For many businesses, handheld scanners are a vital tool for completing day-to-day tasks. Handheld scanners are the standard way of recording the intake of new stock, as well as verifying that packages have been received by the right people.
But the old approach of using a dedicated handheld scanner is starting to look quite outdated. Today, we have the option of using smartphone apps to do the same job. These have to utilize smartphone hardware instead of that of a handheld scanner. This offers several advantages.
No More Need For Bulky Equipment
Smartphones are designed to be small and sleek and portable. It’s much easier to get a smartphone in your pocket than it is a mobile scanner. In general, a smartphone leaves your workers’ hands-free for other tasks and easily slips into a pocket. On the other hand, a mobile scanner occupies a workers’ hand unless they place it down somewhere. If they do this, it is much more likely to be damaged than a phone in a pocket.
Turn Any Device Into a Scanner
If you are relying on bulky and outdated handheld scanners, then every time one breaks down it will need to be replaced with one that is exactly the same. On the other hand, you can deploy a mobile barcode scanner to any smartphone phone using an SDK, such as that from scandit.com.
This will significantly reduce the chances of you facing downtime due to faulty or failing equipment. With an app-based approach, you can add your app to any device and make it a part of your network.
Eliminate Repair Costs
If a mobile scanner breaks, it will either need to be repaired or replaced. In either case, that’s another cost that your business has just incurred unnecessarily. Instead of relying on scanners, a scanning app can be installed on any smartphone. Depending on the smartphone, this can be a slightly involved process. However, if your workers are using Android phones, or your company issues Android phones, you should have no trouble installing the software.
Ensure Accuracy of Records
Handheld scanners are a very reliable way of maintaining accurate records. Numerous businesses use the scanners as stock comes in so they can automatically retain accurate levels. With a simple to use app that can be opened from a smartphone, workers will have no trouble in ensuring that everything coming into your business is appropriately scanned and logged.
The more accurate your record keeping is, the easier it is to plan your business strategy and the more informed you will be about the current state of your business.
Take Advantage of The Cloud
it’s easy to integrate cloud storage with your smartphone app so that all your records are automatically backed up to a cloud service. With cloud storage, you don’t have to worry about the loss of data due to a flood, or another disaster on your business premises.
Handheld scanners are a great idea, but they are an outdated implementation. The above are just five of the many advantages of embracing an app-based approach.
