Custom Inventory Software: How They Handle Inventory Exceptions

Most inventory processes treat ideal scenarios as their foundation. They are built around assumptions such as on-time product arrivals, accurate quantities, ideal storage conditions, and incident-free order pickups and shipments. While every business tries to stick to these ideal conditions as much as possible, exceptions can still arise. 

 

Real-world inventory processes are flawed and prone to issues such as damaged goods, partial shipments, backorders, stock discrepancies, returns, substitutions, and rush orders. 

 

Each of these might seem like small disruptions, but manual handling can turn them into major issues.  No wonder then industry leaders recommend having inventory software for day-to-day operations. 

 

At Vestra Inet, we are known for developing the smartest inventory software in Ontario, and we are here to reveal how it can handle exceptions without causing disruptions. 

 

What Are Inventory Exceptions?

 

Let’s get started with the basics. Inventory exceptions are conditions that deviate from normal stock workflows. 

 

Take, for example, shipment arrivals. Now, they might be expected within a certain timeframe, but unexpected delays can throw their schedule off-track. This is an exception. So is a shipment arriving with fewer units than expected or product damage in transit. 

 

Unavailable items, misplaced orders, stock discrepancies, etc. are examples of exceptions too, and these need to be addressed promptly to get inventory workflows back on track. Spreadsheets, emails, phone calls, etc. are hardly the best way to solve them, as they can quickly lead to information fragmentation with no way of tracking where the problem arose. 

 

The Risks Of Poorly Managed Inventory Exceptions

 

Manual management of inventory exceptions can give rise to new challenges, making it a rather inefficient and unreliable way to keep processes in check. 

 

• Extra administrative work 

 

Every exception demands an investigation. Determining what happened, when, where, why, how and what should be done next is extremely time-consuming. So is manually updating all records to capture the specifics of every exception. Checking purchase orders, speaking with staff, updating inventory status, and notifying departments can tremendously increase long-term administrative workload. 

 

• Inconsistent data 

 

Since each department has to manually update the records they use to match the changes a current exception creates, different versions of the truth are bound to exist. For example, a perfectly usable product might be available and yet marked as damaged in one version of the records. Or a returned item might still be sitting in the warehouse instead of being picked up. These inconsistencies can make it hard to know which records and reports are accurate and true.

 

• Slow and inefficient decision-making 

 

Exceptions demand quick resolutions. However, manual collection of data and information inconsistencies can considerably slow down decision-making, turning exception-related issues into chronic problems that cannot be sorted unless custom inventory software steps in to take charge. 

 

How Custom Inventory Software Manages Exceptions 

 

Custom inventory software is designed to manage every single function associated with inventory management, including exceptions. In fact, it can handle extremely specific exceptions a business encounters rather than forcing them into a generic workflow. It allows businesses to: 

 

• Create separate rules for different scenarios

 

Advanced solutions are capable of distinguishing different categories of exceptions, including damages, returns, reservations, quarantines, and allocated and available inventory. That means employees no longer have to spend extra time trying to decode or remember what each status means. The software takes care of it automatically. 

 

• Automate next steps 

 

Not every exception needs to turn into a full-blown manual investigation. The reasons behind some of them are simple enough. For instance, stock availability issues are easy to understand and resolve. Custom workflows can be used to detect anomalies and trigger relevant actions such as restocking alerts in this case.  It really is that simple. 

 

• Set clear audit trails

 

Custom inventory management software is collecting and recording all information related to the inventory of a business. This ensures complete transparency while establishing a single source of truth which teams can use to investigate stock issues and devise the best course of action to solve them. 

 

Conclusion 

 

Inventory exceptions are not a sign of operational failure. They simply reveal that there is scope for improvement. While custom inventory software cannot prevent them, it can certainly manage exceptions more efficiently and quickly, thereby preventing major stock issues and losses. 

 

Vestra Inet’s fully tailored inventory solutions can be used to build optimal inventory workflows with business-specific exceptions embedded into them. Contact us to get software that minimizes manual workarounds and helps your Ontario business grow. 

 

FAQs

 

Can inventory software handle different approval levels for exceptions?

 

Yes, custom solutions are capable of routing specific exceptions to concerned employees and departments for quick approvals and resolutions. 

 

Can inventory exceptions be tracked by employee or location?

 

Yes, custom systems have built-in presets and categories which can be configured to record exceptions by user, warehouse, department, product type, or any other relevant criteria. 

 

Can custom inventory software be changed as business processes evolve?

 

Yes, of course. Vestra Inet’s tailored solutions are scalable by design and can be modified to suit evolving inventory workflows and exceptions.