How to move away from spreadsheets!

Keeping track of all the records and having efficient inventory management is one of the biggest secrets for business success – even more so if you dabble in the hospitality industry. Knowing when to replenish the resources and ensure that there is no shortage of products are the key points of managing restaurants.

Some small businesses rely on the use of spreadsheets, which are mostly free and accessible. However, the use of Excel spreadsheets in hospitality inventory management may cause greater harm than good.

The negatives

While some may think that not availing a management system made for tracking inventory and making invoices is manageable as long as there is someone who has knowledge on using Excel Spreadsheets, this may not be the brightest idea.

The use of spreadsheets in price management, calculating product prices, predicting future sales, and tracking stocks are not ideal especially if the business revolves around efficiency and customer service. One study from the University of Hawaii shows that the use of spreadsheets in businesses yields eighty-eight percent of error, which results in revenue loss and accuracy problems.

It also gives a messy sales process, as various hands from multiple people are used in order to keep track of the overall inventory. When a representative inputs a different data in the spreadsheet he is in charge of overseeing, he is obligated to send the changes to a central repository. This process avoids the discrepancy among the representatives however, it is not sustainable in the long run and someone is bound to make mistakes that cannot be taken back. An orderly system when using Excel spreadsheets in hospitality inventory management is nearly impossible and time-consuming. Aside from teaching the representatives a documentation process that all should follow, leads and customers are also hard to record especially when recording from multiple fronts. Security is also compromised, as spreadsheets are easy to be duplicated and have a record of being shared externally at a fast pace. When it becomes too large, chances are some of this data will be lost and broken down into folders that may easily be lost or deleted. Aside from not being user-friendly, spreadsheets simply are not just made for consistent visibility – a trait much needed for handling restaurants and hospitality-related businesses. Aside from these, other disadvantages include the vulnerability to fraud, inefficient and time-consuming, lack of mobile access, lack of security when it comes to critical customers’ data, and is just overall not compatible with business management and continuity. Spreadsheets really are not made for inventory tracking, thus, a program that is made just for hospitality product management is taking this part of the world by storm. Used by growing companies, databases that manage the sales and inventory as well as keep the data in a central resource efficiently saves the company from the errors of using Excel Spreadsheets. One remarkable database is Orders Made Simple, which exists solely to keep note of a detailed stock inventory.

A better solution

Errors in data entry can give devastating results, especially for emerging restaurants and hospitality-focused businesses. These errors which can make or break your game can simply be avoided by the use of Orders Made Simple – an application truly dedicated to making restaurant management easier and more efficient.

Stock ordering has never been structured – having connections with over fifty suppliers from various products such as insect repellents to the next ingredient to be used on that excellent garden salad, Orders Made Simple is just the perfect application for you!

Suppliers and products are just one click away, and orders can be tracked using only one invoice. Organising inventory also reached another level, with time being consumed less and products being sold more. The dashboard is easy to control, with a wide range of products that will save you time and effort.

Worried that the products would be delivered when the shop is closed? Well, worry no more! In the Orders Made Simple application, setting the delivery time and customizing time zones will be a walk in the park. There are also daily updates about price changes and are simply visible when you browse the dashboard.

Still not convinced? Aside from saving time by letting you order products with one click, you can also save twenty percent on every stock order!

Orders Made Simple is the digital marketing of the future where efficiency, accuracy, and convenience take precedence over anything else. Install the app and avail the stock ordering of the future.