iOS app - Conducting physical inventory counts

 

The iOS app makes the process of conducting physical inventory counts easier. It allows you to pull up the item you need to count with a search or barcode scan. The app shows the quantity listed in the system and allows you to enter a corrected value if needed. If you need to stop and then resume your counting later, the app allows you to pick up where you left off. 

 

When you have completed your inventory counting session, SOS Inventory will generate an adjustment transaction for all the items affected by quantity changes. You can preview the adjustment before saving.

 

infoTIP: To avoid a slow processing time for the adjustment transaction, we recommend that the number of adjusted items be limited to 200 line items per inventory session.

 

Initiating a new physical count

  1. Go to the Work menu and select Physical Inventory.

    The Physical Inventory icon on the iOS app's Work menu.
     
  2. On the Physical Inventory page:
    1. Touch the Location line to select where you are performing the count.

      The Physical Inventory page, with the Location specified.
       
    2. By default, the As Of field uses the current date and time as the basis for your physical count. If you need to change either the date or time, do so.
    3. Select Begin Inventory. A spinner will appear while SOS Inventory pulls the data from the specified location. When the system has finished pulling the data, the Inventory and Preview Adjustment options will be enabled.
    4. Touch the Inventory line.
       
  3. SOS Inventory will pull up a list of items or a list of bins.
    1. If the location is not bin tracked, SOS Inventory will pull up the Items To Inventory list. 

      The Items to Inventory list appears during a physical count.
       
    2. If the location is bin tracked, SOS will display the Bins To Inventory list.

      A Bins to Inventory List on the iOS app.
       
      1. Touch the desired bin.
      2. The app will pull up the Items in Bin list.
         
  4. Use the Filters icon to narrow the items displayed.
    1. Tap Results to Display to select how many items to show.
    2. If you select Category, select the Filters icon again for additional filter options.
    3. Enter Tags that you are filtering for. You must enter the tags manually. 
    4. When finished, select Done.
       
  5. Locate the item you wish to count, using any of the following methods:
    1. Enter all or part of the name of the item you wish to count in the Search bar. The sub-menu below will appear once the cursor is placed in the Search bar. The sub-menu contains three tabs: one that allows you to view all items in the list, another that displays only those which have already been verified by a physical count, and a third displaying only those items that have yet to be counted.

      When the search bar is used to locate an item, a sub-menu appears with tabs displaying all matching items, items with verified counts, and items with counts that have not yet been verified.
       
      edit_noteNOTE: If the selected item is lot tracked, SOS Inventory will pull up all the lots associated with that item on the Lots list. Choose the appropriate lot from the list.
    2. Another option is to select the Barcode scanner icon and scan the item barcode.
       
  6. On the Enter Count screen, enter the count of your item.
    1. Counting items that are not serial tracked. If the Expected Count in the system differs from the Actual Count, enter the correct value in the Actual Count field. The +/- toggle at the top of your keyboard makes the number positive or negative. Whether your count is changed or unchanged, select Save in the upper right corner when finished with that item.

      Enter your actual count of an item on the Enter Count screen.
       
    2. Counting items that are serial tracked. Selecting a serial-tracked item will display the Serials list.
      1. For each serial-numbered item in which the physical count is verified, manually toggle the circle icon to the right—or select the Barcode scanner icon and scan the serial item’s barcode for the system to move the toggle automatically.
      2. For an item with a verified count, the circle icon's background will become green, as shown below.

        When conducting a physical count of a serial-tracked item, it is an inventory of individual serial units.
         
    3. When finished, select Done in the upper right corner. If you were unable to verify any serial number, the system will display the following message: "Are you sure? Any serials not confirmed will be removed when the adjustment is saved." Select Yes or No.
       
    4. As this screenshot shows, once the count of an item has been completed, SOS Inventory will add Count: n for that item in the Items to Inventory list (if not a bin-tracked item) or the Items in Bin list (if a bin-tracked item). This allows you to distinguish at a glance the items on the list that have completed counts from those which do not.

      Items with finished physical counting will appear with their counts on the Items To Inventory list.
       
  7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 for each item you wish to count (or have time to count).
     
  8. What you do next depends on whether you are partially finished or completely finished with your physical count.
    1. If you are partially finished and need to resume your count later:
      1. Select the Back arrow in the upper left corner of the list page. The app will automatically save your work. You can pick up where you left off later. Do not select Save and Finish on the Physical Inventory page. 
      2. This is the last step you need to do for now. See Resuming a partially-completed physical count in the section below when you are ready to continue your physical count. 
    2. When you think you are completely finished with your physical count, select Preview Adjustment to view the adjustment.

      iOS app Adjustment Preview for the Adirondack Chair after a physical count
       
      1. After previewing the adjustment, select Cancel in the upper left corner. This will return you to the Physical Inventory page.
        1. If you were satisfied with the adjustment preview, proceed to Step 9.
        2. If you were not satisfied with the adjustment preview, select Inventory again and revise the count of any item you felt was incorrect.
           
  9. When finished with your physical count, select Save and Finish. The iOS app will automatically generate an adjustment transaction to reflect any changes you made to item quantities. The system will issue a message to notify you that an adjustment has been saved.

 

Resuming a partially-completed physical count

If you need to continue working on a physical count that you previously started, take the following steps:

 

  1. Go to the Work menu and select Physical Inventory.
  2. A pop-up will appear with the options to Start New Inventory, Continue Previous Inventory, or Cancel. Select Continue Previous Inventory.

    The pop-up window that allows you to start a new inventory or resume one.
     
  3. The Physical Inventory screen will appear with the same location selected that you had previously chosen. Under the previous section on this page, Initiating a new physical count, begin with Step 2b and follow the steps listed.