How To: Barcode Tracking

Barcodes offer much more than you think. While you may associate them with the products you buy when you go grocery shopping, they offer more. In fact, barcodes can help you to organise your assets. Working in the same way that they do when you purchase something in a shop, barcodes can also increase productivity. However, not a lot of people are aware of this or the additional benefits. Using barcodes to help you track your assets is a smart move. When you use an equipment management system so you can access barcodes, you’re making an even smarter move.

Did you know that almost every business out there could benefit from barcode tracking? When you start to use barcodes for the first time, the benefits may become obvious. When you use an equipment management system alongside barcodes you can track each asset’s:

• Location
• Insurance and warranty details
• Instruction manuals and other manuals
• The current (estimated) value
• Current user
• List of previous users
• Place of purchase and cost at purchase
• Maintenance schedule
• And more

When you use the right management system/software you can make the most of all that barcodes have to offer. You can, in fact, track many different aspects of every asset. This allows you to have a lot of control. A direct consequence of this is that you can understand how your assets are used. Additionally, you can increase levels of security so you can have peace of mind.

Let’s take a closer look at how barcodes can benefit your business.

There are many ways that barcodes can benefit your business. Some of them include:

• Eliminates ghost assets
• Improves security levels
• Ensures better asset location tracking
• Helps to improve the lifespan of every asset
• Allows you to assign assets
• Ensures only the right people gain access to assets
• Easily accessible from a range of devices
• Can help you track your personal belongings
• Ideal for any business

It’s clear that there are many benefits associated with using barcodes to aid with asset tracking. If you use an equipment management system that allows quick access to your barcodes, you’re onto a winner.

Making a start with barcodes is fairly straightforward. One of the very first things you need to do is to decide which assets you want to track. Some people like to track a few of their assets, others like to track all of them.

Once you’ve made this decision it’s time to begin. Simply attach a barcode to an asset. Put it in a secure place that’s easily accessible. For example, you could place it inside a delivery vehicle’s door. Alternatively, you could attach the barcode to the back of a tablet.

Once you have attached the barcode you need to scan it. This is quick and easy. Scanning the barcode will automatically create and open up a digital profile. Now it will be time for you to add a lot of content to your digital profile. If you use a modern equipment management system, there should be plenty of chances for you to enter many different details. You could add insurance information, the instruction manual, a photograph of the asset, and a reminder for your maintenance schedules. In fact, the more details you add, the better as you may need them at some point in the future.

The next stage is for you to start using your management system and making the most of those barcodes. Did you know that as soon as you’ve created a digital profile you automatically begin tracking the asset? This is great news as it means you can have more control over each asset in no time at all.

One of the best things you can do when you use barcodes to track assets is to take at least one photograph of them. When you do, you make recognising the assets easier. Simply upload the photos to the digital profiles and you’re good to go. Another really useful thing you can do is to understand that you can access your equipment management system via multiple devices. You can access it via a desktop computer, a laptop, your phone, or a tablet. This will allow you to scan a barcode or access the online portal or app whenever or wherever you are.

Finally, consider grouping similar assets together for ease of access. For example, put all your factory machinery in one group and your warehouse equipment in another. Make finding the right asset easier by creating relevant groups.

Now it’s time to make barcode tracking work for you. There’s no time like the present.

Would you like to chat to an expert about using barcode tracking with an equipment management system? Contact us today at team@itemit.com.