How an RFID Inventory Management Startup Manages Progress Reporting With AI-powered Automation

Automation is reshaping how companies handle tasks like reporting updates on progress to their clients and team members. You can minimize the expenses of hiring new employees in your company, cut down on time costs, and help yourself streamline complex tasks that would take countless hours if done manually.

The Latenode team contacted Paul, an everyday user of the platform and a deployment manager at an RFID inventory management startup that opted to remain unnamed. This reading shares their experience using Latenode and the challenges they're solving by using AI models in their progress reporting automation script. You'll also gain research insights into the role of automation in the startup's key sectors: logistics, retail, & inventory management.

Key Takeaways: Latenode helps startups automate progress reporting, saving time and reducing errors. An RFID inventory management startup used AI-powered automation to process installation emails, cutting processing time by 80% and reducing costs by 77%. Automation in logistics, retail, and inventory management sectors shows significant improvements in efficiency, cost savings, accuracy, and customer satisfaction. Latenode offers flexible pricing and integrations with various tools and AI models.

Let’s get started, Paul. What is your company doing? What is your role within it?

Paul: Mm-hmm. So, our company does RFID Inventory management. We develop and install our own system at retail stores all across the US, and hopefully across the world, one day. So, my role is that I'm a deployment manager. I'm responsible for leading the installation of our system for our customers. That involves managing contractors, logistics, inventory, and all sorts of stuff, right? 

So when a client wants to work with us, we will design an automated system for their store, and then we will send our installation crew to install it. It's all, they just pay us and we do everything right. When we send out emails to customers, like providing them with updates on their installations, all of them come from a general email.

Alright, thank you for sharing. How many clients do you have at the moment? And who are they? 

Paul: Uh, we have five clients, and we’ve deployed our systems to, like, several hundred stores, with a lot more coming up. The size of the project is large. One of our clients may have 500 locations where we need to install our system. So, that will take us about a year to do, or more. Pretty much all of our customers are in retail. They either sell clothes, or shoes, or some sort of this stuff.

Do you have some exact price for the product you're offering, or does it depend on the case?

Paul: It's client-specific. It depends on how big their store is. The bigger the store, the more of our equipment we need to put in it. We charge customers an ongoing cost once our system is installed. They pay a yearly payment for each store. The cost of automation is just an expense on our side. I can’t really provide the numbers, unfortunately, as it’s pretty confidential, I’m sorry. 

What led you to choose Latenode?

Paul: The big selling point to us was, like, we weren't charged per step in the execution. Make became very expensive very quickly, when we realized that it was every time the automation was triggered you paid a credit. Then, we quickly realized, as we were building more complex automations, that they had, like, 9-11 steps.

We realized that it charges a credit for every step in the automation, and that was frustrating. We wanted to create very complex automations, but working within Make wasn’t going to scale for us. For example, in June, we had a very busy month, and due to a glitch in one of our automations, which triggered a loop, we ended up with a bill from Make for, like, $800 just for that month.

So, the cost is important for your company, right?

Paul: Yes, but the price isn’t the most important, though. It’s flexible, we get that. If there was a situation where our automation just stopped running for some reason, like an outage, that would cause a lot of headaches. So, yeah, I’d say this: 

• Reliability is number one
• The variety of apps that work with it is probably number two, 
• Ease of use & user interface is number three. 
• Low pricing is four, to be honest.  

But the free plan was still really, like, very important to us, because we were able to go in and, like, build out some of the automation we want to test and once we discovered on the free plan that everything worked how we needed it to, that's what made us upgrade to a paid plan. 

Problem: a small team needs to handle a ton of progress reporting emails

It’s hard to manage dozens of emails containing installation progress reports, especially if you’re a startup with about 50 staff members, such as in this case. Reviewing these emails manually, extracting info, and sharing updates through internal channels was time-consuming and prone to errors by Paul’s team. It led to constant miscommunications & delays and decreased efficiency. 

Solution: using AI in a Latenode scenario to automate progress reports 

This automated script handles new emails about installing the company's systems in the stores, and then the process goes through the next nodes to send out a message about it through an internal channel. It solves the headache of manual handling of multiple emails and messages, which takes a lot of time and effort and brings a risk of an error. Here's how it works, specifically:

1. Integration node one triggers the script when it receives a new email containing store, system information, and the state of the installation.
2. Then, the workflow integrates an AI model that pulls data from that email
3. Node three processes the information, structures it with another AI and forwards it to the next part.
4. Then, the info goes to the company’s internal communication channel, so the staff can see the updates.

Latenode helps Paul’s team save time and money on hiring new staff, reviewing these emails, and sending messages to colleagues. Instead, the process is handled by an AI in conjunction with other nodes. This scenario is a game-changer for them, with three key metrics reflecting how much it helps, exactly:

• Before automation, data processing took 15 hours/week. After this scenario was implemented, this figure dropped to 3 hours — an 80% reduction in the time needed for this task.
• Errors in processes often lead to productivity losses and project delays. Before implementing the scenario, their share was 10%, which increased the risk of missing important messages. After Paul’s team started using the script, their number dropped by 5x.
• Before automation, labor costs were about $3,000 per month, a significant expense. After automating the process, expenses dropped to $700 monthly, resulting in  77% savings.

Automation Usage in Logistics, Retail, and Inventory Management

This research report from Latenode offers an overview of automation adoption and performance in the industries the company Paul works at is involved with, including logistics, inventory management, and retail. Upon reading it, you’ll not only have insights from the interview and scenario results, but also key metrics that reflect the overall state of automation adoption in the US.

The findings are presented in a series of tables, accompanied by explanations of each metric, supported by recent research and industry insights.

Impact on Operational Efficiency

Automation technologies in logistics and inventory management have dramatically improved operational efficiency. For instance, the integration of Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) can reduce the number of manual tasks by up to 30%​ (Supply Chain Brain, Software Development Company - N-iX).

Automation tools also speed up retail operations and enhance customer experience by reducing wait times and improving inventory accuracy (Inamax).

Cost Savings

The adoption of automation leads to notable cost reductions across various sectors. In logistics, automation can cut labor costs by up to 25%, as it allows companies to reduce their dependence on manual work ​(Software Development Company - N-iX). 

AI-based inventory management systems lead to cost reductions by optimizing stock levels, thus preventing overstock and the associated holding costs​ (Capital Numbers). Automation reduces the likelihood of stockouts, which can save businesses close to 10% in lost sales opportunities​ (Inamax).

Improvement in Accuracy and Error Reduction

Automation improves accuracy by reducing human error. In logistics, the usage of automated picking systems has decreased errors by up to 50%, leading to fewer returns and higher customer satisfaction​ (Supply Chain Brain). 

AI and machine learning algorithms enhance the accuracy of stock counts and demand forecasts, reducing errors by as much as 60%​ (Software Development Company - N-iX). Retailers benefit from automated systems that ensure consistent pricing and accurate stock levels, which are critical for online and offline operations​ (Capital Numbers).

Customer Experience Enhancement

Automation directly impacts customer satisfaction by boosting speed and accuracy. In logistics, faster order handling, automated progress reports, and real-time tracking of data lead to increased customer satisfaction​ (Inamax). The use of AI for personalized recommendations and checkout improves the shopping experience, increasing client retention and loyalty​ (Capital Numbers).

Automation Grows in Impact Across Industries

Looking ahead, the integration of AI, machine learning, and robotics will drive further efficiencies, enabling businesses to scale operations and respond dynamically to market changes. The insights from this study highlight the current benefits and the promising future that automation holds for these sectors. Luckily, with Latenode, you can become part of this future.

Build the Same Scenario in Your Latenode Account

Join Latenode for free to replicate this scenario! The basic account tier offers basic features, such as an unlimited number of blocks within your scenario, and 300 executions a month. You can purchase a Latenode subscription for advanced features, such as unlimited active scenarios at the same time, unlimited connected accounts, 150 parallel executions, auto retry & error handling, and more.

Also, check out the Latenode community forum for quick advice from devs and other users! This is a hub for automation enthusiasts who share their insights on the platform, suggest ideas for new features, report bugs, and take part in weekly hangouts. However, if you want more private communication, the team also has a Discord community. 

FAQ

What is Latenode?

Latenode is an automation platform that helps businesses streamline tasks like progress reporting using AI and integrations with various tools.

How did Latenode help the RFID inventory management startup?

It automated their progress reporting process, reducing data processing time from 15 to 3 hours per week and cutting labor costs by 77%.

What are the key benefits of using Latenode? 

Reliability, variety of app integrations, ease of use, and flexible pricing, including a free plan for testing.

How does automation impact logistics and retail sectors? 

It increases efficiency by 10-30%, reduces costs by 10-30%, and improves accuracy by 20-60% across various operations.

Can Latenode integrate with AI models? 

Yes, Latenode offers integrations with AI models like ChatGPT and Claude 3.5.

How can users get support or share ideas about Latenode? 

Users can join the Latenode Discord community with over 800 members, participate in weekly hangouts, and interact with developers.

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