Limited by Paper Processes
Before RF-SMART, the University of Virginia Bookstore was relying on manual inventory tracking to meet student needs. “Our processes were totally reliant on paper, manual transactions,” said Cristy Huffman, Executive Director of the University of Virginia Bookstore. From receiving to inventory control, the UVA team was leveraging pen and paper processes to maintain their records. “The past process would include printing a physical receiving document, counting, and recording quantities by hand,” said Cristy.
“From there, receiving documentation would be matched to the packing list and delivered to the business office for manual entry in our system.”
This multi-step process meant some shipments could take an entire day to receive and log into their system of record. What’s more, multiple departments were relying on these paper-based systems to be accurate and timely, opening the door for more risk and productivity lags. They determined that the right software would help them remove many of those steps and consolidate all business records into one database. “We used to require a larger account team to manage this extra data, now we can do more with less,” said Cristy. “That’s the return on investment right there.”
Cost Savings with Scanning
With RF-SMART, the UVA Bookstore team can leverage barcode scanners to fully receive, put away, and prepare items for their retail and shipping operations. Simplifying the user’s movements was critical to improve their accuracy without sacrificing time-savings. “We really like that the handheld scanner is straightforward and easy-to-use,” said Cristy. RF-SMART’s color-coded UI allows their team to easily identify and complete action items across all inventory touchpoints.
This ease-of-use has had massive impacts on all aspects of their supply chain, from receiving to transferring their items. Through RF-SMART’s simple and efficient user experience, the UVA Bookstore team is seeing significant improvements in their overall productivity. “Before RF-SMART, our employees could spend all day receiving items into our inventory,” said Cristy. “RF-SMART helped us accomplish it in most cases within 30 minutes.” The productivity improvements also extend to their inventory transfer
processes, as they are able to quickly pick and scan items to prepare them for transfer into their various locations and storefronts. “It’s all so much quicker now,” said Cristy.
Counting on the Data
Not only are their inbound and outbound processes more efficient and user-friendly, but they are leveraging the handhelds to tackle complexities of their inventory control. Utilizing RF-SMART’s Cycle Counting functionality, the UVA team can now systematically count areas of their warehouse quickly, logging each updated quantity into NetSuite in real-time. This has allowed them to forgo their manual counting process and implement a more regular counting schedule, increasing their overall visibility and accuracy while making the process less disruptive. “We are now able to count by bins, row by row, in our aisles with a scanner. This process is working really well for our team,” said Cristy.
In-Store Benefit
The improvements the UVA Bookstore has achieved with RF-SMART extend outside of their warehouse locations - they are also seeing benefits in their student-facing bookstore. RF-SMART’s retail functions have helped their team simplify the user and customer experience, simplifying the inventory data lookup from their handheld scanning device. “We use the handheld scanners to pull up inventory information in the bookstore,” said Cristy. “We scan the barcode on the student’s course list and can instantly check if
the book is in-stock and its price, all from the handheld.” This simple process replaced the need to search for item details from a desktop or review a written log of inventory, which was challenging to keep up-to-date.
RF-SMART also keeps relevant product information accessible and current for the customers. With RF-SMART, the receiving team can simply scan-in the inventory and click to print the price tags. “We didn’t even think about price tag functionality as we were changing systems,” said Cristy. “RF-SMART provided that missing piece, without us even having to ask!” The ability to print price tags directly from handhelds has become an essential part of their operations, keeping their team productive on the warehouse floor, removing the need to print from a desktop, and elevating the customer experience.
Preparing for the Future
Cristy and her team are continuing to partner with RF-SMART to find additional ways to improve their processes and create a smoother supply chain. With RF-SMART, they’ve built a foundation for sustainable growth while improving the user experience and eliminating productivity issues. “We’re focused on continuing to make things as efficient as possible,” said Cristy. “That’s our key takeaway from our experience with RF-SMART so far – finding areas we can improve on and investing in them.”