Voice picking is an order fulfillment technology used in distribution centers and warehouses that allows warehouse workers, specifically order pickers, to communicate in a hands free method, to the Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) so that they can complete their tasks quickly and accurately.
The technology uses a wireless, wearable computer, known as a voice terminal, with a headset and microphone to receive instructions by voice and verbally confirm their actions back to the system. The voice terminal communicates with the WMS by way of a radio frequency local area network signal.
For example, an order picker that is responsible for a specific pick and pass zone in a pick module would receive a tote that was just entered into the pick zone. The tote would be scanned at the entry point of the zone and the WMS system would immediately download all lines to be picked in that zone to the order picker's voice terminal. The voice terminal would send a message to the order picker's headset in the order picker's preferred language telling him what to pick, where it is located and how many to pick. Once complete, the order picker would speak into the headset a confirmation code and then await instructions for the next picking assignment. The process continues until all lines in that zone are picked for that tote and then it is passed along to the next zone.
The benefits of voice picking are:
- Extremely high order accuracy, often higher than 99.9%
- Increased productivity, often higher than 20% increase over paper picking
- Increased ability to dynamically manage picking assignments and product selections and monitor them in real time
- Track and manage order shortages in real time
- Ability to reprioritize orders due to customer demands, emergency orders or behind schedule deliveries
- Measure workforce productivity
- Ability to adjust picking zones in a pick and pass operation
- Allows for the use of multiple order batch picking methodology
- Extremely easy to learn and use
- Very flexible for accomodating future growth
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