“Not only did the RDX radios provide great reception in the noisy warehouses, they are built to last. The portable phones we used before were fine until they hit the floor. One drop and that was it. Clearly, these radios are commercial grade and will last us a long time, even though they’ll be dropped occasionally.”
Omega Warehousing and Distribution is a full-service distribution center located in northern New Jersey.
Founded nearly forty years ago, Omega is a family-owned and operated business where the owners are as likely to answer the phone and tend to customer service requests as their staff. With five company owned and operated tractor-trailers, Omega distributes raw materials, such as vitamin and food additives, plastics, non-hazardous chemicals, dyes, and pigments to suppliers in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries nationally and internationally.
Commitment to excellence throughout every aspect of the organization, particularly customer service, is a personal point of pride with every Omega employee. Working hard and finding creative ways to communicate had kept their cycle times low, service levels high, and customers happy for many years. However, Karen Vellis, owner and partner of Omega Warehousing and Distribution, knew that it was time to move from telephone to two-way radio technology to increase operations efficiency and staff productivity.
Maintaining customer service excellence & communication between Omega’s two warehouses
The first rule of business success to Omega is getting customer orders processed quickly, accurately, and shipped within 24 hours. Equally as important, however, is to make sure that customer questions or requests for information are answered immediately.
“We have two large warehouses located about a block away from each other,” says Vellis. “One is 40,000 sq. ft. and the other is 70,000 sq. ft. When a customer would call the office with a question, our old way of communicating was to pick up a phone and call the appropriate warehouse, which would set off a buzzer and require the forklift driver to get off the hi-low and go answer the phone.” It also meant waiting for the individual to find the answer or spend time looking for someone who could help, which added wait time for the customer.
Vellis then tried cordless phones which the drivers could keep with them but found that the phones weren’t built to withstand a warehouse environment. “The cordless phones would always fall off the forklifts and break after one hit on the concrete floor.”
Realizing that neither of these options was acceptable, Vellis then turned to Motorola to help her streamline the communications process for both the office and warehouse operations.
The durable and reliable Motorola RDX Series portable radios were recommended, as well as a small (two pound) 2W RDX repeater, which would be installed in the largest of the two warehouses. Expanding coverage to up 250,000 square feet or 20 floors inside buildings, the RDX portable repeater also helps to overcome physical obstacles, such as trees and other buildings, outside the warehouses that can create dead spots and disrupt communications.
The RDX series portables and the RDX portable repeater enable seamless, reliable communications that allow Omega warehouse employees to coordinate shipments and deliveries and stay in contact with the office and with each other.
Weighing just six ounces, the RDX Series portable radios are comfortable enough for users to wear throughout an entire shift. In addition, the user interface makes the radio simple and easy to use with little or no training. And the RDX Series radios feature the standard Li-Ion battery that delivers up to 12 hours of life per charge, easily lasting throughout an entire shift.
Making the move from working hard to working smart
Exceeding their customers’ expectations for on-time delivery, accuracy, and flawless service is the number one priority at Omega. But finding a way to meet those expectations while maintaining profitability requires putting the right work processes in place that allow employees to do their jobs quickly and efficiently.
“Recently one of the guys in the warehouse was unable to find part of a shipment. I heard him key up the radio, contact someone in the other facility, and get the problem resolved instantly rather than having to walk over there himself.” – Karen Vellis Owner/Partner, Omega Warehousing & Distribution
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