Missing antecedent on a voice-directed order selection workflow at a distribution center

This field report examined the implementation of a voice-directed order selection application at a food distribution center. Workers listened to instructions through headsets, spoke into microphones, and received immediate audio feedback to pick products for store orders. Implementation of a voice-directed order selection workflow at a southwest Ohio distribution center was halted almost immediately because it failed to align store delivery sheets (used for store invoicing) with the corresponding electronic selection guide. This gap resulted in numerous mismatches for loading delivery trucks. An antecedent voice prompt was added to identify that the correct store delivery sheet matched the electronic selection guide early in the workflow. Adding this voice prompt enabled successful discrimination between matching store delivery sheets and the corresponding electronic selection guide, resulting in zero errors and accurate store deliveries. The authors suggest an analysis of behavioral chains in work processes when designing technological organizational behavior management solutions.