One of the biggest things that adds time to running a rental business or equipment room is a lack of organization. If your equipment isn’t organized, you spend more time looking for it, increase losses, and waste money. So, what can you do to keep your equipment in check and ensure your operation runs as smoothly as possible and you don’t waste any time?
Well, there are several things successful equipment rooms do to keep their inventory organized, from being clever with labels to being vigilant, assembling kits, using equipment management software, and not being afraid to test different techniques. Let’s explore how you can implement these tips and improve how your organization manages equipment.
How to organize your equipment room
Whether you’re just starting your rental business or equipment room or you’ve been established for some time, it’s never too early to get organized. It is one of the easiest things to overlook, and as your equipment quantity grows, problems compound. So, it’s best to get on top of your equipment management early as it can be a hurdle to growth.
1. Label everything
It can be hard to find things when you don’t know where they are, and you have no directions to help you. This is where labels make your job easier. If you label all your products, arrange them in categories, and label your shelves, you’ll suddenly find it’s much easier to find everything. By doing this, you will feel more organized because everything has its place.
It is much easier to reference and grab equipment when you have a guide to where to find it. This helps you to know where everything is and for staff or students to quickly find what they need. It also reduces waiting time for people picking up equipment because you don’t have to look for long. You can also add your own branding, so everyone knows where it is from.
2. Organize equipment every day
Everyone hates organizing equipment, but it soon builds up, leaving you with a lot to tidy up. It can often be hard to get the motivation to organize everything when there’s so much to do. If you spend a little extra time after equipment is returned to put it back, you will always be able to stay on top of organizing your inventory. No more Friday nights spent tidying everything.
Not only will this give you peace of mind knowing that everything is in its place, but it also makes daily tasks easier. When someone comes to pick up equipment, you don’t have to dive into your returns pile, and you can quickly pick it up from its shelf—improving your efficiency and enabling you to spend much less time serving every customer, student, or otherwise.
3. Create pre-assembled kits
One of the most painful tasks when running an equipment room is grabbing all the items a customer has booked. You can reduce this entirely by pre-assembling kits of products that are usually rented together. Then, all you need to do is go to the shelf and pick up the kit, rather than running around your equipment room trying to find everything on your packing slips.
This also makes inventory much easier to manage as you won’t have to borrow products from elsewhere. You can add to this by storing loose bulk items like cables in small labeled boxes so you can quickly grab them when needed rather than routing through a bin of them. This saves precious time and ensures everything in your equipment room is managed and organized.
4. Use equipment management software
Many rental businesses and equipment rooms struggle the most with keeping track of their inventory and knowing where it is. Equipment management software allows you to track what’s available, what’s rented out, and who has your equipment. This makes it incredibly easy to quickly reference and know the current status of all your products.
In addition, most equipment management software, like Booqable, will allow you to track products with barcodes and QR codes. These can be scanned when equipment is checked in and out to increase accuracy and reduce losses. It also helps to stamp out human error because you will always know if you have picked up the right equipment for a reservation or not.
5. Test different techniques
Not every way of managing equipment will work well for every business, so you must find which suits yours best. Your organization strategies must also be adaptable because, on some days, you’ll have more time than others. For example, taking the extra time to put equipment in the right place might work well on an average day, but when you’re busy, it can be less effective.
It also might not be advantageous for every person on your team to learn where everything is. You may decide that having one person who knows your equipment room inside out is the best option, especially if you work with a larger team. Having a go-to person for questions on where stock is can streamline the process and reduce the time spent searching for the right shelf.
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Keeping your equipment room organized
Hopefully, these tips have given you some helpful information you can implement into your rental business or equipment room. It is essential to keep up with organization, and it will help your management run more smoothly in the long run. Not only will you save time, but you will also prevent errors and losses, keep customers happy, and reduce running costs.
