Tracking inventory of portable restrooms is mission-critical for any PRO, and as the business grows, so do the challenges of making sure you have the inventory you need, when you need it, and where it needs to go. Smaller operations can get by with a simple, manual system, maybe even a white board. As soon as more than a few people are involved, however, unit tracking gets more complicated.
Midsize PROs often resort to some mix of manual system and generic or customized spreadsheets. Larger outfits, especially those with multiple locations, find the need to move to fully automated software that functions enterprise-wide. Here we survey PROs from across the spectrum to see how they’re handling inventory management.
“I’m just starting out,” says Randy Atkinson of his almost-three-year-old business located in northeastern Pennsylvania. “So we use a paper invoice system” that keeps track of units. He started with about 30 units, and has considered buying out an existing portables firm nearby to build both inventory and customer base.
When a unit is put in the field, a corresponding invoice is filled out in a bound book. The invoice is removed and put with job documents, and a stub is left in the book. When the unit is picked up, the job is billed and the invoice sent out. The stub is torn from the book and filed in the project folder.
“We use yard positioning to keep track of which portables need repair,” says Atkinson.
Scott Tart started out using Summit General Ledger software (Summit Software Inc., www.summit-soft.com) in his business, Forever Clean Portable Toilets, about 20 miles southwest of Raleigh. “I knew I wanted to get a handle on things right away,” Tart says. “A colleague referred me to this software. I did get the barebones package, though, no extras.”
The software allows Tart to keep track of his units and integrate route scheduling and billing, while enabling him to run reports as needed. He believes software will ease growing pains as the business expands, since data can be easily added to or changed as necessary.
About five years ago, Grand Bend Sanitation owners Cheryl and Andy O’Brien decided to add enterprise software to help manage their restroom inventory and the rest of their business. They opted for a package from Clear Computing (www.clearcom puting.com).
Cheryl O’Brien explains, “Before, we numbered our units and kept track of them on a white board. But now we have 250 units and I’m the only person in the office. I needed help.” She uses the software to monitor “who has which unit where,” and to keep a running total of how many units are in the field, in the yard awaiting delivery or requiring repair.
Like most PROs, O’Brien realized the software would be a significant investment, so “I did a lot of homework before buying,” she reports. “I made the rounds on the floor of the (Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo) show, compared and made my decision. Then I made my purchase online.” She also keeps up with developer updates.
“It handles routing, too,” says O’Brien, “which is great in our area, because we have to keep track of every gallon we pump.” Ontario’s provincial Ministry of Environment requires annual pumping volume reports.
