When it comes to getting organized, there’s nothing quite as inspiring as the start of a new year. Whether your business has already optimized its inventory management strategy and is looking for a few new tips and tricks to take organization to the next level, or you truly are starting from square one, this article is the perfect place to start.
1. Organize everything—seriously!
It’s no secret that any good inventory management strategy begins with a thorough and physical cleanup of all inventory storage spaces. And it’s also no secret that this technically “simple” tip is one of the most challenging inventory best practices to truly implement. That’s because thoroughly organizing storage spaces and keeping them tidy month after month is hard work.
And that’s also why this resolution is at the very top of our list. There is no better time than right now to commit to doing the hard work of physically preparing your business’s storage spaces for optimal inventory management and then resolving to do everything necessary to keep those spaces clean for the rest of the year.
Of course, just how difficult of a resolution this is depends on your business’s size, the number of employees you have able to help, and the current state and size of your storage areas.
To get started, determine how much time it will take to get inventory storage spaces cleaned out and then reorganized in an orderly fashion that syncs with whatever inventory management system you plan to use throughout the year.
This does not need to be done in a day. In fact, some businesses, especially those large in size, schedule weeks (or even months) of side work that allow businesses to slowly but surely organize those storage spaces.
Regardless of your schedule and strategy, you should ensure that whatever physical organization works best for your business is recorded in your company’s standard operating procedure.
Additionally, physical storage spaces should be outfitted to foster good organizational habits. This means investing in the shelving, bins, and other equipment necessary to keep spaces clear and intuitively stopped.
Fun fact: Sortly lets you organize your inventory digitally to perfectly match your physical setup. This makes it incredibly intuitive to use!
Related: Sortly’s Guide to Physically Organizing Inventory
2. Implement barcodes and QR codes
If your business isn’t already using barcodes and QR codes to automate inventory management, now is the time to start. After all, barcodes and QR codes have been proven to slash hours off of inventory-related tasks—while reducing the risk of human error.
Moreover, barcodes and QR codes are made even easier when managed through an intuitive inventory app such as Sortly. This is true for various reasons, including:
- The ability to use existing smartphones and tablets as barcode and QR code scanners
- The ability to generate customized barcodes and QR codes for all unlabeled inventory and then easily print them using a regular printer and standard label paper
- The ability to rapidly scan barcodes and QR codes at any time and from anywhere to learn more about an item or to check that item in or out—all without the risk of confusing items or opening up the wrong item profile
Barcodes and QR codes are especially helpful for businesses that manage high quantities of inventory, are constantly moving items in and out, maintain inventory that is often boxed up or hard to reach, and stock items that look alike or have similar names.
If creating barcodes and QR codes for every item in your inventory seems overwhelming, consider modifying this resolution. One option is to implement ABC classification in your barcoding strategy.
In other words, start by creating QR codes or barcodes for the most critical 10% of your inventory—the inventory that brings your business the most profit and is most essential to your business’s operations. Once that’s done, move on to Category B and then Category C.
Whether that takes days, weeks, or even the first couple of months of the year, you’ll be well on your way to becoming even more organized, efficient, and accurate in managing inventory.
This easy, comprehensive guide will help you:
Free Ebook: The Complete Guide to Barcoding Your Inventory
3. Create a visual inventory
Another key inventory-related resolution is adding high-resolution photos to your inventory list. This can be done whether you keep track of inventory on paper, a spreadsheet, or inventory software.
Remember that a truly visual inventory system will be easier to manage when using software or an app designed to feature such images. While it’s certainly possible to add images to documents and spreadsheets, those photos can become clunky and hamper the speed and usability of such lists.
On the other hand, modern inventory management software designed to be visual has already been engineered to showcase pictures. This means the inventory system works better with photos, not worse. Visuals can be used to verify inventory during barcode and QR code scans, reveal what’s inside a box that’s out of reach, and determine an item’s condition or value change during asset audits. Pictures can even be included in customized reports for internal or external use.
About Sortly
Sortly is an inventory management solution that helps you track, manage, and organize your inventory from any device, in any location. We’re an easy-to-use inventory software that’s perfect for large or small companies. Sortly builds inventory tracking seamlessly into your workday so you can save time and money, satisfy your customers, and help your projects succeed.
With Sortly, you can track inventory, supplies, parts, tools, assets, and anything else that matters to your business. It comes equipped with smart features like barcoding & QR coding, low stock alerts, customizable folders, data-rich reporting, and much more. Best of all, you can update inventory right from your smartphone, whether you’re on the job, in the warehouse, or on the go.
Whether you’re just getting started with inventory management or you’re an expert looking for a more efficient solution, we can transform how your company manages inventory—so you can focus on your business. That’s why over 15,000 businesses globally trust us as their inventory management solution.
Start your two-week free trial of Sortly today.
