As bar-coding technology becomes more affordable and easier to use, more and more small to medium-sized companies are using it to not only get their warehouses organized, but service industries are also using it to easier track equipment and maintenance records.

By implementing bar-code technology for warehouses, you can automate transfers, physical counts, shipping and receiving. This has become an especially important feature for food distributors as food safety concerns increase and recall legislation becomes stricter. It also means that every shipment is guaranteed accurate and you will never again receive an item that you did not order. Physical counts happen 75% faster than they did with a manual system and the inventory quantities in your accounting system are trustworthy.

By implementing bar-code technology for service industries, you can bar-code equipment to ease tracking of maintenance, location of equipment, physical counts, and much more. What exactly does that mean for you? It means that data entry (and the delays and errors that come along with it) is eliminated because every transaction is scanned and sent to your accounting system when it happens.

So how do you get started on the road to implementing a bar-coding system? Simply follow these three easy steps:

1. Evaluate your processes with us. Talk about how inventory is moving through your warehouse and identify any bottlenecks or problem areas. Include warehouse or service staff, data entry personnel and management to get a complete picture of your operations.
2. Determine your implementation goals and strategy. Most bar-coding implementations work best when done in a phased approach. If physical counts are the biggest issue, use the handhelds for that process and then expand to other transactions after that one is mastered. Rank each process in order of importance and set deadlines for when you would like each one fully implemented.
3. Review hardware and software recommendations. We will provide software recommendations based on your project goals and suggest a handheld that will work well in your environment. Once you have approved the solution set, all that’s left to do is implement!

To learn more about how bar-coding could work for you, contact us today.