Tips for Better Equipment Inventory Management

Managing inventory is a crucial element to any business, but in the lawn and plant care industry not just any inventory tracker will do. From trucks and machinery to seeds and fertilizer, it’s important that businesses within this industry monitor what’s on the shelf, in the warehouse, on the road, being used in projects, or ready for the trash. Especially when it comes to expensive equipment.

Trucks, trailers, tractors, mowers, chain saws, and other essential landscaping equipment is expensive to buy and even more so to maintain. Ensuring that every piece of equipment is reaching its destination and returning home each day reduces the loss of time tracking it down and loss of money on replacing it. Here, the experts at Arborgold, have created a helpful guide to improving inventory management for equipment.

Know What You Own and Where it’s Located

The first tip, and possibly the most obvious, is to know what you currently own, and where it’s located. This might sound very straight forward, but many lawn care businesses have such a vast supply of equipment, it can become a bit confusing to control. While some companies cling to the old school method of checking out a machine as it goes, and writing the information down in a book somewhere, others are evolving into the digital world with inventory software.

Inventory control software allows you to list every piece of machinery in your fleet and provide them with unique serial numbers. As employees sign off to use a tool, that piece of equipment is registered as missing from the warehouse, and the serial number is assigned to a customer project. This shows you where your tools are and how they’re being used.

At Arborgold, we take inventory and tracking one step further by providing tools to monitor your team through GPS. Following their every movement, you can verify that your equipment is at its registered destination and watch it check back in when it’s finished for the day.

Monitor Mileage and Fuel Consumption

It isn’t just the equipment itself that costs a landscaping company money, but the use of that equipment and the fuel it consumes. Another important aspect of equipment tracking is monitoring the mileage each machine takes on and the fuel it dispenses. This not only helps you conclude that each tool was used appropriately, but that your team is being efficient, and that you’re not overspending on gas and oil.

Again, this is a great feat of modern business software, to maintain notes on distance, mileage, and gas payments. At Arborgold, for example, you can see whether your team has taken the best route to a destination and have them upload all receipts for gas on the go.

Inspect Machinery on Return and Register it as Ready to Roll

Inventory doesn’t just mean knowing what you have but knowing what condition it’s in. For landscaping companies, heavy machinery and equipment take quite a beating during use. If tools aren’t inspected upon return, they may not be able to efficiently operate during the next job, which could slow production, or force the purchase of a replacement.

When each piece of equipment comes back for the day, have it checked over to determine it’s ready to roll the next time it’s needed. Check this off in your inventory software, and you’ll never find yourself on a job without the equipment you need.

Keep in Touch with Staff While They Use Equipment

Communication is key in any company and landscaping is no different. When it comes to tracking the use of your inventory, keeping in contact with your team is essential. One of the most frustrating problems management faces when dealing with teams in the field is the inability to manage hands-on.

Having a real timeline of communication open with your staff anytime and anywhere is the best way to stay up to date on equipment malfunctions, breakdowns, replacements, or returns. Arborgold’s state of the art business software is designed to give you access to your company on the go. Whether you’re checking in with your team or reviewing yesterday’s equipment usage, you can see everything from your laptop, tablet, or phone from anywhere you go.

Choose the Right Inventory Management Software

As we’ve mentioned, inventory and business software have become a huge feature of modern landscaping companies. To succeed in this industry, having the best tools is important. While there are many brands of customer service management portals and inventory control platforms to choose from, there is a limited supply of providers that focus primarily on landscaping companies.

This is where Arborgold can help most. Our brand of business and inventory management is designed with your company in mind. Rather than creating a broad-spectrum product for any number of businesses across the country, we focused on plant care, landscaping, trees, and other similar fields because we understand that your needs aren’t the same as other businesses.

Having software at your disposal that is designed for teams like yours makes it easier to incorporate it into your current inventory management methods. Our software also provides you with additional tools and services outside of inventory control. Such as:

• Customer service complete with automated e-mail and text options
• Contract renewals
• Invoicing
• Field team management
• Proposals, bids, and estimating
• Scheduling jobs
• Message center

Choosing full rounded software to support your business is the best option when selecting a new provider.

Contact Arborgold and Take our Online Tour Today

Arborgold is a software and business management company that specializes in landscaping, lawn, tree, and plant care. Working within this rewarding industry has proved to us just how useful designated landscaping software can be. While there are many businesses offering customer service management platforms and inventory tools, ours are designed to meet the specific needs of companies within this niche.

Sick of your inventory reports not matching what’s on hand? Take the Arborgold online tour today and learn more about our business software and how it can streamline your inventory needs.