Warehouse scanning: phone or scan gun?

1. Start with how often each person scans

Pickers scan bins and products all day, so a scan gun in hand is easier. People who only look up stock now and then, like supervisors or sales staff, are fine with a phone camera.

So don't ask what the whole warehouse should use. Decide role by role.

2. When a phone makes sense

There is nothing new to buy. Staff install the app and start, on iOS or Android. That helps during a trial or when staff turn over often.

A phone also takes photos. In our photo proof of shipment app, staff scan the sales order barcode, then take two photos of each of the four sides of the package. The photos are linked to the order. That kind of task needs a phone anyway.

3. When a scan gun makes sense

Roles with a lot of scanning at a fast pace, such as picking and receiving. A Bluetooth scan gun works alongside the phone: the phone shows tasks and stock, the gun does the scanning.

4. You can mix both

In our mobile warehouse app for an auto parts seller, phone or scan gun is a per-user setting, and staff use both. In the same warehouse, the workflow and the records are the same.

That means you can launch on phones, see which roles scan the most, and buy scan guns for those people only.

5. Get barcodes and bin labels in order first

Whatever the device, there has to be something to scan. Products need barcodes and bins need labels. Pickers scan a bin to post a task; movers accept it, load and unload. Every step runs on a scan.

Each move is logged: from where, to where, who, and how many. If labels are messy, those records are wrong too. Cleaning up barcodes and bin labels before launch is time well spent.

6. Think about the interface language

Many warehouse staff mainly speak Chinese. The interface switches between English and Chinese at any time, so staff can work in Chinese while supervisors and other teams use English.

A device only helps if people are willing to use it. An interface they can read is the first step.