Tuesday, June 2. 2009
Sometimes an innovation comes along which makes a person sit up and take notice, then slap themselves in the head thinking "Why oh why didn't I think of that?". Well, most of the time it's a simple case of the willingness to challenge the status quo. We all have ideas and conjure ways to make things better. All that is required is the desire to act. As history so frequently proves, more often than not, it's these challenges to the common norms that prove to be the most successful. Take our on-line package tracking system for example. Written from the ground up to be flexible, scalable and fast. SQBX is designed and built using the most flexible and proven technologies around today. We believe for example, that we are the only cross-browser compliant system available. Our Google influenced search algorithms make package tracing a snap and perhaps the fastest in the industry. We made a point to not look at our competition so that we can bring fresh ideas to internal package tracking. It's this approach which continues to allow us to innovate. Take SQBX for a test drive to witness the fresh approach we've taken to delivery management.
Friday, May 29. 2009
Hotels and resorts often charge their guests and conference attendees a small service fee for handling packages. We wonder if shipping and mailing departments in general should add a fee for receiving packages, delivering packages, and shipping outbound packages for their organizations. This is just one method to justify a cost center. And if your organization handles third party receipts and shipments it could even result in making your shipping department or mail center a profit center. Our SQBX internal package tracking system is quite capable of applying surcharges to receipts and is just one of many flexible and easy to set options in the system.
Thursday, May 28. 2009
We're pleased to announce that our SQBX Mobile Package Tracking System now supports the Janam XM65 mobile computer. The Janam XM65 is a mid-range rugged mobile computer with the following features: - Pocketable Ruggedness
- Freescale™ MX21-266MHz
- Windows Mobile 5.0 Premium
- 802.11b/g WLAN
- Bluetooth
- 2.17 x 2.95in QVGA Color Touch Screen
- 1D or 2D Scanner
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The SQBX Delivery Management system is a web based receiving system that allows mobile collection devices such as the Janam XM65 to receive, route, and deliver packages and important mail. The recipients signature is easily captured on this device. The Janam XM65 is another powerful addition to the easiest and fastest receiving system available!
Tuesday, May 5. 2009
Are you stuck with Outdated, Boring and Mundane package delivery software?
Does your system provider fail to advance your system or charge the earth for the changes you need?
We are very aware that systems such as SQBX become essential tools within the organization. They're used all day, every day. So we decided to make the application even easier on the eyes. Our customers enjoy free updates and benefit from our relentless desire to add features that make our internal package tracking system the premier solution for all size companies.
We've not just taken a large paint brush to give each page a new coat of paint, we've lovingly re-crafted each aspect of SQBX to help you to get the most out of it, to save you time and to help you to do your job without undue fuss.
Here's a quick rundown of the new features of SQBX.
1. The Dashboard - Gone is the fixed page showing only a small amount of information, only applicable to a few. Now you have a customizable dashboard where you choose what you want to see, what's important to you. Just drag the 'Widgets' from the toolbar onto your dashboard and it's yours.
2. Icon Toolbar - The handheld device already has easily recognizable icons to represent common functions. We've taken those icons and added them to the site along with a few new ones for site specific features. Now everything is accessed from this toolbar.
3. Received and Delivered Today searches - This has been a common request, so we've taken it on board and added this feature too..
4. Greatly enhanced View Only mode - The View Only users can now see everything they need to, they even get a dashboard to help them to answer the questions they get asked and investigate for themselves.
5. In addition to these visible changes, a lot has happened under the hood too. We've improved synchronization performance by deploying our blazing database engine on to the Windows Mobile mobile computers.
6. We've improved our routing system for our Windows Mobile devices and added a whole host of easy to use maintenance functions within the online application to make creating routes and managing your location tree as simple as possible. With just a couple of clicks, you can set up a new route and have packages automatically acknowledge the new route.
So there you are. We hope you have as much fun using these new features as we had creating them.
We reserve the right to make SQBX even more fantastic.
Friday, April 24. 2009
 In today's economic state the term "Bail Out" has now become a household phrase. Well, big companies are not the only ones that need bailed out. What happens when a recipient of a package calls down to the shipping department and states that the information on the carrier's web site shows the package as delivered, but they have not received it? Who needs bailing out now? That's right, the shipping clerk/department does. Where do they begin to look to satisfy this request? An overflowing file cabinet full of hand written logs, never ending spreadsheets that are full of unnecessary information, or on the floor in the supply closet? SQBX is the bail out for the shipping and receiving department. SQBX provides the accountability to answer the question "where is my package." Our inbound package tracking system has ultra fast research capabilities to enable the clerk to quickly look up and locate the whereabouts of a particular package. Searches can be down with the slightest bit of information. A fragment of the tracking number, a portion of the persons name, or even a single letter is all you need to begin a search. Search by date, carrier or just about any field that the user defines. Throw a life raft to your shipping department today and bail them out with SQBX inbound package tracking system.
Saturday, February 21. 2009
Our SQBX receiving and delivery management solution just got even easier to use packed with new features at the same low price. Our customers currently using SQBX as part of their warehouse or mailroom operations always get new system features free of charge. In this release of SQBX we've added these great features: 1. QUICK VERIFICATION Quickly scan packages into SQBX for an instant count of packages received. This feature has been streamlined to store these receipts without any other requirement except the carrier's tracking number. So when FedEx, UPS, and others drop off a lot of packages you can quickly compare the number of packages you've scanned to the number of packages they want you to sign for. 2. BLAZING LOOKUP CAPABILITY ADDED TO RECEIVING We're already proud of our blazing speed. We'll challenge any solution to find packages as fast as SQBX does. And now our receiving screens have been enhanced with this technology to make entering receipts faster and evem more friendly than before. 3. CARRY FORWARD ON PREVIOUS RECEIPTS Hold data entries from the previous receipt. When you're receiving packages where certain details will remain the same (recipient, sender, PO number etc) you can hold your choice of fields so that each receipt requiring this data can be quickly added to the system with minimal input. 4. RECEIPT HISTORY SBX now allows a package to be received and delivered many times and records the complete history (date and timestamp) of each movement. SQBX also retains each signature captured and retains them against the delivery history. 5. PACKAGE ALERTS Notify operators of how to handle a package based on a combination of tracking number, recipient, and sender. When the package is received the operator must acknowledge the alert before accepting the receipt.
6. ADD RECIPIENTS/SENDERS ON THE FLY
Receipients and senders can now be added on the fly right from the receiving screen streamling the receiving process even further. While these features increase the power, speed, and ease of use of our system we're already working on even more features to be released in less than a month.
Friday, December 5. 2008
Press Release
In January 2009 Zenventory web-based inventory management system will support 3PL functionality. Third party logistics companies typically warehouse, handle, and ship products for their clients. For ZenVentory to provide inventory management for 3PL's the following functionality will be provided:
Client Administration- Client Details
- Billing Details (Produce Billing Advice Or Download Details For Accounting)
- Handling In-Out Charges
- Freight Handling Charges
- Warehouse Usage Charges (Fixed or By Position)
Inventory Management- View entire warehouse inventory or specific client's
- Manage receipt, movement, and counting of client inventory
- Provide Internet accessible visibility to the client for their inventory
Purchase Order Management
- Client can set up their own vendors in ZenVentory
- Client can use ZenVentory purchase order modules
- Client can upload purchase orders to ZenVentory as expected receipts
Sales Order Management
- Client can use ZenVentory sales order modules
- Client can upload sales orders to ZenVentory for fulfillment
In addition to this functionality ZenVentory supports distributors and manufacturing warehouses. ZenVentory also supports Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6 mobile devices for cycle counting and pack verification to ship. Call 800-268-6296 to schedule a demo or test drive.
Tuesday, November 11. 2008
One of the most challenging tasks of the Correctional institutions in America is to track all of the material that is delivered to the inmates on a daily basis. Prisoners receive everything from gifts of food, reading material, legal and illegal tender, personal items and even contra ban. It is the job of the prison staff to inspect and log all items that enter the prison for an inmate. Some items like letters from an attorney or the court system cannot be opened for it will violate attorney/client privileges. These types of correspondences require extra care when logging and tracking. In many instances these process take many man hours due to the manual process that are currently in place. Through the use of an automated inbound package tracking system like SQBX, the scanning and logging in process can be reduced significantly. Not only will the data entry be quicker through the use of drop down menus, scanners and label printers, the data retrieval will also be faster. Real time delivery logs will provide up to the minute visibility as to what has come into the facility. These logs will be accessible to all those who have been granted permission to do so, being that SQBX resides on the web. No more messy hand logs with unledgible writing. Crisp, clean, documents will now be the norm. The SQBX in bound package tracking solution is the answer to the cumbersome process of logging in and delivering packages to the inmates of American Correctional Facilities. Increase performance in your department by deploying the technology that has been proven in the field. SQBX is your answer.
Saturday, November 1. 2008
We're pleased to announce that we've deployed the first Panasonic U1 mobile computer to our customers. The Panasonic U1 is a military grade rugged mobile computer. If you're looking for a bully of a computer for your warehouse operations, this little guy can withstand drops of up to 4 feet and is water resistant. With many add-on features like support for 1D and 2D internal scanners, a camera, and broadband connectivity this device is perfect for usage with SQBX and Zenventory. The footprint is a little heavier and larger than our mainstay Motorola MC70.
Tuesday, October 21. 2008
In previous blogs we have spelled out simple steps to put ZenVentory.com to work for you in regards to optimizing your inventory. Here at Ubiquia we always like to take it to the next level considering the entire supply chain. Whether it be creating a sales order, managing materials, to delivering the final product to your customer; we've got it covered. Take a look at your supply chain. What is one of the major contributing factors to a customer's disappointment? Is it inventory dwell or managing stock levels? Probably not. From my experience, it is late deliveries that drive customer service levels. Consider this; if you were able to buy a product at a deep discount but that product showed up two weeks late and you as the customer were no able to call the seller and get a good ETA, would you reorder? Again, probably not. My point is this: not only does ZenVentory.com deliver a powerful tool to manage your entire order life cycle but it has the capability to put the critical visibility on each shipment that your customer expects and deserves. Through the fulfillment module you are able to allocate inventory, choose a carrier, choose a method of payment or account number, and track the shipment to delivery. Through this, you are not only providing proactive management of the customer order but you can also evaluate the carriers by measuring on time performance. We all know that this is a critical rating in the transportation world. As a matter of fact most of the common carriers sell based on this rating. Being able to quantify and measure the carrier performance in real time has many financial benefits. Air services are guaranteed and if the carrier misses the delivery time, you are owed a credit. Additionally, if the carriers are missing the mark with on time delivery, this provides a great negotiation tool when the dreaded rate increases come around every year. All of this is easily indentified with the tools we have developed. To sum this up, transportation management is a critical part of supply chain management as well as customer and supplier relationship management. ZenVentory.com developed these tools to keep your company in touch and proactive in managing not only your inventory but your supply chain - order to delivery. Use the tools; trust the tools and put your mind at ease - ZenVentory.com
Monday, October 13. 2008
Zenventory Offers Ways To Recession Proof Inventory Management
- Cash Is King – When times are hard, expenses are inevitable, and money is tight; it is time to develop a strategic plan to reduce expenses and keep the cash flowing. Below are three examples of how Zenventory.com will assist in cash flow management.
- Annual Consumption Value – Aging inventory can cause one of the biggest hurdles in cash flow. By performing a simple ABC analysis, you can quickly determine the annual consumption value of each product.
- Focus Marketing – through anABC analysis, the marketing team can focus the sales efforts on products that are profitable and quick movers.
- Distribution Optimization – Create a distribution network that is diverse and synergized with vendors. The shipping world of today is purely volume based and partnering with a trusted business is not a bad idea. Additionally, consider your shipping modes and packaging material by working with shipping cost specialist who drive results and costs saving. Global Parcel Service is an excellent choice and will provide personalize solutions for your supply chain the make “cents.”
- Inventory Management – The first step is to liquidate the stock with the lowest value and restrict purchasing abilities through Zenventory.com’s administrative tools. However, use caution not to disrupt the consumer buying habits: If a popular low profit item is generally orders in conjunction with another product, be sure to provide a equal alternative that provides the customer satisfaction and makes you profits.
- Vendor analysis – One of the many tools Zenventory.com provides is a vendor management tools which display economical order quantities for each vendor that may supply a particular SKU. Choose the vendor that provides the best price at the lowest quantity. When analyzing your vendors, don’t be afraid to think outside of the comfort zone and search and negotiate a lower cost.
- Focus on core competencies – Avoid processes that cause you to loose focus of your mission and value proposition to the customer. Creating spreadsheets with conditional formatting is a waste of your time and hiring someone to do it will only increase your labor costs. Zenventory.com makes inventory management easy and seamless. No more late hours mapping data to spreadsheet fields and adding conditional colors to analyze the health of your organization. Zenventory.com does all of this for you. It is a quick and simple step during the setup process. Remember, Zenventory is software as a service: Not a solution that requires a robust IT staff and 24/7 monitoring…again, we do all this for you.
Keep it simple, effortless, lean, and profitable. In other words, keep it ZEN.
Friday, October 3. 2008
ABC analysis is a business technique that can be applied to any business unit whether it is inventory, suppliers, or even employees. In regards to inventory, it is used as a supply chain technique that is the building block of efficient inventory control. A categorization system is used much like the 80/20 rule of Pareto's Law (or analysis). The typical model of categorization or "banding" is annual consumption. The analytical goal is to identify the SKU's that will have a significant impact on overall inventory costs as well as identifying the SKU's that will require different controls and management style. A look at the basic “rules:” Annual Consumption Value = (Qty Consumed x Cost of Item)
Classify the results into three bands (A, B, or C)
- “A” Band = inventory that accounts for 80% of total value
- “B” Band = inventory that accounts for 15% of total value
- “C” Band = inventory that accounts for 5% of total value
It is important to remember that even though the “A” band accounts for 80% of the total value, it may be the smallest portion of the total volume. Typical Results/Action Items as a result of the analysis: - “A” class items are an important part of the product line. Due to the high value it will be identified that these items require close monitoring and tight management controls. Frequent cycle counts, security, low reorder levels, short lead time supplier, and Just In Time (JIT) replenishment are a few good actions to take for “A” items.
- “B” class items have a lower need to tight controls and generally only require standard inventory management practices. Standard action to be taken is monthly or quarterly cycle counts combined with an annual inventory count.
- “C” class items require the least amount of controls and in some situations are the promotional “freebees” that are accompanied by the high two bands.
Sounds easy right?? This can tend to be a loaded question. The ABC analysis is a basic practice of inventory and supply management BUT, it requires an efficient software package that produces data with integrity and quality. For example, Zenventory is an inventory management software solution that does a nice job of managing inventory using hybrids of the ABC analysis approach. Without easy to use software providing good data quality, the basic ABC analysis quickly becomes convoluted and diluted with unnecessary data elements. 10 ways Zenventory.com can help? - Notify buyer of optimal reorder quantities for price breaks to keep overall inventory costs low
- Set, evaluate and adjust reorder levels based on turnover reporting tools
- Live, up to the minute stock level report on dashboard
- Color coded inventory screens to quickly identify stock level
- Avoidance of costly stock outs as well as the need to carry excess safety stock
- Identify item specific leakage risks based on ABC banding
- Set up warehouse bin locations based on item dwell and management controls needed.
- Set and evaluate supplier velocity and efficiency
- Reduce errors by seamlessly moving through the entire order cycle: Purchasing through Order Fulfillment
- Fully integrate with current Financial Management Software to perform live detailed financial analysis on inventory costs.
Put the ZEN in your inventory management practices by using an easy to integrate, user friendly, mobile, solution that provides optimization tools developed from industry needs rather than the out of touch models of yesterday – Zenventory.com
Wednesday, October 1. 2008
It's easy to find out if a package has been delivered to your organization. Simply go to the corresponding carrier's site (UPS/FedEx/DHL et al) and enter the tracking number. You're in a bit of a quandary though if you don't know the tracking number. If you're in a large geographically dispersed, multi-campus, or multi-floor organization it may be difficult to know what happened to the package once it's received by the receiving department.
In some instances your organmization may receive other peoples property. In other words property not owned by the organization. This could be employee property or in the case of hotels and resorts, guest property. In these cases it is vital that you can show some type of accountability quickly and accurately. Certain organizations require that all packages are tracked internally for security purposes. The process in the past has been a tedious and inaccurate set of hand logs, spread sheets, and notifications via phone and email. Hand logging is inefficient, time consuming and often inaccurate. Hand logs and spreadsheets are difficult to share with staff so that they can conduct their own research on the whereabouts of a package.
The SQBX inbound tracking solution makes receiving, logging, delivering, and research a breeze. First, the system is web based and not loaded onto a desktop or an internal network. This minimizes the workload on your internal computer support staff and virtually eliminates the need for on-site service agents. Customer support is nearly instantaneous.
Secondly, you have real-time visibility of the receiving/delivery process no matter where you are as long as long as you have Internet access and the credentials to use the system. Researching a package becomes quick and easy for anyone with access to the system. This reduces calls to the mail room and empowers your staff to track the packages internally as they currently would track a UPS or FedEx package on-line.
Thirdly, the system is mobile. Through the use of our wireless hand held devices you can take the system on the road with you. The devices can be connected to a cell phone network which will enable the user to take the system to make an important delivery off site and still provide that real time visibility that is required inside the walls of your organization.
Finally, with unlimited users and unlimited transactions you can be sure that every one that needs to be on the system can be without price prohibiting the deal. You can download and archive the receipts for your records or we can simply keep them on the system for as long as you choose.
Now lets discuss some of the different types of industries that currently use one form or another of Inbound Package Tracking.
HOTELS, CASINOS, AND RESORTS
Customer Service: The name of the game when it comes with these types of organizations. One lost package can be the difference of thousands of dollars in repeat business.
Speed: Speed is vital when answering the guest question "Did YOU receive MY package yet?" Through the global visibility that SQBX provides, virtually any hotel staff member can assist the guest with their inquiry. This question does not necessarily have to actually get to the mail room if the system is used properly.
Profit Center: In many hospitality organizations a fee is charged to the guest for the handling of the package. Through the use of SQBX these surcharges can be quickly and accurately applied to the guest bill just like a drink would be at the pool.
Accountability: Capturing the signature of the recipient or recording where the package was left lessens the chances for a misplaced package. This provides the accountability necessary when handling the valuable property of your guests.
SPORTS TEAMS
Valuable Merchandise: When dealing with professional athletes the value of a piece of equipment is not just how much it costs, but how well it will help the athlete perform. If an organization lost a catchers mitt that was to be used in tonight's game, what do you think the ramifications would be? By tracking all inbound items for the players this will give the organization the ability to reduce unnecessary stress.
On the Road. As you all know, your favorite team is not always at home. Since the team is away that does not mean that they have to fore go their tracking requirements. Mobile solutions such as SQBX can be taken to the visiting stadium,s hotels and meeting rooms that teams use on their road trips. Track packages home or away, inside and out through our connection to the Broad Band network.
Security. By quickly scanning package information you can verify which one of your players received a package and who it came from. In the event of a security problem you will quickly be able to do the research as to the sender and recipient of the package in question. This will provide a safer environment for all of your staff.
These are just two of the many industries that currently use our SQBX inbound package tracking and receiving system. Please stay tuned for my next blog on the application as it applies to the CONFERENCE/CONVENTION CENTERS and COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
Tuesday, September 30. 2008
What Is Software As A Service? Software as a Service (SaaS) can be defined as software that is deployed as a hosted service and can be accessed via the Internet. SaaS is often associated with Application Service Providers ASP's. ASP's began providing services in the late 1990's. SaaS applications offer centralization using a single-instance, multi-tenant architecture. Today's SaaS offers feature-rich applicaitons comparable to on-site applications. SaaS applications are offered either directly by the solution vendor or by an aggregator who bundles several SaaS applicatons from different vendors. The SaaS model provides an ASP the means to deliver and support applications faster and less expensively translating to better customer service at competitive prices. All of Ubiquia's products are deliverd as software as a service. Should I Be Worried About Speed And Connectivity? Internet connectivity has come a long way. In fact cable and DSL connectivity in American homes is pervasive. Internet connectivity has become as dependable as cable TV, telephone service, or electricity service. Properly engineered web applications are served at blazing speeds. If you've selected the right service provider you'll enjoy speedy and readily available business applications without worry similar to any other utility delivered to your business or home. Should I Be Concerned With Security? Of course you should be concerned with security. Install anti-virus software on your PC to prevent viruses, hacks, and other malicious attacks on your PC from unscrupulous websites and email. Regardless of your use of the Internet this is good practice. When deciding on Internet based software choose a reliable source with references. Ensure their site deploys SSL security. Ask the provider for their privacy and security statements. Limit your exposure to personal and private data. At Ubiquia, we weigh these issues very heavily to provide business-class software at blazing speeds both cost effectively and safely.
Wednesday, September 24. 2008
Cycle Counting is arguably the most important part of inventory management. We've aimed to provide the simplest yet most powerful cycle counting system available. Zenventory's cycle counting system can be as simple or as sophisticated as you like. Zenventory provides system wide counting frequencies, individual item frequencies, the assignment of leakage risks and a host of powerful banding solutions to apply to every item. At it's most basic level, simply determine how often you would like to count inventory and Zenventory maintains when items were last counted. This provides easy visibility of warehouse locations and inventory that need to be counted based on last count date. However, Zenventory has powerful built in technology to recommend items that should be counted more frequently based on leakage risk, item value, volume, turnover, and accuracy. Certain inventory may be especially prone to breakage, pilferage, or spoilage. Defining these items as high risk items in Zenventory means that these items can be earmarked for more frequent counting. Additional power can be harnessed using Zenventory's powerful cycle counting banding system. Simply define system-wide global criteria for determing count frequency by allowing Zenventory to monitor item value, volume, turnover, and inventory accuracy. Zenventory uses this criteria to rank when items should be counted. Here are a few examples where Zenventory's Banding criteria may be useful: 1. Your warehouse is used to store very high value items. High value items are especially prone to pilferage and should be counted more frequently. Zenventory allows you to define cycle count bands based on item value, then automatically recommends when these items should be counted. 2. Inventory is picked in high volumes or frequently moved. Not counting these items frequently can cause inaccuracies in your stock reporting. By harnessing the volume bands in the system, Zenventory can help maintain accuracy by recommending that these titems be counted more frequently. 3. The turnover band in Zenventory analyzes a combination of volume and value to determine when stock should be counted. This band utilizes the total cost associated with item volume of shipments. 4. Finally, there is the cycle count accuracy band. This band checks the accuracy of previous cycle counts for an item. If this accuracy falls within the thresholds prescribed by your definition, then Zenventory can recommend that the cycle count frequency be changed. So if item counts are consistently inaccurate,
Zenventory can elevate the cycle counting frequency.
Setting up cycle counting in Zenventory is simple, yet powerful. Harnessing the true power of Zenventory's cycle counting logic will help you maintain a high level of accuracy in your warehouse.
Continue reading "Zenventory Cycle Counting Part 1"
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