How Multilingual Voice Picking Saved a DC’s Peak Season During a Labor Shortage

When a pool supply company had just eight weeks in a summer to make enough revenue to last the rest of the year, but they couldn’t find qualified employees to make it happen in their warehouses, they pushed their search for workers further and wider and came across an increasing population of willing workers who don’t speak English.

How Multilingual Voice Picking Saved a DC’s Peak Season During a Labor Shortage

 

THE PROBLEM: LABOR SCARCITY

Labor shortages have challenged distribution centers globally in the last several years and became part of a larger problem last year when Covid-19 ushered in larger waves of unemployment. In fact, over half of U.S. distribution centers surveyed by Logistics Management said the inability to attract and retain a qualified workforce has been the number one issue impacting their operations in the last year.

 

SOLUTION: HIRE A DIVERSE WORKFORCE

When a pool supply company had just eight weeks in a summer to make enough revenue to last the rest of the year, but they couldn’t find qualified employees to make it happen in their warehouses, they pushed their search for workers further and wider and came across an increasing population of willing workers who don’t speak English. Lacking bilingual supervisors and knowledge on training for non-native English speakers, this company turned to Mountain Leverage for trusted expertise of the industry and multilingual warehouse voice picking solutions that could help.

“We were 12 to 15 workers behind, so we are thankful for an influx of Spanish-speaking employees who are looking for jobs,” said the Director of Fulfillment and Logistics.

Mountain Leverage’s multilingual voice picking tools are completely customizable for unique warehouse needs, including the implementation of up to 37 different languages in one-way voice dialogue (the system gives instructions in one language and the operator speaks back in another) or two-way dialogue (both the system and the operator speak in a language other than English).

Thanks to Mountain Leverage’s VoiceSupervisor mobile application, it doesn’t matter what language an individual or group of employees is speaking on the job — VoiceSupervisor tracks every word and translates the dialogue back into English for management to follow along. That means that this pool supply company could successfully hire a new group of employees, get them trained quickly in their own language, and have them picking product on their very first day of work.

 

I can’t take RF scanning to these new hires because I don’t have enough bilingual supervisors to train them, so we are implementing Latin American Spanish voice-picking. I couldn’t do this with any other method.

Director of Fulfillment and Logistics

 

THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY FOR THE RIGHT OUTCOME

Providing multilingual voice picking solutions that are flexible and supportive of employees’ needs means warehouses can attract and retain more qualified workforce faster. It’s not just the hardware and software that makes a difference, though; the personal support Mountain Leverage offers every step of the way, from consultation to implementation and then continual 24/7 coverage, ensures your workflow is as efficient, accurate, and employee-friendly as possible.

“I called your team Wednesday night, and 24 hours later, we already have a game plan in place, a scope of work in the mix, and someone flying here in two weeks,” said the Director of Fulfillment and Logistics. “Voice is a tool. What makes it truly successful is not the software – it’s you guys. I don’t have this kind of relationship with any one of our suppliers. That is what makes voice successful for us.”

 

START THE CONVERSATION: If you’re ready to empower your multilingual or non-English speaking employees to perform their best and help you meet your numbers, book a free discovery call with our experts today.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION: Check out a recent episode of Mountain Leverage’s podcast, Heads Up, to learn more about how diverse talent results in the best talent in the supply chain.