zapMYstock™

Other than printing the barcode labels, which will be on paper, if you intend to do it totally paperless then yes you can.  It depends on your process.  For example you may want to use barcode sheets containing the item barcode and location barcode rather than scanning the actual item or location barcode which could be damaged and difficult to scan.  Do you want to generate a variance report and check the items yourself knowing there won’t be too many and you don’t have access to the barcode terminal?  You may be more comfortable using paper in some cases as it’s the first time you are using software to do it.  It really depends on you but yes it can be totally paperless.

There are various modes and frequencies of conducting a stocktake such as daily, weekly, monthly or annually.  If you are doing more frequent stocktakes then typically you don’t need to close your doors but you do need to close off the stock you are counting to ensure you get an accurate count.  For those who undertake a stocktake annually, which is typically as close to the end of the financial year as practicable, then it is usual to lock down the stock and cease the movement of stock coming in or going out.  Using an automated system such as a portable barcode terminal and stocktake software will dramatically reduce the time to conduct the stocktake and therefore saving you money in areas such as labour costs.  The return on investment [ROI] on the stocktake solution will be quick.

Yes.  Any number of people can stocktake and depends on how much stock you are counting and how quickly you want or need to complete the stocktake.  Each person can be assigned a section or isle or category or even time, it depends on how you want to manage them.  It’s important for your software to be able to allocate the stock to be counted by the respective person and for the count to be uploaded to the PC from each of the barcode terminals.

Once you have counted an item which could be in its own location or in a bin containing multiple items then it’s standard practice to mark the item or bin with a bright visible sticker to indicate it has been counted.  Also if you are using an automated system and barcode reader ensure that the software has a function to indicate that the item has already been counted.

Stocktaking may seem like a simple process but there are a lot of catches which can end up taking you more time to fix if your software hasn’t been thought through.  Considerations when choosing dedicated stocktake vs smartphone apps is;

i. Is the application well documented so you can determine it will do everything you need it to

ii. Is there someone you can talk to if you have any questions

iii. Can you see a demonstration of the software or even be able to trial it yourself

iv. Where is the company supplying the software located

Then there’s the hardware.  Is it a phone or is it barcode reader!  Barcode terminals are specifically designed to read barcodes.  They are lightweight, ergonomic and above all rugged to be able to handle the situations usually encountered on the shop floor where they may be dropped from a height or treated just how they should be – like a tool.  The most important consideration is the scanning performance.  A smartphone can scan via the camera and requires precise alignment and focus and often takes seconds to scan where a barcode terminal can scan hundreds of barcodes ever few seconds, and although your fingers aren’t that quick it is extremely fast compared to a smartphone.

• Plan, Plan, Plan
• Be organised – stocktaking is a hectic and process driven activity
• Safety first – bringing in contractors, heavy items, using lifting gear etc
• Adequate supervision – always be on hand to resolve any issues or clarify any areas of concern
• Clean and tidy
• Prepare resources and equipment
• Training to staff who will be counting
• Pre Meeting with staff to ensure roles and responsibilities
• Post Meeting to review and identify areas of improvement
• Notify your customers
• Document the process
• Check equipment such as barcode terminals are working
• If renting barcode equipment order well in advance

• It takes too long
• It’s too difficult
• I can do it another time
• I don’t need to do it
• I’ll guess the value of my stock

• Stock being stolen or damaged could go undetected
• Stock shrinkage – Inadvertently sending out more stock than you should ie one box of ten instead of one item
• Stock value and cost of sale could be misstated in tax and financial reports
• Customer satisfaction is effected
• Running out of stock effecting sales turnover
• Carrying too much stock or the wrong stock effecting profit
• Not identifying slow moving or obsolete stock
• Not identifying trends that may become a problem
• Incorrect reordering of items and quantities