CRM for a warehouse

Up to a certain threshold, manual warehouse management is still possible, but when the number of stored goods begins to exceed a hundred items, automation is no longer enough.

CRM for warehouse accounting will help to carry out basic operations more efficiently: the receipt and sale of goods, inventory, movement between warehouses, etc., and will also greatly simplify the workflow with suppliers and distributors.

The functionality of CRM for trade and warehouse can be very different and, among other things, include individual sets of tools that are applicable only in your business. As a rule, functions are selected based on the needs of a particular company, its goals and objectives, however, there is a basic functionality without which it is difficult to imagine the work of such a CRM:

• Accounting automation. Information about all products and their location is stored in a single database, so you will always know what product and where it is, its price, expiration date and other characteristics.
• Remaining tracking. The number of goods stored in the warehouse is updated automatically, taking into account all receipts and shipments. Having this data in quick access, you will be able to replenish stocks in a timely manner, or vice versa – temporarily refuse some purchases due to fullness.

• Maintaining a database of suppliers. Information about all suppliers, their current prices and the history of interaction with each of them is stored in a single database. This will help to identify the most suitable counterparties and interact with them more effectively.
• Records management. You can upload the necessary document templates to CRM and work with them electronically to minimize bureaucratic procedures.
• Control of financial transactions. Information about all transactions and accounts receivable of counterparties is stored in one place, which will allow more efficient management of the company’s financial flows.

When creating a CRM for warehouse management, the choice of technologies plays an important role. The performance of the future system, the speed of its implementation, the possibility of integration with third-party services, and much more depend on this. Therefore, in order to select the optimal technological stack, we carry out certain preparatory work:

• We analyze the requirements and wishes of the client.
• We study your experience of using similar systems.
• We define the concept of the project and create top-level technical documentation.

Also, the choice of technologies is influenced by the devices on which CRM will be used. For example, to work in the office it is convenient to use the web or desktop version of the system, and when moving around the warehouse, during the receipt of goods or inventory, a mobile application will be very useful.

In practice, we can create CRM for different platforms with a single server part, which will allow your staff to work in the system using different devices and switch between them at any time without losing data. Based on this, the final technology stack might look like this:

• For mobile applications. Native development on IOS is carried out in Swift, and for Android – in Java / Kotlin. In addition, we can use the Flutter cross-platform framework and the Dart language.
• For desktop applications. Python/PHP/C++ programming languages and Django/Flask/Yii2/Laravel frameworks can be used.
• For web applications. The front end can be developed in HTML/CSS/JavaScript or Vue.js/React.js reactive frameworks, while the back end can be developed in Python/PHP/Node.js.

During the development of CRM, it is extremely important to build close communication with the client and leave space for new ideas that may arise during its creation. Therefore, we prefer to work according to the SCRUM methodology. Its meaning lies in the fact that tasks are distributed among team members and performed in short sprints, each of which is presented to the customer.

Thus, the client always knows exactly what work is being done, when it will be completed and what the result will be.

In addition to the methodology, there are still development stages that CRM goes through during production. Let’s consider the main ones in more detail.

Stage 1. Gathering information

Before proceeding with the technical implementation, specialists need to conduct research and study the business processes of your company, the features of interaction with suppliers and distributors, as well as get acquainted with your existing IT infrastructure.

To do this, we organize online or offline meetings with client representatives, at which each issue is discussed in detail.

Stage 2. Design

When all the necessary information is received, the project moves to the design stage, during which a prototype of the future CRM is created. As a rule, it includes mockups of unique pages, a description of the functionality, a navigation system, and a development plan.

The finished prototype is presented to the client, which allows you to synchronize the team’s plans and the customer’s vision. Often during such a dialogue, ideas arise on how to improve the project. After discussion, they are easily integrated into the finished prototype.

Stage 3. Design development

The visual environment of CRM plays an important role. A simple and comfortable interface will help your staff quickly learn new software and minimize the risk of making mistakes during work. To achieve a good result, the design is often developed individually, taking into account the functionality of the system and the peculiarities of its use in your company.

Stage 4. Programming

The development of the CRM software part consists of two parts:

• Frontend. This is the client part of the system, which is created in strict accordance with the design and helps the user to comfortably interact with the server.
• Backend. The backend is the server part of the project. He is responsible for the operation of all functionality, data storage and interaction with external services, such as instant messengers and telephony for quick communication with suppliers and customers directly from the CRM interface.

Stage 5. Testing

After developing a CRM, it is important to make sure that all its functionality works the way it was intended at the design stage. To do this, QA engineers are connected to the project to carry out software testing.

Stage 6. Technical support and development

Even with the most thorough testing, it is simply impossible to test all scenarios for using CRM in real conditions.

Therefore, in the first time after the release, your staff may still encounter some technical errors. Such situations are promptly corrected by developers as part of technical support.

The main advantage of an individual CRM is that it can be improved at any time. Therefore, if you need new functionality as your business develops, you can always implement it. To do this, developers study your new ideas, design a solution, and then implement it into an already working system in the form of a patch with updates.

CRM for warehouse accounting is designed to automate work in the enterprise. With its help, you will be able to effectively manage inventory, control the work of staff, interact with suppliers and organize digital workflow, which will help your business grow rapidly.

AVADA MEDIA specializes in the development of high-load CRM systems. To work on such projects, we use innovative and reliable technologies that allow us to turn any ideas of our clients into reality.