Archived Enhanced SFS

[Nitrogenix]

I know there's a mega thread for fulfillment but I'm looking for help specifically with enhanced SFS. Awhile ago I posted that I was on the bench for a long time. Well, finally they offered me a Fulfillment TL position. However, this store is an enhanced SFS.

It's totally new to me and it is an entirely different process than any other stores SFS process I've ever seen. The process is essentially red and while I'm trying to make some changes I don't have a 'template' so to speak to work from. My ETL-LOG doesn't seem to know what this process should look like either. Almost everything is trial and error but I'd love to hear what's working for others.

Right now we're doing around 300 orders a day, give or take some. There's 4 people scheduled 8-4:30 pm everyday. I almost feel like this isn't enough people. With Enhanced we're responsible for back stocking the online product and loading the UPS truck as well. I've never been working as hard as I do with SFS yet we are only squeaking by to finish everyday.

Since my hours come from SFS I have to do everything the TMs do which makes it difficult to think and make changes when I have to pick or else we won't finish. It's quite difficult to follow up with the team through-out the day. I usually only have one opportunity in the morning to speak with everyone.

A problem we have right now is that the DC is CONSTANTLY sending mispicks. Fill It is at about 82%, and our report shows the same top five items being canceled a dozen times (despite constantly researching these items).

Are there any Enhanced SFS TM's/TM or even ETLs out there that know what this process should look like?
Any advice would be incredibly helpful.

 

[SFSFun]

While I'm not ESFS, I did go through the training for it a few years ago and I have plenty of experience in regular SFS.

For the schedule, you should try to get 2 TMs in as early as possible. Picking is so much more efficient when the store is closed. Starting at 4, 5, or 6am would probably make a difference in how much gets done.

What is your UPS trailer situation? Daily pickup? 28 foot or 53 foot trailer? What about on weekends? We get a daily drop for Q4 and the rest of the year we have a small 28 footer from Saturday through Monday morning. Our UPS account rep has told us it's absolutely fine to load full pallets onto the trailer. The only time I'd consider loading it box by box is if we'd otherwise run out of space.

As for researching items, make sure you are also accepting any drastic count changes and make sure that you don't have any current orders for the item when you research it.

@H2Owned and @Moosechives are ESFS and might have some tips.

As a side question, how would one go about finding a Fulfillment TL position? There are several ESFS locations in my area, but I don't see any place in JAS for a Fulfillment TL. Is there any trick to finding out when they have an opening?

 

[H2Owned]

Welcome to ESFS im in the same boat as you kinda my Backroom TL puts me in charge of ESFS everytime i work....

First, at my store i use to be in charge of web only backstock but now my Backroom TL gave that task to the backroom team to backstock (however they don't backstock it chaotic anymore) which has taken a huge load off my shoulder cause now our team can focus on picking and packing... the dc does send alot of mispick web items.. it just something u have to keep an eye for...

Second, my Backroom TL schedules us in 5 hour shifts and there is 5 of us a day... so a 6am to 11am, 8am to 1pm, 11am to 4:30pm, 12pm to 5pm, and 5pm to 10pm...... we usually make our packing goal at 4:30 but it depends who they have scheduled as the 6am and 8am... dont schedule ur slow pickers at that time... ur 6am should be ur fastest pickers. Everything needs to be picked by 2:00pm or your pick % goes down...Also your closer needs to pick tomorrow orders... and you need to tell the ETLs not to pull your closer to do anything else but pick... ur closer needs to pick at least 50 to 75 orders and pack them b4 the end of there shift

Third, the only way to fix your fill % is INSTOCKS, INSTOCKs, and again INSTOCKS... you need to have your team write down all the items they can not find especially the web only items.. doing this helps to see if certain team members are causing your score to go down because they are having trouble finding items or because instocks is bad... i have my team write every item down even when im not there and they put stars next to the web only items so when i come in i grab a mydevice and change the on hand counts to zero for the web only items... the reason why i do this is because web only items dont fall into the Rigs so no one does research on them. And i can honestly say zeroing out the web only items works especially with the SAs.... we would get like 30 SA orders and would only find like 15 of them items because our on hand numbers were so bad.....but b4 u change the on hand numbers for an item u have to make sure u tie the batches in to the pack station. When u batch the orders the system subtracts the items after a hour... so u have to tie the batches in b4 u zero out the item so the item will be added back to your on hand counts....

And my final piece of advice, be careful taking on the Fulfillment TL Role ... when we first started they made this role for Q4 and then in Q2 they demoted our TL to team member... they told that her position wasnt needed anymore... so pretty much used her to help launch ESFS and make the process green....

 

[Cooliobum]

im not ESFS and haven't even done SFS in a good two months, but I was there when we had 1500 orders in two days for thanksgiving/black friday. I learned that picking early before the store opens is very helpful. also, and i know this isn't "allowed" we would scan in orders to their collates and put them in waco boxes to just get them scanned in and ready to pack. not sure what god on back there now but we did all kinds of small things to help cut time. RFID scanner, mydevice, just asking fellow team members if they have seen an item before going on a scavenger hunt to find it. taking breaks in the backroom sfs area.

 

[SFSFun]

but b4 u change the on hand numbers for an item u have to make sure u tie the batches in to the pack station. When u batch the orders the system subtracts the items after a hour... so u have to tie the batches in b4 u zero out the item so the item will be added back to your on hand counts....

The on-hands decrease as soon as the order drops in to your system, even if you haven't batched it yet. The on-hands for cancelled items increase less than 5 minutes after the batch with the cancelled item is tied to the pack station.

We have a myDevice for the backroom that I'll use to research any items I couldn't find. The cancelled items drop back into the on-hands in the time it takes for me to walk from the packing station to where we keep the myDevice at the other end of the backroom.

 

[H2Owned]

The on-hands decrease as soon as the order drops in to your system, even if you haven't batched it yet. The on-hands for cancelled items increase less than 5 minutes after the batch with the cancelled item is tied to the pack station.

We have a myDevice for the backroom that I'll use to research any items I couldn't find. The cancelled items drop back into the on-hands in the time it takes for me to walk from the packing station to where we keep the myDevice at the other end of the backroom.

Lucky... i have to wait till everything is packed and hunt down a mydevice x_x

 

[Nitrogenix]

For the schedule, you should try to get 2 TMs in as early as possible. Picking is so much more efficient when the store is closed. Starting at 4, 5, or 6am would probably make a difference in how much gets done.

This sounds like a really good idea. When we get in in the morning at 8, we first back stock so we don't even start picking until 9ish.

We have a 53-foot trailer every day, but UPS doesn't pick up on the weekend. They'll swap out early monday and come back for the regular pickup. We do use pallets which saves a ton of time loading, but because we do so much volume we run out of pallets pretty quick. Is it possible to order cheap wooden pallets? We just rely on what comes in through the GM truck. Drastic counts is something I didn't even think about, thank you! This store isn't small and for some reason they only have like 10 MyDevices. I'd love to have one that's SFS exclusive.

Also, Fulliment TL is just something that fell into my lap. Since I was benched for so long my STL started reaching out to other DTL's around the area to see if they had something. I guess this store never had a FTL until now, but my ETL says he's communicated with other ESFS and they've had one since the beginning. H2Owned may have a point that they created this position because this process is red, however I've never heard of a TL being forced demoted. Usually if a position is eliminated they just find something else somewhere else for them. I don't think I'm even keyed as a FTL, I believe technically my title is Backroom TL. There's only 20-something ESFS, so perhaps it's a rather unique position. Your best source of information would probably be your ETL. When I was signed off I didn't get much choice over what I did, however. I only really desired to stay away from Food Ave/Starbucks as I would of been terrible over there.

econd, my Backroom TL schedules us in 5 hour shifts and there is 5 of us a day... so a 6am to 11am, 8am to 1pm, 11am to 4:30pm, 12pm to 5pm, and 5pm to 10pm...... we usually make our packing goal at 4:30 but it depends who they have scheduled as the 6am and 8am... dont schedule ur slow pickers at that time... ur 6am should be ur fastest pickers. Everything needs to be picked by 2:00pm or your pick % goes down...Also your closer needs to pick tomorrow orders... and you need to tell the ETLs not to pull your closer to do anything else but pick... ur closer needs to pick at least 50 to 75 orders and pack them b4 the end of there shift

Shorter shifts and stacking is another good idea! I do think the scheduling is putting us in a bad spot. I particularly like there being a closer already picking for tomorrow. I can imagine this helping with Fill It, since it reduces the likelihood of an in-store guest taking the last of something. 50-75 orders would make an enormous dent in tomorrows workload.

but b4 u change the on hand numbers for an item u have to make sure u tie the batches in to the pack station. When u batch the orders the system subtracts the items after a hour... so u have to tie the batches in b4 u zero out the item so the item will be added back to your on hand counts....

There were times I definitely changed the counts before I tied. It seems backwards to me that an item we can't find would be added back only for us to not be able to find it the next time.

 

[H2Owned]

Also, Fulliment TL is just something that fell into my lap. Since I was benched for so long my STL started reaching out to other DTL's around the area to see if they had something. I guess this store never had a FTL until now, but my ETL says he's communicated with other ESFS and they've had one since the beginning. H2Owned may have a point that they created this position because this process is red, however I've never heard of a TL being forced demoted. Usually if a position is eliminated they just find something else somewhere else for them. I don't think I'm even keyed as a FTL, I believe technically my title is Backroom TL. There's only 20-something ESFS, so perhaps it's a rather unique position. Your best source of information would probably be your ETL. When I was signed off I didn't get much choice over what I did, however. I only really desired to stay away from Food Ave/Starbucks as I would of been terrible over there.



Shorter shifts and stacking is another good idea! I do think the scheduling is putting us in a bad spot. I particularly like there being a closer already picking for tomorrow. I can imagine this helping with Fill It, since it reduces the likelihood of an in-store guest taking the last of something. 50-75 orders would make an enormous dent in tomorrows workload.



There were times I definitely changed the counts before I tied. It seems backwards to me that an item we can't find would be added back only for us to not be able to find it the next time.

You guys never schedule a closer? Who was in charge of SPUs after you guys left? The closer needs to pick tomorrow orders, get boxes down and supplies for all the stations, the closer(on sundays) should also do the audit so on monday all you have to do is order supplies, closer should also do all the STS orders, you could also make the closer backstock web only.

Also you can't sacrifice your whole team for backstocking... you can only give up one person at the max and i wouldnt do that till everything is picked. Also if you guys keep the 8 hour shifts u need to make sure you guys dont take breaks and lunches at the same time... make a break out grid...
They did my Fulfillment TL wrong, she honestly should of sued them. They made her tm to SrTL Fulfillment for Q4 b/c we were short 2 ETLs... after Q4 they demoted her to TL ... then they found out she was pregnant and a couple of days later they demoted her back to tm and told her that her position wasnt needed anymore.... they didnt put her back on the bench at all.... that is why she didn't come back after maternity leave cause they did her so wrong

 

[Nitrogenix]

You guys never schedule a closer? Who was in charge of SPUs after you guys left? The closer needs to pick tomorrow orders, get boxes down and supplies for all the stations, the closer(on sundays) should also do the audit so on monday all you have to do is order supplies, closer should also do all the STS orders, you could also make the closer backstock web only.

Leadership handles SPUs all day. I've only been here less than 2 weeks. The ETL wants SFS to handle SPUs as well, but right now they're barely able to get SFS complete let alone SPUs.

As far as backstock were talking online-only product right? We get about a dozen pallets of furniture a day. If there's TMs coming in at 6am to pick they should be good because all orders are coming from existing on hands, but orders after the truck is acknowledged might be coming from freight we've yet to work. I agree the whole team doesn't need to do backstock, but doesn't it need to be taken care of quickly?

 

[H2Owned]

Leadership handles SPUs all day. I've only been here less than 2 weeks. The ETL wants SFS to handle SPUs as well, but right now they're barely able to get SFS complete let alone SPUs.

As far as backstock were talking online-only product right? We get about a dozen pallets of furniture a day. If there's TMs coming in at 6am to pick they should be good because all orders are coming from existing on hands, but orders after the truck is acknowledged might be coming from freight we've yet to work. I agree the whole team doesn't need to do backstock, but doesn't it need to be taken care of quickly?

Im shocked your ETLs handle SPUs ... what we do the 6am person handles all the SPUs in the morning till the 11am person comes in and they handle it.....
Yeah we get a lot of web only furniture as well.. i use to backstock all of it by myself after everything gets packed... and u r right once the truck is recieved orders do come for it... all ur team has to do is go in item search and type the dpci in to see when it was last received.... if it came of the truck that day then u guys know its on one of the pallets so u just have to search for it on the pallets.. doesnt take that long to find

 

[H2Owned]

You also need to start timing your team... it should only take 30 minutes to pull a batch...so if 4 of u guys come in at 8 and backstock till 9.. that leaves u guys 5 hours to pick b4 2:00 deadline and then subtract 2 hours cause u all need lunches... so 3 hours means 6 batches a person times 4 people so ur team should have at least 24 batches picked by 2pm.... which isnt good cause you guys probably have like 30 something batches when u start since there is no closer working ahead.... and im not counting the batches that continue to drop till 1pm... or the breaks and stoping to help guest....and then on top of that you guys only have 2 1/2 hours to pack 300 orders (not counting everyone last 15) so yeah your main problem is the schedule...... Fulfillment TL is all about strategy you have to find the best schedule that works for your team, you have to figure out ur best pickers and packers, when to split the team up and have someone pack,backstock, or pick...when i come at 6am and batch the orders i usually have 18 to 25 max batches ... would be higher if we didn't have a closer...... so the 6am and 8am person both pick and my 11am starts packing if there arent that many 6am batches and my 12pm person picks ...we usually finsh picking all the 6am batches by 12:30 and the rest of the batches that dropped after 6 by 1:30 or 2...

Another tip is you need to check to make sure everyone is picking batches in order... i had a lot of team members who liked to pick from the bottem because they are smaller batches and they were being lazy...

Also parthner with your ETL and Backroom TL (especially if u guys are about to start End to End Market) to see if the backroom can take over web only backstock... compromise with them... maybe you can give a backroom team member a hour or two from fulfillment on truck days so that way backroom TL wont be losing hours and your team can focus more on picks and start doing SPUs and STS orders and RTS because that is part of fulfillment workload.

 

[SFSFun]

For empty pallets, make sure whomever loads the sweep knows that you need wood pallets. Try to keep a few days worth near the SFS area, and don't let them start a stack to sweep back unless you have the amount you need already. This might cause them to have small stacks of them for a few trucks before they have enough to sweep back.

Use a chep pallet if you absolutely have to.