[Revised Feb10]
Being able to amend stock information quickly on the shop floor saves you time. The HealthSoft SmartPDA is a wireless handheld PDA that your staff use for stocktaking and updating key information.
Functions that you can use the HealthSoft PDA for include:
• Make changes to trade name, PLU, SoH, list cost, real cost, retail, GST status, Mark up.
• View suppliers attached to the stock card and add or remove suppliers (same information as on the supplier part of a stock card).
• View barcodes attached to the stock card and add or remove them.
• Print price stickers and shelf labels.
• Add items to a new or existing order and can see the quantity already on order.
• View sales history.
• Browse the internet.
• Sync your Microsoft applications from the PDA to your desktop computer (such as calendar entries etc.)
An efficient way to do rolling stocktakes is with a Zebex PDL-20 handheld unit. Each item is scanned using the built-in barcode scanner on the Zebex, then the stock-on-hand quantity entered on the Zebex keypad. Once a shelf has been done, the Zebex is put back in its cradle to update the SoH figures on the stock card. It is a good idea to do one shelf a day and 'roll' round the shop.
Importance of regular 'Rolling stocktakes'
On average 50 items should be counted each day. Experience over a long period has shown that users who do a shelf a day, every day have accurate and useful stock control. Stock control always fails eventually for those who do not. It is no exaggeration to say that if the business does rolling stocktakes then it will have excellent stock management, and if it does not then it will fail and waste a lot of time manually modifying orders.
To stocktake using the 'Zebex'
· Turn unit on
· Press M2 to select function
· Press 1 to start the free task utility
· Press M2 to confirm
Now the stock take can begin
Scan the product barcode, PLU or type in the barcode or PLU number, and then enter the number of items, repeat process until finished. During this process you can go back, or edit the stocktake date with F6 and the < and > function keys, then M1 to proceed with the stocktake.
NOTE ; Quantities. For ease of entry, enter the same units that you normally sell or dispense in. E.g.
Front of Shop stocktake Use the units you sell in, eg 2 packs of Redoxon are entered as '2'.
Dispensary Use the units you dispense in, eg, 2 x 100ml Augmentin is '200'
Items in both Shop and Dispensary Use dispensary units, eg 2 x 4g Brolene Eye Ointment would be entered as '8'. The POS and dispensary quantities for these items should be counted at the same time.
Counting as packs or as individual items
In the case where the item is represented in units, or packs, you can enter the number of packs on the keypad, then press the ‘6’ key, followed by the ‘M2’ key to produce a ‘P’ at the end of the quantity field. You can use decimals here for part packs if necessary. If all the items you are scanning are in packs, you can put the quantity in as packs and then make sure you say YES when uploading to the computer and it asks, do you want to count as packs. In dispensary it is probably easier to say NO to this, and count all the items individually (e.g. if a pack is 200 tablets, and there are 6 packs and a half pack, then putting in 1300 as the quantity). It doesn't really matter which way you do it as long as it is consistent - need to count ALL individually or ALL as packs for each import you do. For POS products, everything should be counted as packs.
To read the figures into RxOne
On the Zebex;
When finished scanning stock, press the M1 key twice, and set the unit on its cradle.
On the computer
From RxOne Start Menu, go to Tools, Utilities, Stock Utilities, and Rolling Stocktake. From the right hand tool bar, select IMPORT.
On the Zebex
· Press 4 to upload
· Press 1 to confirm upload option
· Press E twice
The Upload to the computer is complete.
RxOne will ask you if you want the stock counted as packs? Depending on how you have counted the stock (individually or in packs - see above), select either Yes or No
In the computer Stocktake window, you will now have a list of all the items that have been recorded in the stocktake.
Highlighted items on list
Any item in RED does not have a stockcard or is unexpectedly different.
This list can be printed out if required.
If unknown Manually entered and create a card.
if very different quantity consider whether it is a dispensary item, it may have been entered in packs by mistake (see above, 'Quantities')
To Zero the Zebex
To zero it ready for the next job,
From its start up menu:
· Press M2
· Press 2 for the task utility
· Press 3 to go to the delete data menu
· Press M2 to confirm delete
· And E to finally delete old data.
Tip
- Do not scan items and leave in the hand-held ahead of time, as stock levels are constantly changing. Scan and enter as soon as possible.
Drugs 'owing'
The program will take into account 'owings'. A consequence of NOT using the 'Drugs owing' system is that the stock will appear to be wrong... for more details on this see the link below.
Stock kept in two locations
Some items will be in both shop and dispensary, or perhaps in shop and storeroom. The SoH figure is the total for the whole shop, when finished filling in the list they should quickly consider whether items missing could be elsewhere and adjust before entering the figures. RxOne does not provide for tracking separate locations since the work of having to adjust whenever an item was taken from store to shop, or shop to dispensary, is greater than the effort of adjusting as described above.
Related topic
Importing Products from Zebex using Bulk Stock Edit