Right Traq Blog

Online Inventory Management

Posted by acts_as_flinn Mon, 14 Aug 2006 02:16:00 GMT

So you’re looking to implement online inventory management. Here is a checklist for getting started with a web-based online inventory system.

• When choosing an online inventory management system you should know what features you absolutely need and what you can live without. Web services provide different sets of functionality especially companies offering a product specialized for a niche industry.

• Know what programs does your inventory management application need to talk to. QuickBooks, Peachtree, and other accounting applications have their own data formats for importing. Exporting data to office applications like Excel make handling data simple—I consider this a must.

• Know what programs the inventory application can accept data from. This is similar to the above bullet, find out if you can upload information from your accounting system, or office programs like Excel to the online inventory management system.

• Figure out how many accounts you will need. Who will use the system, how many offices, or warehouses will need access to the system.

• Find a provider with a clear scalable path for expanding your capabilities when the time comes. You’re a growing company, and someday you might grow well past an online inventory management service provider. Find out if you can run the system in-house with a support contract when the time comes.

• Last but not least, have your inventory ready to be uploaded. If your online inventory management application has an Excel spreadsheet template, use it. This can save you time getting started. Uploading a list of 10,000 parts at a time instead of filing a form one by one is a no-brainer.

About the author: Flinn Mueller (acts_as_flinn) is the President of Right Traq, Inc. a Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania based online inventory management service provider.