When it comes to WMS upgrades, not all projects are created equal.
Over the years, we’ve learned that not every deployment is set up for success from the start, and that the right partnership matters just as much as the software itself.
So, before we commit to facilitating an upgrade or install with a new customer, just as we expect potential customers to evaluate us, we also evaluate potential partnerships. Here are five red flags that we look out for:
Success starts with setting realistic expectations.
Sometimes potential clients come to us with visions of instant transformation, achieved through zero operational disruption. Expectations like this can totally derail a project before it even starts.
Because, if a business isn’t prepared for the journey – and deploying a new WMS is a substantial and significant change, rather than a quick Band-Aid solution – then we consider that to be a clear sign that they might not be ready for the commitment needed to get it right.
We look for partners who understand the scope of the upgrade they’re asking for and who are prepared for the strategic investment of time, money, and energy that it takes.
Change management is the backbone of any successful project. It’s something that requires full commitment and it’s a red flag for us when a business underestimates the importance of guiding their team through the change process.
This can show up as a lack of allocated budget for training or implementation support, or it can show up as a visible absence of leadership support for the project… amongst other things.
When we see things like this, we see a significant risk – typically businesses that don’t commit to managing change in a thorough and thoughtful way end up with a low adoption rate for their new system.
And the knock-on effect of that is that they aren’t able to fully leverage their new system’s capabilities.
Effective communication and collaboration within a company are vital when it comes to the smooth deployment of an advanced system like Dispatcher WMS. And they’re also a good indicator of the level of communication and collaboration that we’re likely to see as partners.
When departments operation in silos, or if there’s obvious friction between teams, then it complicates data flow and it slows down the kinds of system processes that are crucial for a WMS to function optimally.
We look for organisations that demonstrate strong internal connection and synergy. This is often reflected in their project management and problem-solving approaches during preliminary discussions.
Technical readiness isn’t only to do with having the latest hardware. It’s also about a business’s overall attitude towards technology.
If a company is reluctant to update outdated systems, or if it doesn’t really want to invest in necessary infrastructure, then it’s likely that implementing a system like a WMS is going to pose a significant challenge.
This kind of reluctance to invest could seriously hinder the performance of something like Dispatcher WMS, and not doing so would likely limit the potential benefits and efficiencies that it the software could offer.
And finally, something we see more often that we’d like; companies who have left it too late to plan and execute a WMS implementation comfortably and methodically.
There are people who contact us for help who would massively benefit from implementing Dispatcher WMS, and who are, indeed, desperate to do so. But they’ve ignored their operational needs for so long that they have left it too late, and instead, now spend their days dealing with emergencies.
They’re so overwhelmed by trying to keep their heads above water and their businesses afloat that they have no time to pause, take a breath and implement.
Sometimes you must have the basics covered before you implement. Sometimes you must implement in order to get the basics covered.
At Socius24, we look for projects where the commitment, readiness and stability of potential customers will allow them to fully take advantage of the transformation offered by Dispatcher WMS.
We won’t take your money if we don’t think we can help you. But we can offer you some advice (if you’d like – otherwise ignore this next bit).
If you’ve read the above and recognise one or more of the issues raised, we’d suggest you go through the following process:
However, if you read our Five Reasons and thought ‘Nope, we don’t do any of that’, then you’re probably ready to implement a WMS now.
And if you’re ready to discuss a future-proof WMS upgrade with a team that prioritises thoroughness and a good fit, then please feel free to reach out to us on info@Socius24.com. We’d be delighted to hear from you.
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