What is warehouse gamification?

What is a warehouse gamification?

Gamification uses game mechanics and rewards/recognition tools to digitally engage employees in achieving their goals and to encourage positive behavior. Within a labor environment that is often repetitive with a high staff turnover, warehouses and distribution centers are increasingly leveraging gamification technology to motivate their team members.

Supply chain organizations struggle to find the workforce they need. This becomes more so as the demands of eCommerce continue to grow. By integrating game-like elements into non-game logistics environments such as picking, put away or inspection, gamification fosters participation, healthy competition and a sense of achievement.

By incorporating “game” elements such as points, leaderboards, challenges and rewards, the goal of gamification is to make daily tasks more interactive and rewarding.

Gamification defined

“Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. It can also be defined as a set of activities and processes to solve problems by using or applying the characteristics of game elements.”

Source: Gamify

Main features and capabilities of gamification

We outline some of gamification’s main features and benefits below. However, within a logistics and supply chain environment, it is important to design the system so that the content is relevant to the priority areas of the business – for example, whether it needs to incentivize employees to pick more accurately or dispatch shipments more quickly.

The most effective gamification solution also considers how in the longer term it can offer a more tailored and interactive educational experience to the user, and how its design might change over time.

Points, levels and leaderboards

Using an app interface, gamification sets goal-oriented challenges, encouraging individuals and teams to meet or exceed performance targets. The “gaming” element it adds to the work environment promotes labor engagement, productivity and warehouse performance.

Because employees understand exactly how many points are needed to reach a target, they become more motivated to maintain set picking rates or reach certain key performance indicators.

Tracking and monitoring

By gaining data produced by the gamification program, managers can monitor work performance and see how well individuals and teams are progressing toward their goals. This is an opportunity to provide extra support where needed, assist workers to reach career goals, inspire personal performance and foster a team culture.

Increased supply chain visibility

Increased visibility helps to streamline processes across different departments within the organization and entities across the supply chain. Real-time visibility into performance metrics encourages better communication and coordination among logistics partners.

Data collection and analysis

The use of game-like elements encourages data collection and analysis, leading to more informed decision-making processes and encouraging a continuous improvement culture.

New technology adoption

Supply chain gamification can help the adoption of and transition to new technologies. Employees may be more inclined to learn and use new tools or systems if they are engaged in the process. Gamified training programs make learning more interactive and enjoyable for employees.

Improved safety

Because the safety instructions within a gamified warehouse are presented in a more informal and engaging way, team members are more likely to memorize and follow them.

New employees can receive simple tips on safe work practices, then get an end-of-shift notification informing and rewarding them for fulfilling their tasks safely. Managers can monitor user progress and provide additional tips or all-staff alerts to reinforce safety points as necessary.

Benefits of warehouse gamification

Gamification has been particularly beneficial within supply chain organizations, with advantages ranging from heightened employee engagement to improved productivity, collaboration and data-driven decision making.

Its leaderboard system creates healthy competition among colleagues and provides tangible incentives for employees to reach their goals, while increasing overall productivity.

Gamifying certain essential processes within a warehouse or distribution center enables tasks to be completed faster with fewer mistakes. Setting up challenges between teams or departments, for example, can encourage them to devise innovative solutions to streamline operations and enhance customer satisfaction.

Finding the right gamification solution

The success of a gamification initiative needs a strategic approach, clear aims, ongoing assessment and adjustment where necessary. It requires the right mix of game mechanics, appropriate rewards, a feedback mechanism and leadership buy-in. When all the elements come together, it is a powerful tool to achieving organizational objectives. Here are some key considerations:

Clearly define your aims

Outline the objectives the organization wants to achieve – whether it is to increase picking accuracy, employee engagement, productivity or safety, for example. Whatever the objectives may be, designing your gamification priorities should be guided by a clear purpose.

Set an appropriate recognition and rewards structure

Rewards and recognition are crucial gamification components. They could be a combination of monetary rewards, recognition programs, promotional opportunities and other non-monetary incentives. In every case, they form the basis of a gamification program, so need to be carefully thought out to ensure they are meaningful and motivate team members. Factors might include teamwork, collaboration or healthy competition – all designed to bring out desired employee behaviors.

Choose the right game mechanics

The gamification mechanics that the organization chooses should align with its operational objectives. They could involve leaderboards, badges, points, rewards or challenges. Such mechanics should be based on encouraging an environment where teams can support each other to succeed. By integrating gamification elements into existing activities and workflows, the experience becomes more sustained and natural.

Get leadership buy-in

Any organizational initiative needs buy-in from the top, and gamification is no exception. For the initiative to be successful, leadership needs to set a positive example and show its full support.

Provide regular positive feedback

Gamification is not a reprimanding tool – rather it is a vehicle to provide positive real-time feedback and improve team member performance. By providing regular updates on progress and achievements, and openly discussing ways that they can improve their performance, businesses can keep their employees engaged and motivated.

Be transparent and fair

The essence of gamification is in fairness and transparency. This means clearly communicating the app features, rules, rewards and criteria for earning them. In this way, a business can build team member trust and participation. It is also important to ensure that the features and objectives of the game are not only communicated but understood. Always keep in mind that the main aim of gamification is to bring a fun element to the workplace, with rewards as a key part of the process.

Monitor and analyze performance

Use the analytics tools within the gamification software to monitor the performance of participants. By collecting and analyzing data on participant engagement, achievements and areas that can be improved, the organization can refine and improve its gamification strategy over time and as business priorities change.

Use the system as a vehicle for continuous improvement

Be open to suggestions. By encouraging feedback from team member participants and other stakeholders you can make adjustments to improve the program’s effectiveness. Regularly assessing the impact of gamification on its operations then helps the organization make the necessary refinements.

Gamification implementation strategies at a glance

To successfully implement gamification in the workplace, strategies to promote productivity and cooperation among team members may include:

• Using digital tools such as points, levels and leaderboards to recognize both individual and team achievements
• Designing gamified content around existing processes to engage employees
• Setting attainable goals over time
• Introducing new difficulty levels or game rules
• Providing financial incentives for reaching certain targets

In this way, a logistics organization can ensure that all team members are actively working together toward common objectives.

Infios’s Gamification solution

Partnering with Vaibe, Infios’s Gamification offering is divided into three areas – an operator application, wearable device and management dashboard. With a user-friendly interface and high level of configurability, our Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution revolutionizes the way employees with manual repetitive work feel and are linked to their everyday functions.

Using Gamification and success psychology, combined with artificial intelligence optimization, Vaibe creates SaaS solutions that naturally engage teams and empower employees individually. With our clear understanding of the employee engagement challenges that logistics companies face, our Gamification solution can help boost productivity, improve engagement, recognize performance and shape a collaborative culture.

Our Gamification solution is based on success psychology and reward recognition, comprising game-design elements in the workplace and incorporating such features as rewards, challenges, leaderboards and feedback.

Just like in a video game, team members can climb up the leaderboard if they improve their performance, while teams can work together to build stronger morale. Ultimately, Infios’s Gamification solution is able to drive a sense of achievement, boost engagement, foster healthy competition and increase both employee productivity and satisfaction. 

Available for all industries

Through our Gamification application, you can fully engage, motivate and reward your employees, regardless of your business or industry.

• Plug-and-play - A full SaaS solution with no need for custom data imports, our user-friendly solution needs no complex configuration.
• Real-time statistics - Enhance performance through timely and transparent insights, promoting engagement and fostering business growth.

Related solutions to gamification

Gamification is one of a number of tools an organization can use to engage and motivate its employees. As warehouses and distribution centers look to find ways of streamlining their operations and encourage more recruits to join the workforce, technology solutions are playing an increasing role. Here are some examples:

Warehouse management systems (WMS)

A WMS can be considered the brain of the entire operation. It organizes all warehouse activities through a single interface, giving users visibility and control of their entire warehouse operation. It produces real-time data to help goods, people and processes move in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

WMS software automates your end-to-end warehouse processes by sending real-time data across functions such as yard management, goods in, stock control, materials handling, dispatch and transportation. It streamlines every process, from the moment goods enter the warehouse to when they leave.

Voice solutions (VVMs)

Using VVM, team members receive directions through a headset as to the location of an item and the quantity to pick. The picker completes the task and verbally records any necessary information back into the system – for example, if the quantity is short, or if there is any noticeable damage.

The system then directs the picker to the next task. This means they remain eyes free and hands free, with no need for clipboards or handheld devices, only needing to concentrate on the task in hand.

VVM solutions are designed to improve the facility’s productivity and the picker’s accuracy, and to optimize team members’ engagement in their tasks. It aligns well with the objectives of gamification in helping team members to perform better and be more immersed in their roles.

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are leading the way in warehouse automation systems. Equipped with sensors and cameras, they create digital maps of their surroundings, eliminating the need for guide rails or tracks. This helps them avoid obstacles and find efficient routes, while maximizing warehouse floor space.

In the case of multiple or heavier items, the picker can select the item(s), and place them on the AMR to be transported to the relevant area in the warehouse, while the pickers continue with their work.

By combining voice and AMR technologies, warehouses can gain the maximum benefit, where, for example, the voice picking system knows how long it will take to complete a task, how many items are on the pick list, the average pick time and how far the robot needs to travel. By integrating AMR technology, both the team member and the robot are in the right place at the right time.

Warehouse control system (WCS)

It would be impossible to simultaneously operate the different types of automation often found within a warehouse environment without a technology to hold it all together. This is where a WCS comes in.

A WCS creates a single point of communication between the automation equipment and the WMS. It optimizes material flows across the warehouse and provides visibility down to individual units. It can therefore be described as the engine room of automation within the warehouse.