Most of us have a voice, and we know how to use it. It’s one of the first things we learn after we are born. If this is one of the simplest things in human nature, why are voice controlled operations so few and far between in business? Is it time to start looking at implementing a UC system to improve efficiency, safety, and effectiveness in your warehouse?

Business processes and activities in the warehouse have traditionally been very receptive to automation, with the goal of improving efficiency and effectiveness. Automation has been focused on areas including managing stock levels, tracking stock movements, and more. The processes done on the warehouse floor itself, such as item picking and packing, are now largely run by computer-based systems. One attempt at automation included outfitting staff with handheld systems, but they proved to be impractical or prohibitive since they required the use of both hands, were complicated to use, and made the overall process too complicated. Employees have generally preferred to stick with the simple pen and paper instead. But recent advancements in human-to-computer interfaces—such as the use of voice commands instead of keyboard and mouse, pen-based, or touch based systems—promises to change this.

Using voice technology, warehouse staff and managers can now send and receive instructions via voice, using a headset connected to a back-end system that understands and processes voice instructions and can respond in a natural sounding human voice. This can result in:

• Faster and more accurate order fulfillment: Warehouse staff can be given more specific and accurate instructions allowing them to navigate the warehouse, identify specific bins or pallets containing items for packing, and be able to pick out the correct quantities for the right order.
• Cost savings: Faster and more accurate fulfillment can result in reduced costs over time as it reduces the need to redo work, avoids costly customer returns and dissatisfaction, and lessens other costs such as training time for employees.
• Improved safety: With pallets and bins stacked in long, tall rows, forklifts and other heavy machinery zipping from one place to another, and people moving around, usually in a hurry, with both hands full and sometimes distracted, accidents are commonplace in warehouses. With voice technology, this can be avoided by getting people to focus with voice commands, and freeing up their hands and body to work on other things.

Voice technology in the warehouse is new but promises to deliver great benefits for businesses who employ it. If you are interested, let us know so we can help you find out how UC can enable your warehouse or any other part of your business today.

If you’re a Mac user, chances are pretty high that you use the Mail program as your main email hub. Mail is a great program as you can have multiple accounts tied to it, ideal for the busy manager with more than one account. If you use Microsoft Office 365 in your office, did you know you can set up Mail to send/receive emails from your Office 365 account?

Here’s how to configure Mac’s Mail program to enable you to send/receive emails from your Office 365 account(s).

For OS X 10.7 (Lion) and later

1. Open System Preferences by clicking on the icon with the cogs on the launch bar or pressing Command (⌘) + Spacebar and typing: System Preferences.
2. Click Mail, Contacts, & Calendars.
3. Click +, located underneath the list of accounts on the left-hand side of the window.
4. Select Microsoft Exchange from the list of services on the right.
5. Enter your name as you would like it to appear on sent emails, your email address and password.
6. Hit Continue. The next screen should be an Account Summary screen, ensure the information is correct and hit Continue.
7. Ensure Mail, Contacts and Calendar are selected from the next screen. This will link the Mac programs Mail, Contacts and Calendar with their Office 365 counterparts.
8. Press Add Account.
9. Open Mail and your account will sync.
10. Try sending a test email. Ensure that you select your Office 365 account as the sender if you have more than one account linked to Mail.

For OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)

1. Open Mail, usually located on the launch bar at the bottom of the screen. If you can’t find it, it’s located in your Applications folder.
2. From the menu bar select Menu followed by Preferences. You can also hit ⌘ + , to open preferences.
3. Select Accounts on the window that opens.
4. Click +, located underneath the list of accounts on the left-hand side of the window.
5. Select Microsoft Exchange from the list of services on the right.
6. Enter your name as you would like it to appear on sent emails, your email address and password.
7. Hit Continue. The next screen should be an Account Summary screen, so ensure the information is correct and hit Continue. Note: You may get a screen asking to put in your server address. If you do, contact the administrator in charge of Office 365 for the relevant addresses.
8. Ensure Also set up: Address Book contacts and iCal calendars are ticked in the Account Summary screen.
9. Hit Create and your account should sync.
10. Try sending an email and just ensure to select your Office 35 account as the sender if you have more than one account.

If you have any more questions about Office 365 for either your Mac or PC, please contact us, we can help.