It’s no secret that technology has changed the way people do business.
One area where technology has had a huge impact is inventory tracking and management.
Millions of small and medium business enterprises from across the world currently use some form of a digital tracking system to monitor their incoming and outgoing stock.
And it’s not just SMEs that leverage technology to track their inventory.
Even huge global companies like Amazon also relies on digital inventory systems like barcode tracking technology to keep their businesses running.
Barcode tracking systems offer an accurate, precise, and cost-effective way to track and manage your inventory.
How To Use Barcode Systems To Track Your Inventory
If you are new to digital inventory tracking and management systems, you’ll need to learn a couple of things about computer hardware, software and peripheral devices.
This is basic stuff so there is no reason to worry.
Once you have a firm grasp of what these elements are and how they work together, you can then proceed in setting up a barcode inventory tracking system for your business.
There are several things you’ll need to get; Hardware (computers, barcode readers, printers etc.), as well as barcode software (like QuickBooks inventory management software).
Let’s take a brief look at each of these so you can understand the roles they play in the entire tracking system.
- Hardware (Computers and Barcode Readers)
Any form of computer system be it an inventory tracking system or a power plant management system, must make use of computer hardware and other peripheral devices.
In the case of a barcode tracking system, you’ll need computers, barcode readers or scanners, barcode printers and mobile phones.
- Barcode Software
Barcode software is simply any computer program that has the necessary set of instructions to run barcode hardware.
The barcode software used to manage your inventory must be provided with all the necessary hardware devices for it to work.
If all hardware components are available and properly linked together, the barcode software is able to read, process and store inventory information.
- Mobile Devices
Mobile devices are an additional component of most modern barcode tracking systems.
When barcoding hardware and software are combined, they form a system that operates from a specific location.
Mobile devices come into the picture to enable remote monitoring of this system from other locations.
High-speed internet connectivity allows real-time monitoring of inventory information and statistics via smartphones and other mobile devices.
Ways To Track Your Inventory Using A Barcode System
1). Track Product Information and History
Barcodes are an effective tool used to identify individual products in inventory.
Barcodes are practically an error-free method of assigning product details to specific items such as product ID, lot number and many others.
By simply scanning a code, you can identify a product as well as learn more information about it such as how long it has been in stock.
2). Workflow Status Tracking
With the help of a barcode system, your business can keep track of the status of orders.
For example, you can categorise the statuses of orders in your inventory system such as shipped, ready to be picked, picked and in-stock.
When a product moves from one status to the next, a sales documents (like a shipping order, packing list or pick ticket) is generated.
3). Location Tracking
Another innovative way you can leverage barcode systems to manage your inventory is using location tracking.
As the name suggests, you can use your barcode inventory system to determine where your products are.
Specific codes can be assigned to products in a specific location such as a warehouse, store, store-section, aisle and shelf.
If you would like to know more about the best stocktake software and how the right set of software and point of sale systems could help you, give us a call.
Our team would be happy to discuss your needs and to help you build new, more efficient workflows that will support the best operation of your warehouse or store.
We have the right tools for companies of all sizes and will work to accommodate your business, supplying you with technologies that are tailored to suit your business to help improve your efficiency and accountability.
We are the market leader when it comes to the development of customised and packaged solutions.
This includes Inventory Management, Portable Barcode Readers, Supply Chain Management, Time and Attendance and Asset Tracking to name but a few.
Please call us today on 03 9578 7600 or 1800 061 642 or contact us through our website.
