Mobile inventory management software allows you to track assets and inventory anywhere using iOS or Android smartphones. You can replace traditional barcode scanners / mobile computers with the smartphones for barcode / QR code scanning, data entry and look up. A mobile application linked to a backend cloud software creates a powerful inventory management and asset tracking system. With the minimal time and money investment you can track materials, supplies, equipment and tools in the field and warehouse, and provide real time inventory and assets information to all authorized employees.
Mobile Inventory Management, Asset Tracking With The Smartphones
Mobile inventory and assets are constantly moving between the warehouse, employees, clients, service vans or job sites.
Field and warehouse employees need to have mobile devices for the efficient, real time tracking of the assets movement, supplies and materials usage and stock changes.
That's when a mobile inventory management software comes into play. With a mobile inventory tracking system
company employees can use regular smartphones or tablets for barcode scanning, data entry and look up.
You can also use mobile computers specifically created for the harsh outdoor environment, but
regular smartphones or tablets will work in most cases and save you money on purchasing expensive inventory management hardware.
There are different kinds of the inventory management software systems that have a mobile functionality built into them. Here is a summary
of what they are: hopefully this overview will help you decide what type of the mobile inventory management software might work best for your situation.
Mobile-Optimized Inventory Management And Asset Tracking Software Systems
If you are subscribed to a web based inventory management and asset tracking software, you can likely use it on a tablet without any special changes. However, if you want to use a web based inventory management system on a smartphone and the web pages are not mobile-optimized, the software will be very hard or impossible to work with.
Some software vendors solve this problem by providing a mobile-optimized software version. If this is the case, you will get the same functionality in the mobile and desktop versions of the software. You will need to use a smartphone browser to access the inventory management application, type in a web address or use a bookmark. Importantly, you will not be able to take advantage of the smartphone hardware capabilities that are useful for the field inventory management and asset tracking. These capabilities include barcode and QR code scanning, taking photos, capturing assets GPS location and collecting electronic signatures, just to name a few.
Inventory Management And Asset Tracking Software With the Native Mobile Application
Native mobile applications are written for a specific smartphone platform (android, iOS, windows phones). You download native applications from a respective application store (Apple App Store, Google Play). Once the inventory management mobile application is downloaded to your device you can open it by clicking on its icon. Native mobile applications tend to be faster and more responsive than the mobile-optimized web sites. There are several types of the inventory management mobile applications and / or asset tracking applications that you can encounter:
- Hybrid Inventory Management Mobile Application
Hybrid applications generally mix native functionality with the mobile-optimized web pages embedded in the application frame. Some inventory management mobile applications will simply include mobile-optimized web site into the framework of a native application, without including any native functionality. In essence such application works as a mobile-optimized web site. The only difference is that you will download a mobile application from the respective application store and open it by clicking on the application icon.
You may encounter quite a few inventory management mobile applications like this. It is simply much easier and cheaper to produce a mobile-optimized version of a web based inventory software and embed it in a native application "frame" on all smartphone platforms. As with the mobile-optimized web sites, these inventory management applications will usually lack native smartphone hardware capabilities. - Stand Alone Native Mobile Applications For The Inventory Management And Asset Tracking
Stand alone inventory management mobile applications are the ones that you can download and use by themselves. They are not connected to a cloud inventory management software and do not have a central database / data storage. Due to the absence of the server-based capabilities these mobile applications are very basic, and cannot cover the requirements of an average business. They can suit a single person company who need very limited options, such as entering data into the system and updating stock count.
It is also important to understand that although it is convenient to be able to enter and lookup materials stock on a mobile device, some functions of the inventory management software are simply not suitable for the mobile application. Reports, system configuration that requires large data entries, data import and export are the functions that belong to the office computer with a big screen and a keyboard. Stand alone inventory management mobile applications also have the same drawback as the desktop inventory management systems: data are entered and accessed by a single person and are not easily shareable. - Native Mobile Applications That Extend Functionality Of The Cloud Inventory Management Software
These inventory management mobile applications do not simply copy existing software to the mobile device. Instead, they extend a cloud inventory management software to include functionality that makes inventory and asset tracking faster and easier, especially in the field and other out-of-the-office locations.
Field employees who handle supplies, materials and equipment need a tool to quickly process supplies, materials and parts receiving and usage, check current stock, access equipment information and fill out forms. These functions naturally belong to the mobile application on a smartphone. Smartphones' capabilities of the QR code or barcode scanning, taking photos, capturing GPS location, capturing signature, sending data to the cloud and availability of the mobile forms for data collection are all used to enable real time efficient asset and inventory tracking.
Functions that are usually done in the office - setting up the inventory management system, importing / exporting data, reviewing reports - are done using a web based dashboard.
For most businesses native mobile applications that extend functionality of a cloud inventory management software system provide the most value. Cloud inventory management software with a supplementary mobile application provides a centralized real time access to the assets and inventory data for all team members, and enables fast and efficient asset and inventory tracking in the field or warehouse.
Mobile Inventory Management Using A QR Inventory Software
QR Inventory software gives you tools to efficiently track materials, supplies, parts and equipment in the field and warehouse, and have relevant information available to all authorized users in real time. QR Inventory software system combines a web based dashboard with the inventory tracking mobile application, so that each task is performed on the most suitable platform.
Inventory management tasks that are performed outside of the office (in the field, in the warehouse, on the factory floor) are done using mobile devices (smartphones,
tablets, mobile computers) which can be easily carried along. These tasks include:
- recording materials and equipment receiving, transfer between locations, usage, return to the warehouse, etc.
- checking supplies and materials stock
- checking equipment specifications
- filling out all types of paperwork (equipment maintenance forms, quality control forms, inspection checklists, field daily logs and reports, safety audits, etc., etc.) using mobile forms
- documenting completed tasks and production process
Field employees use a native inventory inventory management mobile applications (available for Android and IOS) for QR code / barcode scanning, taking photos for visual documentation, recording GPS location, capturing electronic signatures, creating and e-mailing pdf documents.
Administrators use QR Inventory software on the office computers for the administrative tasks, such as:
- inventory management software configuration
- initial data import
- reviewing real time and historic inventory and asset reports
- managing system users and privileges
QR Inventory software provides a centralized inventory management platform, where all team members have a real time access to the inventory and asset information. All devices in use by the company employees - mobile devices and office computers - work with a central cloud database. All recorded inventory and assets changes on any of the devices immediately update the backend cloud database, and become available to all authorized software users.
You can find more information on the QR Inventory software features and capabilities here.
Inventory management and asset tracking with mobile devices and barcode scanning.
Track inventory and assets in the field, warehouse or office in real time. Always know what you
have in stock, where your assets are, what projects they were used for. Review usage history and trends,
analyze data to improve business process.
Mobile data collection and workflow tracking. Collect data in the field, on the shop floor or
on the job sites using mobile forms. Link mobile forms to your process / workflow. Store
digital documents in the secure cloud, give all stakeholders immediate access to collected data from anywhere.
Physical inventory count and asset audits. Do planned and ad hoc counts using mobile devices for barcode scanning.
Complete inventory counts and asset audits in
hours rather than days or weeks, eliminate errors and miscounts. Immediately identify discrepancies with "on the books" inventory.