How the Past Due Widget Simplifies Warehouse Management

We sat down with Jesse Van Swol of Pittsburgh-based 3Rep Audio Visual & Lighting to learn more about his challenges as a Warehouse Manager, and how our new Past Due Widget not only saves him time, but also creates more efficiencies for the entire company.

Warehouse Managers face immense challenges: managing inventory accuracy, coordinating logistics, and ensuring smooth equipment check out and return processes—all while under tight deadlines. Flex Rental Solutions’ new Past Due Widget is transforming how Warehouse Managers work by streamlining inventory oversight and improving operational efficiency.

Warehouse Managers juggle complex responsibilities:

  • Identifying Missing Items: Tracking missing inventory often involves sifting through multiple manifests and pull sheets manually.

     

  • Handling Large Volumes of Returns: High-demand periods can result in extensive backlogs, including pages and pages of missing inventory from multiple shows.

     

  • System Cleanup: Many teams inherit poorly configured inventory systems, creating additional work to fix outdated or incorrect entries.

     

  • Unserialized Items: Keeping track of non-serialized items can add extra complexity to their processes.


The Past Due Widget helps simplify some of these pain points by offering several key benefits:

  1. Centralized Tracking: Warehouse Managers now have a “central hub” to view and address missing items across all shows. As Jesse noted, “I have a central hub now where I can access all the information, see what’s missing, and there’s less room for me to miss something.”

     

  2. Efficiency Gains: The widget significantly reduces time spent hunting for missing items. Tasks that previously took hours can now be completed in minutes. Jesse mentioned, “On a big show, it could easily save me an hour. During busier times, it’ll save me a day and a half’s worth of work.”

     

  3. Improved Workflow: By highlighting missing items immediately, the widget ensures issues are addressed promptly. Jesse reported that checking the widget daily is now part of his routine: “I check my email, get my coffee, and click the Past Due tab.”

     

  4. Enhanced Communication: Direct links to items make it easier to coordinate with teams and resolve discrepancies, preventing potential losses.
 

Jesse shared a specific example of the widget’s impact: during the return of multiple shows, their team faced a backlog of fourteen pages of missing items. Thanks to the widget, he quickly identified and resolved the discrepancies, reducing the list to just a few pages by lunchtime. “It was really quick to get it down to one or two pages,” emphasizing how intuitive and effective the widget is.

But because we’re Flex, we wanted to know how we could make it even better:

  • Expendables Management: Adding a checkbox to include or exclude expendables in the Past Due list would reduce clutter. (NOTE: We’re already in process on this.)

     

  • Better Organization: Introducing headers or collapsing options for shows in the widget could make it easier to focus on specific events.

Jesse shared a specific example of the widget’s impact: during the return of multiple shows, their team faced a backlog of fourteen pages of missing items. Thanks to the widget, he quickly identified and resolved the discrepancies, reducing the list to just a few pages by lunchtime. “It was really quick to get it down to one or two pages,” emphasizing how intuitive and effective the widget is.

But because we’re Flex, we wanted to know how we could make it even better:

  • Expendables Management: Adding a checkbox to include or exclude expendables in the Past Due list would reduce clutter. (NOTE: We’re already in process on this.)

     

  • Better Organization: Introducing headers or collapsing options for shows in the widget could make it easier to focus on specific events.

The Past Due Widget has become an indispensable part of daily routines for Warehouse Managers, saving time, reducing errors, and simplifying complex processes. As Jesse put it, “For me, it’s probably the most helpful feature Flex has added in the last few years.”

If you’re ready to optimize your Warehouse Manager’s operations, contact Flex Rental Solutions to learn how the Past Due Widget can work for your team.

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