How Barcode Scanners Increase Efficiency

How barcode scanners can make your business more efficient

When it comes to streamlining business and making processes leaner, barcode scanners are vital tools. Because they are able to automate what has traditionally been a time-intensive process, barcode scanners save significant amounts of time and money for companies. How exactly do they do this? Why are barcode scanners excellent efficiency-boosting tools? Why are they a smart choice over manual inventory processes? To help answer these questions, here’s a look at specific ways that barcode scanners are good for business:

Easy and Convenient Setup: Implementing barcode scanners into an inventory system is not difficult. In fact, barcode scanners are specially designed to be up and running within as little as one day of business. Most barcode devices operate with a simple driver and little programming, and many also come with wireless capabilities so that you can take them anywhere to scan items. What’s more, because they are simple to use, training employees in how to implement them is fast and easy. Then, as soon as they’re installed, barcode scanners make it possible to experience all the business benefits that come from automated inventory control.
A Way to Prevent Human Errors: When employees have to manually enter information for each product in your inventory, they are going to make mistakes — and those mistakes cost money. Barcode scanners eliminate this inconvenience by turning long and complicated data input into an automated, streamlined process done by machine.
Less Paper Waste: Using barcode scanners lowers the amount of paper your company needs to track products, which is good both for the environment and for your bottom line. What’s more, moving from paper records to digital ones improves organization.
Faster Inventory Management: Barcode scanners automate the data inputting process so that companies can record huge amounts of information in shorter periods of time. Instead of manually keying in each product’s long serial number, employees get to instantaneously scan in the information and move on. Over the course of one business day or week, a company can save a huge amount of time and energy through this simplified process.
Faster Business Transactions: Barcode scanners improve operations on the client side, too, by making checkouts fast and efficient through simple scanning. Rather than having to manually input each purchased item, cashiers can scan and ring up products in order to serve customers faster and better.
Easier Record Changes: Adjusting prices or running sales is much easier with a barcode system than a manual one. Suddenly, changing prices on your product line is fast and easy — not to mention more accurate.
Faster Inventory Cycle Counts: Forget manually entering each product’s information. With barcode scanners, employees can easily scan relevant information for inventory cycle counts and provide faster, real-time control over inventory systems.
Real-Time Updates to Data: One of the biggest beauties of barcode scanners is that they operate in real time. Rather than looking at inventory logs and expecting some sort of delay in accuracy, companies can get immediate updates to know, at any given moment, what is available and where.
Accurate Historical Inventory Data: The barcode system automatically gives you rich historical data about your inventory, which can then be used to inform your business decisions. You can know which items are popular, which items are often bought together, which items aren’t selling, etc. This information is easily available through automatic records that are created through the barcode system. More accurate data gives you a way to lower your purchasing costs and freight costs by using better economies of scale.
Better Overall Warehouse Management: The bottom line is that barcodes and barcode scanners give a company a way to improve its overall operations. It’s possible to use handheld computers to monitor inventory, it’s easier to predict how much product will be needed to meet customer demand and it’s financially efficient to use the warehouse space you need instead of over-purchasing for products that don’t sell.

Given the many advantages that come from moving from a manual inventory system to barcoding technology, it’s easy to see why so many companies choose to take advantage of barcode scanners. Designed to improve operations and boost business efficiencies, barcode scanners can save businesses time, money and space.

Kevin Kennedy

Kevin has been with Barcode Discount since 2009. He started as on the inside sales team and now works as a technical specialist helping customers make their businesses more efficient. He also helps translate the knowledge of our team into product and solutions advice for the website.

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