It may be hard to believe but an activity as basic as asset tracking can save you thousands of dollars each year. True, creating a program to monitor assets such as computers, chairs, desks, printers, and monitors may not sound like the most exciting activity in the world but it can pay big benefits.
Think for a minute about how much of your capital is tied up in assets. If you have been in business for some time then looking at it this way could be eye opening. Each year you’ve purchased little by little but in the long run it would cost you thousands to replace that equipment. Do you really know what you have, where it is, and how it is being used? Do you know which pieces of equipment are still under warranty or do you simply fix or replace things as they break down? If you have a good asset tracking program you’ll be able to answer those questions quickly and easily. If you don’t then you probably have no idea how many of your assets walk out the door each year or if you are paying to repair items that should be repaired for free.
Today’s asset tracking systems are designed to be installed quickly and easily. They take advantage of technology such as bar code scanning which make installation and maintenance a snap. If you use Microsoft Windows you can find many economical and easy to use systems. Depending on how large your company is and how many assets you intend to catalog, your asset tracking system can pay for itself in no time at all.
In addition to helping you minimize theft and pilfering of your office assets, a good asset tracking system can help you prepare reports that you need for your management or the taxing authorities, help you avoid surprise capital expenditures, and make your job easier. Once you have your assets loaded into your asset tracking system it is a simple job to keep it up to date. Many companies find that an annual audit is sufficient while others prefer to monitor their database at more frequent intervals. Either way, bar code scanning can make the audit process relatively painless.
When it comes down to actually selecting an asset tracking software program there are a couple of things that you can look at in order to feel comfortable that you are making the right decision. First of all look at how long the developer has been in business. If, for example, a company is new to the market then you need to be aware that if they can’t make a go of it you will be on your own. The other thing you can consider is whether or not they offer a guarantee. The best companies will stand behind their products. This means that they will allow you to trial the software before you buy. That’s pretty much a risk free situation for you. The important thing is, you need to get up to speed when it comes to asset tracking. Otherwise there is a good chance that you are wasting valuable resources—both time and money.
Australian Designers and Manufacturers of Barcode Readers, asset tracking, asset management software and time and attendance software
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