Essentials of Tire Inventory Control
Many automotive shops use manual inventory control systems for their tire business. They are cumbersome, time-consuming, disorganized and prone to human error. Manual systems also prevent finding the right tire fast during customer inquiry calls.
An automated tire inventory control system consists of software and hardware. Such a system helps you and your team become organized. You will save time on data entry and be able to look up tires using a variety of search criteria. That allows you to find them fast in your warehouse, make more sales, and enjoy happier customers.
Our tire inventory control system will help you do all that.
Reliable Inventory Input
Tire inventory control systems consist of a series of steps that are sequential, predictable and repeatable. The first is to identify an incoming tire and catalogue it in your database. You must capture as much information as possible, so that your team can later search for the tire record based on different criteria.
Here are important details to record for each incoming tire before you store it away:
- Tire size
- Tread depth
- Brand
- Model
- Seasonality
- Storage location
- Other attributes
Provide your staff with a checklist of the criteria for each incoming tire and train them on it. That helps them avoid missing details. This list will help your tire storage database grow with consistent data over time. You will not have to worry about data scrubbing.
Make sure to use hardware such as handheld scanners to capture information rather than engaging in manual data entry with a keyboard. Your team will appreciate the convenience and time savings.
Your tire inventory control system should pre-determine storage locations in your facility. That will help staff detect available space during cataloging without wasting time. And immediately locate the tire when it is time to find and retrieve it. You will impress customers with the efficiency of your operation. They will appreciate the faster service when you use scanners.
Faster Tire Identification
Before a tire goes into storage, mark it with a label to associate it with the record in your database. A software-based tire inventory control system can print large sticky labels with unique tire IDs and other vital information (including barcodes or QR codes). The label should be easy to read from a distance. It allows for quick scanning of the barcode by a handheld scanner. You can identify tires during inventory control rounds and for retrieval purposes.
The label will also serve as a visual cue for team members. They will know if the tire has already been cataloged. Know whether tires are stored according to proper protocol. Such information avoids wondering if a tire has been processed already. It will also help staff to position them back into place if, for some reason, they are removed and misplaced.
The label with the barcode is also used for scanning the tire at checkout for sales. Or for releasing it from the database for customers who have stored it with your company.
Better Search Ability Increases Sales
Your organized, data-rich and error-free tire inventory management system will begin to pay off in your sales process.
Your team will be able to search for tires based on various criteria as requested by customers. Your staff will be able to serve phone inquiries better with the ability to search specific tire requirements. Instead, they will be able to use the criteria as filters and retrieve the relevant records within seconds.Fewer customers turned away and more sales secured right over the phone or email.
Customers need you to search for a combination of tire information. That includes tire size, tread depth, price, brand, model, location, and vehicle fit. Quick search results allow responding to sales inquiries with confidence and speed. They also help tire locations in your warehouse to be found quickly for speedy and reliable retrieval whenever a customer demands it.
Instant and Automatic Data Updates
Your software system will automate a lot of your tire inventory control system. That includes aspects of the sales process. You will be able to sell a tire right out of the central database, instantly marking it as “sold.” Then, the inventory system gets updated without any additional work on your or your team’s part. That allows you to have an accurate inventory database with no lag time or delays.
Customer invoicing will also get taken care of by tire inventory control software. Relevant information gets filled out automatically. Then, a professional and clear final invoice gets printed or emailed to the customer.
You can even use a separate POS system and integrate it into the tire control inventory software. They can work seamlessly together.
Using a software-driven tire inventory control system, you can improve efficiency, accuracy, and customer service. You will reduce labour costs as you move from a manual system (or no system) to an efficient software system. Good inventory software is easy to install and frees up your team for more productive work. That will make a positive impact on your bottom line.
A robust tire inventory solution will help you improve customer service and increase sales. It provides the metrics, accuracy and efficiency needed to grow your business. Not to mention all the time it saves you and your team in not dealing with manual data entry and file retrieval. You will also not need to correct inevitable human errors that tend to happen constantly.
For more information about our market-leading tire inventory control solution, learn more about Tire Storage Solutions.