Standard Features Of Barcode Tracking Software

By Jeanie Bailey


Products, assets, and other inventory should be tracked by all companies. Using barcode tracking software makes the job easier. There are several different software providers that have their own systems and features. Customer demand has pushed these companies to provide a set of standards that are typically included with the product. Most include them as regular program features while others will charge for different add-ons. The main items included are inventory management, asset control, multi-site coordination, scanners, printers, and software system integration.

Controlling the inventory is simply keeping an accurate count of the products or parts on hand. With the older systems, employees would track products on paper forms. This is both time consuming and costly. The manual system slows down the ability to know what is available for shipping and for sale. In order to quickly fulfill customer orders, a company has to know exactly what is available at all times.

Keeping track of assets includes items that are usually not considered part of the products to be sold. Office furniture, work computers, and vehicles are primary examples of items a company may own as an asset. Keeping track of this information is important for tax purposes and can eliminate duplicate purchases when assets such as desks are already available for new employees.

Multiple site warehouse controls are designed to track items as they move from one company location to another. Whether the location is an actual warehouse or a retail location, it is extremely important to be able to tag each item with its location. Each location can then operate efficiently. Using this feature, companies are able to shift their inventory between locations as needed, providing a better customer experience and eliminating wasted expense.

Scanners are made in different formats. Wireless hand scanners are the most popular style. These are used by employees to scan items during weekly or monthly inventory counts. Using these scanners eliminates costly mistakes made by employees entering incorrect handwritten data into the system. Wired and desk scanners are popular in warehouses to check items in and out as they are transferred from one location to another.

Special printers were created to print barcodes on sticky paper. These can been placed on products and allow a company to provide their own codes for each item. These codes can also be printed on regular paper using standard printers. Using these systems makes inventory control very efficient. Inventory sheets can be printed with space for the codes printed from these specialized printers.

Integrating the data with other software programs provides greater flexibility. Being able to transport the date electronically through an export process means the information will not be lost or changed when being imported into financial software, spreadsheets, or even via the Internet. Most will include the more popular data formats for export.

Keeping track of both inventory and assets in a company is an essential need met through the tracking software. The standard features available make it easy to keep track and provide big savings by reducing employee time and lost inventory. Without a proper system in place, a company could easily become overwhelmed and lose control of the manual process. Keeping track of each item, asset, product, and part is essential to growth.




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