Dropped Sessions Cost U.S. Supply Chain $3.2 Billion

A recent report by StayLinked has revealed a significant productivity issue within the U.S. supply chain sector, causing an estimated annual loss of $3.2 billion. The problem, termed “dropped sessions,” occurs when connectivity is lost between workers' handheld devices and back-office systems, forcing workers to halt and restart their tasks.

StayLinked's report, “Dropped Sessions – The Hidden Productivity Killer,” is based on a survey of warehouse workers. It found that over 30% of workers experience dropped sessions at least once an hour, resulting in an average of 50 minutes of lost productivity per worker per day. This downtime translates to a cost of $29.23 per worker per day, or $1,461.67 for a warehouse with 50 workers, amounting to over $400,000 per year per warehouse.

“Warehouse workers get frustrated by dropped sessions, but most just accept it as 'part of the job,” said StayLinked CTO Justin Griffith. “But what we can actually see is that dropped sessions are costing the sector over $3 billion per year.”

The report highlights that dropped sessions are often misattributed to device issues, with 47% of surveyed workers believing their handheld devices were to blame. However, StayLinked emphasizes that the problem is preventable with the right software that ensures session persistence, allowing workers to automatically reconnect to their workflow when connections are temporarily lost.

Addressing this hidden productivity killer could save the supply chain sector billions of dollars each year by reducing downtime and improving operational efficiency.

“This is a major issue for the supply chain sector that it has been sleepwalking through. Fortunately, it can be solved,” added Griffith.

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