Key Benefits of a Comprehensive Inventory Management System

Your inventory operation has grown…congratulations! But now you find yourself with more equipment and booking volume than basic inventory management systems can handle. Things start to fall between the cracks: Checkouts are late, orders get missed, and equipment disappears. It’s time to look for something better. You need a new inventory management system.

Searching for a new tool
Internet searches yield options that perform the basics for reservations, checkouts, and returns. However, they ignore other aspects of the equipment lifecycle, such as maintenance, repair, quarantining, inventorying, and budgeting.

These functions affect equipment availability, so an integrated solution makes the most sense when looking for something new.

Any change is time-consuming and costly. You should tackle every foreseeable issue, including the overall improvement of your operation for customers, staff, and management.

Let’s consider each in turn:

Customers

  • Mobile booking and full accessibility (ADA-compliance) are essential. A system that automatically solves problems saves everyone frustration.
  • Automatic confirmations and reminders improve communication and reduce human error.
  • Using short-cuts and data from previous orders can simplify the booking process.

Staff

  • Configure usage policies, eliminating the need to train staff to memorize the rules.
  • Restrict employee access based on their role.
  • Use dashboards and picklists to save time and effort.
  • Integrate with IT systems for credential management, course enrollment, and billing.
  • Allocate quarantining, maintenance, and inventory stocktaking schedules for proper care of equipment.
  • Limit simultaneous activity to enforce social distancing.

Management

  • Maintain administrative information, maintenance records, and operational data in a secure and accessible place.
  • Use booking activity patterns to meet demand.
  • Use activity reports for forecasting and budgeting.
  • Track warranty information and replacement costs when retiring equipment.

It’s a lot to digest, but you are planning for your department’s growth and the future needs of your inventory as it ages. Even if you start with just booking software, make sure the system you choose can grow and integrate as your operation expands.

The result will be longer-lasting equipment, better service, and the capacity for data-driven decisions. In short, you’ll be better prepared for the future, no matter what it holds.

Contact us at sales@webcheckout.net to learn about how WebCheckout can help you manage all aspects of your inventory.