Tracking Inventory As It Leaves The Van

white8

How is everyone tracking inventory as it leaves the van on service calls? Presently, my guys are making very long lists on paper and the office staff spends a long time inputing the items into Quickbooks invoices. I've thought about PDAs but am not sure if it would save time or waste more time than it saves. I'm planning to expand the business in the very near future and my office staff is at its limit without adding more people but just around the end of the month.

JonM

Ever think of using barcodes?

GregS

I do it by weight.

Most of what I take off the van isn't that big.. Connectors, jacks, panels, etc.. Keeping track of it as it comes off the truck would be more time.

I try every week to clean out the van. When I do that I put things back where they are supposed to go and have an idea on what I am starting to run out of. I then make a list and a trip to the supplier.

Double-A

I think we use fewer parts in plumbing than you might in electrical, but we used to keep all our items in packages. If we installed a new service stop, it came with a supply and escutcheon. This allowed us to use one number for three items.

Since we did flat rate pricing, these items were charged to the task number and there was no need to record more information. If addition parts were required, it was noted on the copy we kept for accounting.

For instance, replacing a water closet.

WC
Seat
Supply
Wax
Bolts

If we needed a new supply nut then we'd add that to our list of additional parts, but the task number would cover those 5 items. Much easier to track.

In addition, our warehouse was set up just like a large van, with the bins in the same order as the service trucks and the same part numbers on them. Based on that days invoices, we'd reorder and restock the trucks from the warehouse inventory. Worked like a charm and cut down on all the extra crud we didn't need to have in inventory or pay taxes on each year.

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"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006