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When managing your commercial storage space, you need to consider many things.
Some of these include:
- How many units do you need
- What size should they be
- Where on-site security will be placed
- Whether or not tenants should be allowed entry into the facility after hours.
When you have so many factors involved in the process, it’s easy for mistakes to happen. And that could lead you to unhappy customers, lost revenue, and more headaches than anyone could ever want. So here are various tips for ensuring your commercial storage management is as smooth as possible.
Store Your Things Properly
Use boxes and containers to keep things organized. If you have an item you don’t want to see but want it available when you need it, store it in a container. If an item is something that you often use or aren’t worried about losing track of and can see at any time, leave it out in plain sight. You can also consider deploying a library shelving system if your business deals with maintaining libraries.
Optimize Storage Space
When optimizing your storage space, it is important to first identify how much space you need for every item in your business.
For example, you may think you need 2 cubic feet of space for a box full of pens. But if each pen is only 0.5 cubic inches, that box only needs 1/4th of the space. This same principle can be applied when organizing items on shelves, industrial storage cabinet, and drawers.
Label Everything
Most storage facilities are not climate controlled, so you want to make sure you label everything. Not only will this help keep your stuff organized and easy to find, but it will also prevent damage by telling you what’s inside each box or bag.
The labeling system must be specific and accurate (for example, “glassware” instead of “dishes”). If using plastic bins, tape or write labels directly onto the outside with a permanent marker so they can be removed when needed but still remain legible. The same applies to a library shelving system.
Use Technology to Track Your Inventory
Technology can help you keep track of your inventory.
- Use a barcode scanner (or RFID tag reader) to scan the item when you receive it and scan it again when you ship it out. This way, you’ll see exactly what’s been received and what’s still in stock.
- Use a digital inventory management system to automatically add new items as they arrive, remove old ones as they’re sold, and reorder more as needed.
- Use a cloud inventory management system to store all your data online so it’s available anywhere there’s an internet connection.
- Mobile apps allow employees who don’t work behind desks full time (like field sales reps) to check off each item before moving on from one customer site location across town. Ensure that nothing gets left behind accidentally during packing up after each sale presentation.
Hire an Off-site Storage Company
All you need to do is review the available storage options and select the one that best suits your requirements. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to get the ball rolling.
It’s important to note that your goal is not necessarily to find a company with the lowest rate but one that offers a broad array of solutions at competitive prices. If you do this, finding the cheapest option should be no problem.
Conclusion
You don’t have to spend a lot of money or take on many risks when it comes to off-site storage. You just need to do your homework and find the right company for you. And once you do, you’ll be glad you invested in your business’s future.
You may also like: Commercial Storage Solutions That Won’t Break the Bank
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