Handheld Scanner and Barcode Tools Enter the 21st Century

April 5th 2018 15:00:00 PM

Handheld scanner barcode systems were the next big thing—20 years ago. Today’s handheld scanners and barcode systems do not require an investment in the big, clunky tools of yesterday. Instead, using cloud-based software and mobile apps, you can transform your mobile phone or tablet into a scanner. These newer scanners work with ERP systems such as Sage 100 to radically transform information sharing between warehouses and corporate offices.

Think of the time and money such a new system can save your company. Older handheld scanner barcode tools required big carts or bins to store them, and half the time, employees forgot to return them to the central location when they clocked out of work. Scanners broke from being dropped on concrete warehouse floors. 

Not so with mobile phones or tablets. Sure, they can get dropped and break, but most people are careful with their mobiles and will be careful with a company-issued one, as well. They’re easier to slip into your pocket as you move around the warehouse and people are less likely to forget where they put them. 

Not only are handheld barcode scanners easier to use, they can also be part of the Internet of Things, or IoT for short. What’s the IoT? It’s linking scanners, sensors, and other data devices into one central system to consolidate data for improved efficiency and outputs. Think of sensors inside refrigerator units in a warehouse that holds perishable items. If the sensors can relay a temperature change to a central location, technicians can get out to the warehouse to fix the refrigerators or move the items before the change in temperature ruins them. That’s the IoT in action. 

With handheld barcode scanners on a mobile device, you’ll be able to relay information in real-time throughout your system. No more heavy investment into equipment. No weeks of training to get the scanning technique down just right. It’s point, swipe, and done. 

Barcode scanners are moving into the world of mobile … mobile apps, that is. Contact Scanco online or at (330) 645-9959 to get information and advice about handheld scanner and barcoding tools for Sage, NetSuite, and Acumatica ERP.