Why Schools Need Asset Tracking Software

Published on October 27, 2023 • 3 min read

If you work in a school you will know how hard it is to keep track of everything. From stationery to laptops, textbooks to furniture, knowing where your assets are can seem impossible. Perhaps you have a log book that shows who has checked out what equipment. This logbook may even show where the equipment has been taken. However, it won’t show its exact location. 

Tracking everything can seem impossible and it’s likely that from time to time, assets go missing. Not only can this be frustrating but it can also be expensive. The good news is that when you use some asset tracking software, you can have complete peace of mind.

How Asset Tracking Works

Tracking your assets using an app is something well worth considering. Depending on the app you choose, you could see where your assets are at all times. To do this, you may need to attach a barcode or RFID tag to your assets. When scanned, the code or tag will bring up a digital profile. This profile can be filled with information about the asset. As soon as you have scanned the code or tag for the first time you can start to track the asset’s location. This feature is invaluable.

What You Can Track

Ultimately, you can track just about anything. You could track your textbooks, lab equipment, printers, E-readers, first aid equipment, bathroom supplies, stationery supplies, chairs, tablets, cafeteria supplies and equipment, smart boards, and so much more. 

If you want to track all of your assets, you can. If you only want to track a few, such as your most expensive assets, you can. The choice is yours. However, the more assets you track, the better. This is simply because it’s very likely you’ll see the benefits that come with tracking your assets.

Checking Assets In And Out

The world of asset tracking can offer you more than you think. For example, you could set up the check-in- and check-out feature. It’s this feature that can help you to keep a really close eye on some of your assets. 

Let’s imagine that you have 30 really expensive textbooks. You want the textbooks to be safe at all times, but you know they need to spend time in a classroom. So, in addition to attaching an RFID tag to them, you could also ensure they’re always checked in and out. This is a feature that’s easy to implement and it’s also one that shows you exactly who has what. You can ask each teacher to check them in and out or even each student. This will ensure that everyone is accountable for those textbooks.

Assigning Assets To Teachers

Assigning assets to teachers is another useful tracking feature. It allows you to see which departments are using which assets. It also helps you to understand which departments use particular assets more often than others. This data could prove to be useful if you want to build a clear picture of what each department needs.

Maintaining Health And Safety

Health and safety in schools is so important and here is where some asset tracking software can help. Thanks to the way that the software works, you can make sure that safety standards are met. You can even potentially prevent issues from arising such as boilers overheating. You could, for example, set up a maintenance schedule so that the boiler is checked out every so often. You could also set up a schedule for every asset your school has. This can ensure that your equipment, computers, vehicles, and anything else is in good working order. As a result, you could spend less on repairs and replacing damaged assets.

Creating Your Asset Register

So you now understand some of the benefits associated with using asset tracking software. Now it’s time for you to create your asset register. Don’t worry, this part is relatively easy. Remember earlier on when we looked at adding a barcode or an RFID tag to assets? When you affix a code and scan it, you automatically create that all-important digital profile for an asset. This is the beginning of your register. The more digital profiles you create the larger your register will be. 

As long as you add your most important assets to your register, you’re good to go. However, the more assets you add, the more benefits you’ll reap from the software. This is why it makes sense for you to add every single asset. While this may undoubtedly take time, it’s absolutely worth it. Imagine being able to track and instantly locate your assets at the touch of a button. It’s very satisfying and it brings peace of mind. That, in itself, is priceless. 

Would you like to speak with someone knowledgeable about asset tracking for schools? Contact us now at team@itemit.com.