How to detect and prevent inventory discrepancies in Exact Online
Inventory discrepancies are a common problem for businesses using Exact Online. The difference between the administrative stock in your ERP system and the actual stock in your warehouse can lead to missed sales, dissatisfied customers and unnecessary purchasing costs. In this article, we explain how inventory discrepancies occur, how to detect them and — more importantly — how to prevent them structurally.
What are inventory discrepancies?
An inventory discrepancy occurs when the quantity registered in Exact Online does not match what is actually in your warehouse. This can be both positive and negative: you have more in stock than the system indicates, or less. Both situations are problematic. With a negative discrepancy, you sell products that are not there, leading to back orders and dissatisfied customers. With a positive discrepancy, you have unnecessary capital tied up in inventory that is not visible in your system.
Common causes
The most common causes of inventory discrepancies are:
- Manual entry errors: Manually entering quantities is error-prone. A typo, a wrong item number or a forgotten booking — these are small mistakes that can have major consequences. Research shows that manual data entry has an error rate of up to 1 in 300 keystrokes.
- Missed scans or bookings: When goods enter or leave the warehouse without being registered, a discrepancy immediately arises. This happens especially during busy periods when employees skip steps to save time.
- Timing issues: Goods are physically moved but only processed in the system later. In the meantime, the administration is incorrect, which can lead to double orders or wrong promises to customers.
- Internal transfers: Moving products between warehouses or storage locations without registering this is a common source of errors. The product is there, but at the wrong location in the system.
- Returns and damages: Returns that are not correctly booked back or damaged products that are not written off cause creeping discrepancies that accumulate over time.
How barcode scanning prevents inventory discrepancies
Barcode scanning is the most effective way to minimize inventory discrepancies. By scanning every goods movement instead of entering it manually, you eliminate the main source of errors. The benefits are clear:
- No typos: The barcode contains the exact item number. There is no room for interpretation or mistakes.
- Real-time registration: Every scan is processed directly in Exact Online. There is no delay between the physical action and the administrative processing.
- Enforcing processes: With barcode scanning, you can enforce that every step is followed. No scan means no booking, so steps are no longer skipped.
- Traceability: Every scan is logged with timestamp and user. When a discrepancy occurs, you can trace exactly where and when it went wrong.
Using the Barcode Scan App against inventory discrepancies
The Barcode Scan App for Exact Online offers a complete solution to prevent inventory discrepancies. With the app, you scan barcodes at every goods movement:
- Goods receipt: Scan incoming products directly upon receipt and book them to the correct storage location. The app automatically checks whether the received quantities match the purchase order.
- Order picking: When picking sales orders, you scan each product. The app warns you when you pick the wrong product or scan a deviating quantity.
- Transfers: Register warehouse transfers directly by scanning. This way, the location information in Exact Online always stays up to date.
- Counting: Perform stock counts with the app. Scan each product and compare the counted quantities directly with the administrative inventory.
Tips for detecting existing discrepancies
Do you suspect your inventory is inaccurate? Follow these steps:
- Perform a cycle count: Regularly count a portion of your inventory and compare it with Exact Online. Focus first on your A-items (products with the highest turnover rate).
- Check recent transactions: Review the inventory transactions in the app to see if there are any unexplained bookings.
- Analyze patterns: Do the discrepancies keep occurring with the same items? Or with the same employee? This helps you identify the root cause.
- Post corrections: After finding the cause, post the corrections in Exact Online and make sure the process is adjusted to prevent recurrence.
Structural prevention
Preventing inventory discrepancies requires a structural approach. Implement barcode scanning in every process where goods are moved, received or delivered. Train your employees on the importance of accurate registration and make scanning a mandatory part of the work process. The Barcode Scan App for Exact Online provides a solid foundation for this.
By investing in barcode scanning, you not only save time searching for discrepancies, but also avoid the costs of wrong deliveries, unnecessary inventory investments and dissatisfied customers. The return on this investment is typically visible within a few weeks.