Most businesses want similar things from a picking system: the system has to be quick, accurate, cost-effective, easy to implement and manage, and an optimal fit for the tasks employees are engaged in.
The old way of doing things—i.e., warehouse operatives working their way through a paper pick list—meets very few (if any) of these objectives. In response, the last few decades have seen several alternative approaches emerge, one of which is pick-by-voice, also known as voice picking or voice-directed warehousing.
As the name suggests, a voice-picking system involves workers receiving instructions via voice commands (almost always through a headset). The worker receives an instruction, completes the task, responds through verbal confirmation, and the system updates in real-time.
On an operational level, it’s quite a simple approach, which is both voice picking’s strength—and its weakness. Pick-by-voice is often used for bulk picking and other straightforward, repetitive tasks. You’re told what to pick, you pick it—and job done!
However, with more complex tasks—for instance, multi-step processes or jobs that demand special handling or pre-assembly instructions—it can be very hard to relay the information workers need solely through verbal prompts.
If you want to maximize productivity and minimize error on these more complex tasks, workers need relevant, visual guidance. Pick-by-voice systems tend to fall into this category, whereas (as we’ll see) the TeamViewer Frontline pick-by-vision approach comes into its own.
A worker signs into the voice system at the start of the shift and is assigned tasks for the day. The WMS generates an order, and this is relayed to the worker.
The first voice prompt directs the worker to the right location (e.g., “Proceed to aisle 3, area 5A”). Once there, the worker confirms verbally (e.g., “Location reached”).
The worker then receives the picking command (e.g., “Pick 5 items from box 40”).
After completion, the worker gives a further verbal confirmation and is issued with the next activity.
If a problem arises, the worker reports it verbally (e.g., “Item not found”) and is given further instructions.
After completing the order list, the worker is given final instructions—usually directing them to a specific packing station.
Particularly if manual picking takes place side-by-side with automated processes, the system often competes for ear space with continuous noise from conveyor belts, packaging machinery, forklifts, and other sources. This increases the chances of workers failing to hear commands properly or the system misinterpreting voice inputs. Dealing with this can mean interrupted workflows and delays.
Workflows in distribution, retail, and manufacturing often require more employees than a simple pick. For instance, there may be an element of quality control (appraising the condition of perishables, for example). Some tasks may involve special handling or pre-assembly instructions. And if there’s a large volume of very similar SKUs packed into a small space, a voice prompt doesn’t always offer much help to an employee trying to distinguish between them.
One major risk here is cognitive overload, with employees having to continually focus on blocking background noise to hear instructions and make their responses heard. The frustration of dealing with misrecognition and the need to repeat commands while being expected to struggle through tasks without visual guidance can add to the stress. The worst case is that an unsuitable pick-by-voice system hinders productivity instead of boosting it!
For many employees, voice-activated technology—and in particular, learning the various commands and the procedures for error correction—just becomes one more thing they have to get to grips with. In contrast, vision-picking tools give workers the full picture, proactively guiding them through unfamiliar tasks and helping them reach full productivity faster.
frontline pick
For faster work with fewer errors, employees need all the right help, presented in the clearest possible way. Through TeamViewer’s award-winning AR solution for vision picking, this is precisely what’s delivered.
Designed to meet the needs of today’s distribution, retail, and manufacturing environments, TeamViewer Frontline Pick provides workers with visual information through smart glasses, giving them the guidance required to get the job done right at the point of need.
Placing visual instructions directly into a worker’s field of view, Frontline Pick lets you use a combination of text, images, audio cues, and graphical representations of pick and put locations to guide employees through the picking processes. The result? A paperless picking system that delivers the chance to move away from the confusion and cognitive overload of voice picking to future-proof your operations.
Voice picking tends to rely solely on verbal confirmation and product codes, a recipe for misidentification. Frontline Pick allows for enhanced guidance through images, color coding, and highlighting of exact shelf locations. Workers can see that they are picking the right items, massively reducing the likelihood of errors.
Frontline Pick lets you rapidly create and roll out step-by-step visual cues for even the most complex workflows. It’s your one-stop solution to support logistics, manufacturing post-production, and inventory management operations across your business, including manual order picking, packing and sorting, sequencing and kitting, inventory control, and replenishment and put-away.
With Frontline Pick, new starters need not worry about memorizing voice commands!
Thanks to an intuitive visual overlay, workers can instantly see not just where to go and what to pick but also how to do it. Compared to paper-based systems and voice picking, this results in a much faster learning curve for trainees, reducing the need for supervisory intervention.
A single visual image can relay a lot more information than a series of voice messages.
With Frontline Pick, your people aren’t struggling to make sense of voice commands in busy, noisy environments. Instead, visual workflows ensure that even the most complex tasks make perfect sense. They’re equipped to do the job safely and confidently: exactly what’s needed for less stress, no auditory overload—and maximum performance.
From Coca-Cola HBC to DHL, TeamViewer Frontline Pick is already being successfully used by some of the world’s biggest names in retail, logistics, and manufacturing.
A single logistics business can easily comprise a large and scattered mix of warehouse and fulfillment centers with varying layouts, workflows, and product types. Businesses need systems that can be deployed rapidly and that employees can get to grips with quickly, especially when taking on temporary staff in busy periods. Voice systems can be difficult to scale, not least because they take a lot of getting used to by employees. Additionally, voice recognition systems can take time to accommodate multi-lingual or diverse workforce requirements.
What’s required of employees in manufacturing often goes way beyond simple linear tasks. This is especially the case when picking involves elements of pre-assembly or quality control, where voice instructions alone are inadequate—and sometimes even add to employee confusion. Workflows become much easier if employees have hands-free access to step-by-step instructions, schematics, or diagrams: something that only a visual picking system can deliver.
In a dynamic retail business with a large and growing product range, the limitations of pick-by-voice become all too clear. For batch picking (multiple orders simultaneously) or complex orders involving multiple items across different categories, workers benefit from visual guidance to avoid error: something that pick-by-voice alone fails to deliver.
A voice-picking solution can only provide a paperless alternative for your most basic warehouse activities. By contrast, pick-by-vision from Frontline Pick empowers you to devise step-by-step visual guidance for almost every process—no matter how complex.
Because of its limited functionality, pick-by-voice can restrict the type of workflows you use. Thanks to its flexibility and the ease with which information-rich guidance can be created, Frontline Pick means there’s no need to compromise. It has the power to support whatever processes work best for your business, including complex procedures around assembly and quality control.
Unlike many voice-picking solutions, Frontline Pick doesn’t force you to buy proprietary headsets and control units. Neither does it mean having to make costly adjustments to your warehouse layout just to accommodate it. In terms of hardware, all you need are your smart glasses or wearables of choice, such as wrist computers, for each employee.
Depending on the environment, there’s no doubt that verbal prompts and confirmations can be useful. The beauty of Frontline Pick is that even though it’s primarily a visual interface, it enables you to use audio elements. This includes voice instructions and multimodal feedback—a combination of visual and audio cues to enhance task accuracy. The result? You don’t have to make a binary choice between audio and visual: Frontline Pick delivers it all!