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Sunday, June 14, 2015

Barcode Tracking Software Standard Features

By Jeanie Bailey


Regardless of a company's size, keeping track of both assets and inventory is extremely important. There are quite a few different barcode tracking software companies that have designed their software with special features to make the job easier. Many will include them as regular parts of the program while others will charge for some as add-on items. The primary items are inventory control, asset management, multiple location coordination, scanners and printers, and integration with other software systems.

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.

Asset management typically includes keeping track of non-product items. Work computers, printers, office furniture, and vehicles are examples of company owned items that are tracked using asset management features. Not only can the assets be tracked, but when used with other programs the value can be tracked. This is important for tax purposes as well as controlling company expenses.

Many companies have several different locations to store, sell, and ship products. Often, retail stores need to track what they have on hand rather than being included with a single inventory location. Warehouses also ship or trade products within a company by shifting inventory to better meet customer needs. Being able to track where the products are located helps when deciding when each site needs to order or if a site simply needs to have products replenished from another one that has an abundance of the item.

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.

Specialized printers have been around for years that print the barcodes. They often use a type of paper that can be peeled off the paper and placed onto the product. Using these printers increases the speed of inventory and allows companies to place their own codes on the products. The programs can also print the codes on regular sheet fed printers as well.

Being able to integrate the data with other programs is essential. The software itself provides a powerful way of keeping track of inventory and assets. Many companies need to move the data to spread sheets, financial software, and even the Internet in order to share information across the company or provide financial information based on the numbers provided. Most of the more popular data types are included in the various packages.

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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