Starting a business is never an easy task, sometimes it goes well instantly, and you get to fast track your management skills as your business suddenly takes a life of its own. More often than not though, you get to start your business and then work hard in order to make it grow and reach your goals. A key aspect of any business is the management and control of its inventory, although most people’s notion of a business is focused on the sales and profits, it is in the inventory that the business spends money on. The inventory represents the bulk of the assets and the money of the business, having too much inventory means that too much money is tied up on all those products and supplies, while having too little inventory would mean that the business is flailing as it does not have enough materials to work with to realize any sales or profits. In order to have better control over the business’ inventory one must have the perfect inventory control system. An inventory system is a program dedicated to the management, control and tracking of inventory that offers business owners the flexibility and control of the inventory without the hassle. 

Inventory Control System

Inventory control system is a dedicated system for the processing of inventory in any type of industry and in any size of business, whether a start-up or a well-established company. The system is able to process items that come in and out of the inventory and allows for the accurate tracking of the items. This part of inventory management is actually very tedious if done by hand, but with the advent of technology and more advanced programs, it is now much easier to do. With a dedicated system, the business can keep track of its inventory, and prevent over stocking or shortages that are both bad for the business. The system makes it easier to control the inventory, to know when items are in surplus and to channel the finances to other aspects of the business or to know which items are depleted and to give out alerts when orders should be placed. It is important to have a system that responds to the needs of the business, at any stage, whether it is a new one that is just breaking even, or if it is already a huge success. 

Inventory Controlling 

As a business owner, you need to know the state of your business from the smallest detail to the transactions that you make to make it grow. Inventory control system lets you do that without having to spend so much time doing it. Tracking your inventory can use up so much of your time that it would leave you no more time to make connections or look for customers and do marketing strategies. With an inventory controlling system, you are able to do both, make sure that your inventory is just right and be able to grow your business through connecting with customers and other industry events. Moreover, the system can even be managed through your personal access on your tablet or smart phones, that even when you are out in a business meeting, you can still check on your inventory. The system tracks items through QR codes or barcodes that are printed into the item and is scanned when it enters the system and again when it leave the supply room to where it is requested or used. It can even monitor who used which item and for what purpose, this avoids pilferage and lowers wastage. 

Easy to Use Inventory Control System 

Most people are put off by technology in the sense that it takes a lot of effort to learn how it works and how to be able to get the most out of the program. It also meant new equipment, new network and intensive training. The newest inventory control system however can be set-up and running within minutes. You can learn how to use it with ease, without any complicated instructions or procedures and is easy to manage and works with your existing systems that integration is a breeze. Imagine having a system that can actually work within minutes from installing it and you only need to update your inventory items with bar codes or QR codes that you can even print yourself. Without a doubt, the simplest and easiest system is the most favored by business owners as it does its job well but without having to make too much effort. You can also give access to the system to your staff or to potential customers who would want to check your stocks for example before making any order or decision. It also allows the migration and transfer of files in PDF and CSV formats to any computer or device. 

Picture Perfect Inventory 

Basic inventory procedures is to identify the product and its details, and then assign a unique barcode or QR code for each item to distinguish it from the rest and to identify the batch and lot number of the materials. It can also be assigned to a specific aspect of the business, for example a roll of table tissues can only be requested and used by the frontline service crew, thus if someone who is not authorized to request it will do so, the item will not be released. You can also set up the system to send out alarms when such requests happen to alert you to possible problems with your inventory. The newer inventory control system makes the task of entering the items into the system a bit faster and easier with the use of pictures or images. Any item to be entered into inventory system is photographed and then other details are supplied, these are then stored into the system. So that when the owner wants to check the items in the inventory system he or she can do so and see for him or herself what the items actually are. Say for example your business supplies medical equipment, you need to see a picture to distinguish it from the rest of the equipment, and it improves accuracy and efficiency. 

Choose Your Perfect Plan 

In the past, getting an inventory control system would mean having to hire a developer to do a unique network for your business which was made it very expensive and too much of an investment that made most businesses opt to not have any inventory system. Nowadays, you do not need a unique program, you would want something that can actually work with your existing network and thus lowers its cost. At present, you could get an inventory control system in the form of yearly subscriptions, wherein the program is made available to you through the internet, you download it, and with your own username and password can get the system working on your network within minutes. So if you are a small business that wants to try out what all these inventory system is about, then just get the free one which has about 100 items that it can store and track. You can also get the bigger subscriptions which can have from 2000 items to unlimited items. The unlimited one is much expensive than the plan with the 2000 item limit. It is your choice to make, but keep in mind that the one you need must be suited to the needs of the business. If your business is growing fast, it might be better to get the bigger plan, but if it is not, then you can make do with the free one offered with a 100 items limit.  

Inventory Control Features 

The inventory control features include connecting QR codes or barcodes from the old system that a business might have to the newer one that is needed for the inventory control system to work. Such that, it also allows the business owner to print its own QR codes or barcodes to safeguard the integrity of the system and the items. You can also send out alerts when it is needed or auto set reminders when items need to be replenished. You can also track user activity if you need that kind of control. It allows you to monitor who makes any changes or updates into the system and whether these are suspicious. It helps you track the items from when and where it was purchased and where it ended in the process. You can add whatever details might want to add to make sure that you have enough information regarding your inventory to make better decisions and choices. 

No business is perfect and the one thing that you can strive for is to have a perfect inventory control system that can work with your inventory and future needs at the same time. A perfect inventory system must be flexible to accommodate the increase in items that your business will need in the future as your business grows. Lastly, it should be intuitive, responsive and easy to use, so you can start with the program right away. 

Paul White