Inventory management is one of the features available on certain subscription tiers of tiers that come with having a Work Order & Asset Management subscription tier that includes Asset Pro!
For those that are on an eSPACE subscription tier which includes inventory, all Admins within Work Order & Asset Management will have access to and can manage inventory types and items based on which departments/service categories/locations they have access to under their user permissions. Inventory Types can be any general category of specific Inventory Items that you want to track.
- EX: If an admin has access to the "Lighting" service category, then they would be able to add a "Lighting" Inventory Type and associate the "Lighting" service category to it. Then they would also be able to add Inventory Items and associate them to that Inventory Type.
- If an Admin gives a Sub-Admin permission rights to manage inventory, they will also see the Settings > Advanced > Inventory tab on they left side menu bar and will be able to add and manage Inventory Types and Items based on the service categories and locations they have access to under their user permissions.
- For eSPACE subscription tiers that include Asset Pro, Admins and sub-admins can both be given the ability to also manage inventory requests under their user permissions: Asset Pro | Inventory Request Form
Adding Inventory Types
To add and manage your Inventory, go to Settings > Advanced > Inventory and start with clicking on "Inventory Item Types" (see below).
Click on "Add New Inventory Type", then fill out what type you want (ex: Kitchen and Laundry Parts & Supplies) and choose one or more service categories you want to link it to and SAVE.
- Admins will only be able to assign Inventory Types to the Service Categories that they have access to under their user permissions. (The same is true for sub-admins who have been given the ability to manage inventory.)
Adding Inventory Items
After adding inventory types, go back to Settings > Advanced > Inventory and click on "Inventory Items".
Click on "Add a New Item".
Fill out the required and as much information as you can, then SAVE.
- If you have multiple locations (campuses) and store all of your inventory in a warehouse or central location, you can add the storage area as a location and then mark all of your inventory stored there as "Not Location Restricted" (shown below) so that regardless of what location is associated within a work order, users will be able to add new inventory cost items and add/deplete inventory.
- If you choose to upload more than one, then you can choose to make one of them the default image.
As you add your inventory, you will see them listed within your "Inventory Items" grid.
- Notice the cog wheel icon to the right of a few inventory items, shown below. This indicates that the items have been marked "Not Location Restricted" (refer to note above) and can be moved from one central location such as a warehouse to any other locations.
Checking Current Inventory
If you would like to keep track of what you currently have in inventory, you can click on Settings > Advanced > Inventory, click on "Current Inventory".
Here you will see your current inventory items and how much quantity you have on hand.
- Each time to enter a new inventory item, it's highly recommended that you enter a "Reorder Threshold Limit". You can then set up alerts under Settings > Advanced > System Alerts.
Adjusting Inventory
Click on "Inventory Adjustment" to when you need to increase or decrease your inventory quantity for an item.
Start typing in the name of an inventory item to get result options to appear in the drop-down list.
Then add what location that item is stored at, choose whether you are receiving or depleting, add a quanity and notes and click SAVE.
Once you've added your inventory and inventory adjustments, you will see a list of your current in-stock inventory that includes Item Name, Item #, Inventory Item Type, Location, Aisle, Bin, Quantity on Hand, Unit Cost, On-Hand Value and the Reorder Threshold.
Another way to make adjustments (receive or deplete), is to simply click on the green edit button to the right of the inventory item, make the adjustments and SAVE.
Inventory items with a quantity on hand OR items that have had a quantity-on-hand associated at some point will be displayed within your current inventory. If the item never had a quantity-on-hand added, then it is not included within your current Inventory.
There is a setting (Admins only) within Settings > Advanced > Display Features called "Hide Items with no quantity from Current Inventory". When this is selected, you will not see any inventory items that have a zero quantity. However, if the quantity on hand is a negative number, it will still be displayed until an adjustment has been made. Simply change the quantity on hand to zero if you do not want these to be displayed.
System Alerts - Inventory Alerts
If you (as an admin) set up system alerts and enable:
- "Inventory Reorder" alerts under Settings > Advanced > System Alerts > Setup System Alerts
- and also enable "Inventory Reorder" under Settings > Advanced> System Alerts > System Alerts Subscribed,
then you will see a message about the alerts when the current inventory falls below the reorder threshold under System Alerts > Messages.
- Keep in mind you will be notified each time an inventory Item falls below its reorder threshold until an admin or sub-admin who can manage inventory increases the inventory count to be greater than the reorder threshold. You can always add a comment within the inventory request or inventory item that you have re-ordered; however, the comment is not currently included in an email notification.
You will also get an email the following day before 8am Eastern time with a list of all the items that are below their reorder threshold.
Different eSPACE Subscription Tiers include Different Features
Viewing Your Subscription Details
- Each eSPACE admin with access to Billing can view what subscription tier your organization currently has and everything that is included in their account under Settings > Other > Billing > Manage.