According to Gartner research, while functionality continues to be the primary evaluation criterion for users selecting a warehouse management system, many vendors now offer similar core capabilities. As a result, users are increasingly prioritizing other factors in their decision-making process. These include the technical architecture of the solution, its ability to integrate with other applications, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence capabilities, a more user-friendly experience, and robust product support. These warehouse management system features have become crucial in differentiating between software solutions in a market where basic functionalities are often comparable.
In this post, we’ll examine the key capabilities of a WMS and the feature that distinguish a good WMS from a great one:
- What are the key functions of a warehouse management system?
- Going Beyond the Key Functions of a Warehouse Management System
- Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #1: Multi-tenant Cloud Solutions
- Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #2: Integration and Optimization
- Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #3: Configurable Workflows & Business Rules
- Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #4: Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #5: Real-Time Dashboards & Analytics
- Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #6: Dynamic Slotting & Putaway
- Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #7: Integrated Labor Management & Performance Tracking
- Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #8: Automation & Robotics
- Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #9: Enhanced User Experience
- Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #10: Unparalleled Support
What are the Key Functions of a Warehouse Management System?
As mainstays of the supply chain, fulfillment operations need software to run smoothly. As “command central” for these operations, a WMS is the core software system that improves inventory visibility, optimizes picking, enhances labor efficiency, and minimizes errors.
Core functionality typically includes the following fundamental WMS capabilities:
- Inventory Management: Tracks and manages stock levels in real time, including receiving, putaway, and storage of goods.
- Order Management: Manages order processing, including picking, packing, and shipping tasks, ensuring accurate and timely fulfillment.
- Receiving and Putaway: Supports inbound logistics by optimizing the receipt of goods and directing them to the best storage locations based on warehouse layout.
- Picking and Packing: Facilitates efficient picking and packing processes, including different picking strategies like wave, batch, or zone picking.
- Shipping and Transportation Management Integration: Helps coordinate outbound shipments, often integrating with transportation management systems (TMS) to manage deliveries and track shipments.
- Barcoding and Scanning Integration: Utilizes barcode scanning and RFID to track goods through all warehouse processes, improving accuracy and reducing human error.
Going Beyond the Key Functions of a Warehouse Management System
While essential features like inventory tracking, order management, and picking optimization remain foundational, standard functionality alone no longer provides a competitive edge—it simply keeps you in the game. Today’s warehouse operators face evolving challenges that baseline capabilities can’t address: persistent labor shortages, intensifying customer demands for faster fulfillment, and increasingly complex supply chain networks. To truly excel, warehouses need WMS solutions that enable rapid scalability, seamless integration with broader technology ecosystems, and AI-driven insights that optimize operations in real-time. The differentiating factors—mobile-first interfaces that reduce training time, predictive analytics that anticipate bottlenecks, and flexible architecture that adapts to changing business needs—are what separate warehouses that merely function from those that thrive. In short, choosing a WMS based solely on traditional features means settling for operational adequacy when the market demands operational excellence.
Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #1: Multi-tenant Cloud Solutions
Recent data indicates that 60-70% of new installations are for cloud-based warehouse management systems. This trend reflects a growing preference for the flexibility, scalability, and reduced upfront costs associated with cloud solutions compared to on-premises deployments. Additionally, the ease of updates, data security enhancements, and remote access capabilities have further accelerated the adoption of cloud WMS.
According to Tom Stretar, VP of Technology at enVista, “You’re seeing a tremendous amount of opportunity on the technology side related to multi-tenants and using clouds and single clouds.” With a composable, distributed microservices framework, WMSs can offer extensibility and continuous upgrades to businesses of any size. A reliable cloud-based WMS provides operations with 24×7 monitoring, support, and maintenance services, helping you avoid the pitfalls of unhappy customers. A cloud solution also eliminates the need for on-premises hardware, reducing IT infrastructure costs.
Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #2: Integration and Optimization
A WMS isn’t a standalone tool; it must be designed to work smoothly with other technologies to optimize operations. Seamless integration and coordination across multiple automation solutions—such as Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), conveyors, and RF technology—are crucial. A well-designed “out-of-the-box” WMS should be capable of assigning and orchestrating tasks across these diverse automation agents, ensuring efficient and streamlined workflows.
According to Amit Levy, EVP of Sales and Strategy at Made4net, “A WMS has always been seen as the control tower for everything that takes place within the four walls of the warehouse. The difference being that in the past, it was mostly about controlling people. Now, it’s about controlling people, automation, and robots.”
Beyond automation, integration extends to the broader technology ecosystem—connecting with transportation management systems, enterprise resource planning platforms, e-commerce channels, and carrier networks. This connectivity enables end-to-end visibility and coordinated decision-making across the supply chain, transforming the WMS from a warehouse tool into a strategic orchestration platform.
Advanced Warehouse Management System Feature #3: Configurable Workflows & Business Rules
At their core, workflows are predefined sequences of tasks that automate how inventory moves and is processed across the facility. But the real value lies in the ability to modify these workflows—expanding, tightening, or redesigning steps as business needs shift. A modern WMS should give operations teams the flexibility to adjust processes, validation logic, and exception handling without relying on custom code or long IT cycles. The goal is to empower teams to configure, test, deploy, and train on new workflows as easily as operational realities demand, whether adapting to new physical layouts, onboarding new customers, or supporting changes in product behavior.
A strong rules engine extends that flexibility further, allowing warehouses to define how the system behaves under specific conditions, from quality checks to replenishment triggers to packaging logic. Combined with integrated communication tools, such as unified email communication, which centralizes alerts and system-generated notifications, operations can keep teams and partners aligned in real time.
For examples, Made4net’s Email Gateway establishes a centralized communication hub for all system-generated messages, alerts, and notifications. Supporting major providers including AWS SES, Microsoft 365 Graph API, SendGrid, and custom SMTP configurations, the gateway simplifies email management while ensuring secure authentication through full integration with Made4net’s Identity Access Management System.
Configurable workflows and business rules give warehouse teams the control they need to stay responsive, consistent, and efficient even as the operation changes around them.
Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #4: Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Operations today require data that helps them create efficiencies and manage disruptions. WMS features that include comprehensive analytics and insights, tailored to meet specific operational needs, are critical. This includes personalized dashboards, custom widgets, and customizable reports that enhance the user experience and provide companies with the data they need to stay ahead. Self-service reporting within Made4net’s SCExpert platform, includes an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that enables customers to create visually rich reports without technical assistance, while real-time preview capabilities ensure accuracy before deployment.
Advanced analytics, powered by artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) that is embedded into the WMS, empowers companies to make better decisions, improving efficiency and profitability.
The best WMS will offer:
- Predictive analytics to help businesses forecast future demand and needs, reduce stockouts and overstocks, and improve inventory accuracy.
- Real-time data on equipment usage to help supply chain managers predict when maintenance will be needed and minimize disruptions.
- Advanced analytics to help businesses identify consumer trends and behavioral patterns and empower them to respond more effectively to change.
Running a streamlined operation requires visibility, insight, and data-driven decision-making, and that’s exactly what advanced analytics and AI provide.
Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #5: Real-Time Dashboards & Analytics
Real-time dashboards bring key operational metrics into a single view so managers can see what’s happening now, not just what happened yesterday. These dashboards typically surface order status, productivity rates, inventory accuracy, and equipment utilization, giving teams the clarity they need to act quickly. With customizable reports, managers can tailor insights to their priorities, tracking exceptions, spotting trends, and monitoring performance at every stage of fulfillment. Real-time data changes how decisions are made by turning raw activity into actionable intelligence and continuous improvement opportunities.
Real-time analytics also extend beyond high-level visibility. When paired with machine learning and predictive tools, warehouses gain the ability to anticipate bottlenecks or inefficiencies. For example, identifying picking delays in specific zones and prompting immediate corrective action. These analytics become a feedback loop that helps reduce errors, balance workloads, and enhance throughput over time. By combining live operational metrics with deeper drill-down capabilities, real-time dashboards help warehouse teams stay agile, responsive, and aligned with broader business goals, turning visibility into measurable performance gains.
Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #6: Dynamic Slotting & Putaway
Dynamic slotting empowers you to make better use of your space. It is one of the most powerful ways a modern WMS improves warehouse efficiency. Instead of relying on static, one-time setup rules, dynamic slotting uses real operational data to determine the most efficient location for every SKU, and it continually re-evaluates those decisions as demand shifts.
A dynamic slotting engine analyzes product velocity, size, weight, order frequency, and picking patterns to recommend ideal storage locations. The goal is simple: minimize travel time, maximize storage density, and accelerate fulfillment. AI enhances this further by continually learning from movement data and suggesting optimized layouts as inventory and demand change.
Core capabilities typically include:
- Data-driven slotting analysis to determine where each SKU should live
- Pick-path simulation to visualize and test efficiency before making changes
- Dynamic re-slotting recommendations that adjust to seasonality or volume spikes
- Heat-mapping of warehouse zones to identify congestion, dead zones, or high-value locations
The result is a warehouse that adapts in real time, reducing footsteps, preventing bottlenecks, and keeping high-velocity inventory exactly where pickers need it most. Dynamic slotting doesn’t just optimize space; it orchestrates flow, enabling faster, leaner, and more profitable operations.
Advanced Warehouse Management System Feature #7: Integrated Labor Management & Performance Tracking
How well can an operation track productivity? With integrated labor management inside the WMS, extremely well. Warehouse managers can monitor productivity in real time and compare performance against engineered standards, using WMS data and analytics to identify efficiency gaps and training needs. This empowers operations to balance workload across resources so labor is allocated where it’s needed most. As Steve Pullo, EVP of Professional Services at Made4net shared, using a WMS for labor tracking is about “Establishing sources for your labor force based on peak needs… leveraging data from the WMS to enhance your productivity.”
The right WMS will also compare execution times against warehouse labor standards, taking real-world variables into account. This is how operations can optimize, track, and improve workforce performance with confidence.
Beyond basic measurement, integrated labor management gives teams a deeper understanding of how work actually flows across the warehouse. Visibility into utilization, travel time, task distribution, and throughput by individual or team helps managers pinpoint bottlenecks before they affect service levels. Exception trends surface quickly, allowing supervisors to intervene with targeted coaching or process changes instead of broad, inefficient corrections. And because labor insights live directly within the WMS—not in a standalone tool—productivity can be tied to order profiles, picking methods, equipment use, and slotting decisions. The result is a more predictable, accountable, and resilient workforce aligned to the pace and complexity of modern warehouse operations.
Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #8: Automation & Robotics
Conversations with industry experts highlight that the right time to integrate automation into warehouse operations is usually driven by persistent difficulties in hiring workers, shrinking labor availability, and inefficient use of existing space. When teams struggle to fill roles or incur high training costs just to reach basic productivity, automation and robotics can help bridge the gap, enabling faster onboarding and more consistent throughput across work cells.
Beyond labor pressure, automation also unlocks opportunities to optimize physical space and workflow. Dense storage solutions such as vertical lift modules and autonomous systems can dramatically reduce the footprint required for storage while improving accessibility and order processing. In a recent conversation, Randy Marble, Senior Software Sales Consultant at Advanced Intralogistics, highlighted how automation can dramatically improve space utilization. He explained that “vertical lift modules for small parts [is] where you can actually save almost 90% of your footprint.”
Combined with a modern WMS, robotics becomes part of a coordinated ecosystem that streamlines picking, packing, inventory movement, and other core tasks. While automation requires thoughtful planning and investment, its ability to increase efficiency, reduce reliance on scarce labor, and adapt to rising throughput demands makes it a compelling consideration for warehouse operations aiming to stay competitive
Advanced Warehouse Management System Features #9: Enhanced User Experience
Today’s supply chain managers are looking for more than just a powerful WMS—they need one that combines advanced business functionality with a user-friendly, consumer-grade interface. Features like intuitive design, pull-down menus, shortcuts, mouse-free navigation, and built-in tools are essential for creating an efficient and seamless user experience.
A thoughtfully designed WMS can significantly boost productivity by enabling employees to work faster and more effectively. Tools like data visualization and integrated dashboards support better decision-making and simplify training for new staff. A clear, logical interface also helps reduce errors and training costs, ultimately driving operational savings.
Savings can also be gained from a WMS built with a mobile-first mindset. At the heart of the latest release of SCExpert, is a completely reimagined mobile application built on modern React technology and integrated with Made4net’s dynamic screen generator platform. The new mobile experience delivers responsive design that maintains visual consistency across all screen sizes and devices, with full cross-platform support for iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux operating systems. Enhanced usability features include dark/light mode options, integrated scanner and camera functionality, and Progressive Web App (PWA) support—all designed to minimize errors and streamline warehouse operations.
Warehouse Management System Features #10: Unparalleled Support
Choosing a WMS provider with excellent support is critical for maintaining smooth operations and maximizing the system’s benefits. Effective support minimizes downtime by quickly resolving issues, ensuring that operations run without costly disruptions. It also helps with customization, offering guidance to optimize the WMS to fit your specific workflows. During implementation, strong support aids in training staff, helping them quickly adapt to new processes. It also ensures that your system stays up-to-date with the latest WMS features and improvements, keeping your operations current and secure.
Tyler Linderman, VP, Strategy & Growth at Bricz suggests that finding a trusted partner or group of partners who understand both the technology and operational processes can be instrumental in driving supply chain success. These partners can provide valuable insights and guidance, from addressing immediate needs to strategizing long-term solutions, ultimately setting companies up for success for the long haul.
Indispensable Warehouse Management System Features
These 10 features represent the foundation of effective warehouse management—they’re not “nice to have” capabilities but essential functionality that separates basic inventory software from true WMS platforms. Systems lacking any of these create operational gaps that force workarounds, manual processes, or limitations that constrain growth.
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