After a sharp increase in warehousing demand in 2021 that is only expected to continue, hiring and retaining employees is among the top priorities for warehouses. In addition to labor shortages, warehouses must contend with high turnover and as a result, reduced staff at times. Technology serves a role in supporting staff to not just achieve what they could with a full staff but to increase their work capacity with fewer employees and without added effort.

An ASN, or Advanced Shipping Notice, helps bring shipment visibility and operational efficiency to trading partners. Any issue with the ASN can create delays for both the trading partner and the shipper, making it an important aspect of the shipping process to handle accurately. Problems with ASNs may incur chargeback fees from the trading partner. Shippers should audit their workflows and processes to be sure this isn’t a source of errors and unnecessary fees.

Hazardous material is one of the most complex categories of shipping. There are numerous regulations to follow and penalties for any aspect that is not in compliance—including packaging, labeling, and documentation.

For companies that ship hazardous materials, which can range from lithium batteries and portable chargers to aerosols and paint, decreasing the number of errors caused by hazmat shipping is an opportunity to save time by adopting better workflows, avoiding double-checking and correcting mistakes, and save money by avoiding penalties.

Piece counts are the type of shipment detail that seem straightforward but can easily lead to errors without the right workflow in place. In fact, piece count is on the list of the most common shipping errors, which can be identified by a shipping audit. Unlike others on the list, piece count doesn’t require special knowledge to get correct, and fixing these errors can save your shipping operations money as well as time.