conference call to stay connected.

Encourage a Routine

One of the first mistakes many people make when working remotely is to give up their morning getting-ready for work routine. Encourage your employees to maintain their previous routine! Get dressed. Put on real clothing. Change out of those pajamas! And, set guidelines. Create a regular work area to eliminate distractions. Try to encourage your team to work within their regularly scheduled hours. Stick to start and end times. This helps maintain a sense of normalcy and consistency during uncertain times.

Set Clear Goals

When working remotely, trust is key. Knowing that your employees are getting their work done is much easier to do when you set clear goals. By setting specific short-term tasks to achieve goals, you can know your team is moving forward, even if they aren’t on site. Use your touch base meetings to see what has been accomplished, what needs to be done, and to ensure that weekly tasks are being completed.

Utilize Time Tracking Tools

Even when working from home, you can help keep your employees on track and accurately gauge how much work is being done. Consider utilizing a time tracking tool to ensure productivity and motivation stay high!

Has your team tried working remotely? With a little work and consistency, remote work can be just as successful with amazing results.

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4 Reasons Why Paper Timesheets are Hurting Your Business

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4 Reasons Why Paper Timesheets are Hurting Your Business

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If you have hourly employees, then time sheets are a part of your daily routine. In manufacturing, time tracking is more than just when an employee begins and ends their day, however. Sticking to your paper time cards may seem like the most cost effective method, but keep reading to see why paper time sheets might actually be hurting your business.

4 Reasons Why Paper Timesheets are Hurting Your Business

1. Inaccurate Data

You have likely seen it before. Employees track time throughout the week on specific jobs and tasks. But if you watch closely, you will likely find them entering an average ‘guess’ at the actual amount of time spent on a specific task or writing down approximate start and stop times.

2. Lack of Up-To-Date Information

Do you struggle with maintaining accurate data, managing inventory, and quickly knowing the actual cost of completing a job or task? A lack of up-to-date job costing information is likely to blame—and your paper time sheets might be, too. Without precise labor and production data, you can’t assess the true time and cost to complete a job. This impacts your ability to competitively price your products, which can result in large profit losses over time.

3. More Mistakes and Errors

If you deal with paper timesheets, then you also deal with mistakes, difficult handwriting, and employees forgetting to turn them in. Correcting mistakes and tracking down lost timesheets costs you money and prevents you from working on more important tasks. Maybe it’s time to automate your time tracking. Digital time sheets allow for quick corrections, supervisor overrides, fast approvals and more.

4. Time Spent on Payroll

Digital time sheets help you better track time and monitor employee hours, and they also save you payroll time. Imagine the time that could be saved by eliminating the need to read messy time sheets, manually enter the data, and then submit the data to payroll.

Is your business still using paper timesheets? What could you gain by reducing errors and gaining more accurate time monitoring capability?

Check out riteTIME

Have questions about the blog?

Our sales & implementation specialists are experts in the field and would love to help you. Contact us to learn more!

Want to read more? Check out our latest blog posts!

If you have hourly employees, then time sheets are a part of your daily routine. In manufacturing, time tracking is more than just when an employee begins and ends their day, however. Sticking to your paper time cards may seem like the most cost effective method, but keep reading to see why paper time sheets might actually be hurting your business.

4 Reasons Why Paper Timesheets are Hurting Your Business

1. Inaccurate Data

You have likely seen it before. Employees track time throughout the week on specific jobs and tasks. But if you watch closely, you will likely find them entering an average ‘guess’ at the actual amount of time spent on a specific task or writing down approximate start and stop times.

2. Lack of Up-To-Date Information

Do you struggle with maintaining accurate data, managing inventory, and quickly knowing the actual cost of completing a job or task? A lack of up-to-date job costing information is likely to blame—and your paper time sheets might be, too. Without precise labor and production data, you can’t assess the true time and cost to complete a job. This impacts your ability to competitively price your products, which can result in large profit losses over time.

3. More Mistakes and Errors

If you deal with paper timesheets, then you also deal with mistakes, difficult handwriting, and employees forgetting to turn them in. Correcting mistakes and tracking down lost timesheets costs you money and prevents you from working on more important tasks. Maybe it’s time to automate your time tracking. Digital time sheets allow for quick corrections, supervisor overrides, fast approvals and more.

4. Time Spent on Payroll

Digital time sheets help you better track time and monitor employee hours, and they also save you payroll time. Imagine the time that could be saved by eliminating the need to read messy time sheets, manually enter the data, and then submit the data to payroll.

Is your business still using paper timesheets? What could you gain by reducing errors and gaining more accurate time monitoring capability?

Check out riteTIME