The supplies that you need for your office cost money. Spending too much on supplies such as inks and toners, paper, pencils, pens, and others is a waste of your hard-earned money. That is why you need to find ways to loosen up your budget. One effective way to do this is to keep your office inventory under control. But, you must ensure you have all the supplies you need. Below are some tips to keep your inventory under control:
Designate a Team to Dispense Supplies
Although it is convenient for your people to access the supply rooms on their own, it is inefficient when you try to keep the storage room under control. In terms of an open-supply closet, tracking is an issue. When you allow anybody to take items they need at any time, the supply managers won’t be able to track the supplies. The best approach is to create a team of people who will dispense office supplies.
Put your Supply Policy in Writing
Having a written policy for inventory management can help control your supply stream. This way, you will know who needs to track office supply inventory and ensure items are there when needed. Your policy should specify how the inventory gets tracked. Everybody becomes aware of the details of how the supplies are managed.
Track your Supplies
Inventory control requires inventory tracking. To track items, keep a log or spreadsheet of what you purchase, how quickly it gets used, and often others are ordered. Tracking inventory can be done manually, through tracking software, or by hiring the services of an inventory control vendor.
Consider the Grouping Method
This means grouping like items together. For instance, you can keep together all the writing supplies like 123ink pens, markers, pencils, highlighters, and others. This makes it easier to find and track your office supplies. In fact, it is the best system to organise your storage space.
Set Reorder Point
Knowing how much use of every item you keep stocked will tell you how much to keep on hand and when to place an order. An office supply reorder point is the level of inventory which triggers to order more. As you decide on the reorder point, think about how much you use of an item and how quickly. Also, consider the delivery time and potential delays. After knowing your reorder points, consider setting up an automated reorder process.
