4 reasons to integrate Cycle Counting in your workflow a.s.a.p.

As a logistics service provider, you want to be aware of everything within your warehouse. Including your inventory. When a customer asks for the current stock status, you have to be able to give them the right answer. After all, this is what they expect. Your customer is not the only one who is interested in this status. The same goes for the tax authorities. In the Netherlands, the tax authorities expect that you value your stock. It is likely that your government demands the same. Are you not able to give both parties the correct answer? In both cases, it will cost you. A pity, because counting your inventory on a regular basis gives you the possibility to get the right information anytime. But you also know: counting your inventory is easier said than done. Except with Cycle Counting.

Cycle Counting

A while ago, my colleague Jan Dirk wrote a blog about the possibilities of Cycle Counting. In this blog, he mentioned that with the regarding module system-controlled realtime counting became very easy. This way you do not need to book hours for your employees to count the entire stock, but you can divide this to your own wishes. I will mention 4 reasons to start with Cycle Counting as soon as possible in this log. I do not mention these reasons for the tax authorities or your customers, but mainly for you. The other parties will notice their benefits automatically.

1. Cycle Counting offers insights into your customer’s stock, to your customer.

Logistics service is all about efficiency and information provision. Your customers want to be kept up to data all the time from everything that has to do with their business. And if possible, exactly at the moment that suits them best. With Cycle Counting you do not only have the possibility to give them the right information, they can also easily look for the information in the web portal. This saves you a lot of phone calls and your customers waiting time.

2. Cycle counting lets you count parts of the warehouse or specifically for customers

Basically, Cycle Counting is splitting the yearly count of the entire inventory in smaller parts, divided over multiple periods. How you divide this, is entirely up to you. You can even choose for configuring Cycle Counting per customer item. When a customer item goes under 10 packages, an employee receives a signal to do the exact count. This way you prevent that stocks run empty and it saves you many count activities. When you make use of a warehouse division for specific customers, a counting task can easily be created for a specific warehouse or several locations. Next to that, it is also possible to specifically request all stock of a specified customer in the Cycle Counting’s temp table.

3. Cycle Counting is user-friendly

The counting method is not only usefully designed for the counters (often order pickers) on the work floor. The module is for the administration department and the core users of our solution also very user-friendly. With the help of a Customer Success Consultant, Cycle Counting is easily taken care of. This consultant can tell you everything you need to know about the module and at the same time configure the scan screens to your wishes. The scan screens show the information about the temporary table of lines from the Cycle Counting table. As mentioned before; from the moment that a new Cycle assignment is designed, new lines are added in Cycle Counting’s temporary table. This actually means that you are keeping up a shadow estimation from the stock.

This stock is different than a bank book for example. In a bank book, the lines are retained. This is not the case with Cycle Counting. If at a certain moment gets decided to execute the counts, the scanner mentions where the order pickers need to go to. When they start with the scanning of a carrier, in the Cycle Count the status changes from “Open” to “Assigned”. And the user is mentioned in the assigned user field. This way, employees at the office can follow the count. If a counter passes through a different amount, the administration employee can decide whether to confirm the difference or to do a recount by a supervisor or from the office. In most of the cases, the second option gets chosen: a follow-up check. If a difference is noted, it can be booked within the inventory bank book with reason code ‘Cycle Count’. This way you decide to what extent you want to control things.

4. Cycle Counting can be implemented in no-time

Where Cycle Counting saves you hours of unnecessary work, the implementation of the module barely costs you any time. Our experienced consultants will come by at the desired moment and instantly arrange it for you. Just like you are used from Boltrics. The investment is low and the benefits are huge. I will put it this way: the Cycle Counting module is completely up and running before you can count your inventory.

With Cycle Counting you are a logistics service provider that counts

I hope it is clear for you that you can achieve maximum return with minimum efforts. Saving time on the work floor, at the support desk, at your administration and a boost of your customer focus. Interested in Cycle Counting? Get in touch with your consultant and experience everything I mentioned in this blog!