The IO Blog

See what's going on and stay up to date with the platforms offered by Cairnstack Software.

Warranty Management and Why it’s Important

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
2 min

Warranty Management and Why it’s Important

Warranty Management Initially a customer support initiative, warranty management’s role is expanding. As businesses reap increased benefits from warranty management gained through product traceability, it is now an essential part of an organization’s revenue policy. More than that, it can potentially improve product quality and enhance business value through cost reduction. Let’s take a look at this critical business function. What is warranty management? At a granular level,

Inventory Management Techniques: The Rundown

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Inventory Management Techniques: The Rundown

Inventory Management Techniques inventory management techniques? To properly manage operational costs and cash flow, selecting the right inventory management system is key. This is especially true for small businesses as proper inventory control is essential for growth and success. No matter what inventory management tool is used, the goals include lowering operational costs, maximizing customer service, synchronizing supply and demand, and minimizing inventory investment. Th

The Cost of Scope Creep and How to Avoid it

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
2 min

The Cost of Scope Creep and How to Avoid it

As a project manager, you have likely experienced the daunting task of interacting with unfocused customers, unable to see the risks involved in a project. Problems like these are prime catalysts for scope creep. What is Cost Creep? Every project is defined by a specific framework, known as the scope of work, which outlines several aspects. These include resources, technologies, duration and cost. While, it is ideal to be able to control the scope, the changing needs and want

Three Tips for Better Inventory Management

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Three Tips for Better Inventory Management

Inventory Management Inventory management can make or break your business. Even though many business owners and managers find it complicated and confusing, following the fundamental principles of good inventory management can result in significant bottom-line savings. There are two fundamental principles of inventory management: You must have enough stock to meet market demands It must not tie up too much of your capital Despite its importance, many businesses fail to integra

Best Business Practices for Small Businesses

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Best Business Practices for Small Businesses

Best Business Practices for Small Businesses To run your small business, must take care of even the smallest of details. This applies to every aspect, from hiring the right candidates and retaining employees to focusing on customer service and utilizing technology to manage projects better. The goal is to stay disciplined when making business decisions. As most business experts say, it’s essential to be agile; however, it is equally important to stay the course. So, how do yo

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Advantages of Cycle Counting

Cycle Counting Small entrepreneurs faced with limited resources can find various aspects of running a business challenging. Managing inventory manually and checking for inaccuracies can be an extremely time consuming task. While there are technology tools to help you manage inventory, including TRXio, it is also important to implement an in-house system of manual inventory count. An ongoing cycle count is a good option as an inventory auditing process, especially for small, p

Inventory Management Technique: Decline Stage

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Inventory Management Technique: Decline Stage

Inventory Management Technique: Decline Stage Whether due to spoilage, shifting marketplace trends, or advancements in technology, there comes a time in every product’s life when it hits the decline stage. In a product’s life cycle, the decline stage is defined as the period when sales or demand starts to level off or decrease. When a product has reached its shelf-life, it is either because it ceases to stack up to the newer products on the market, or because of reduced deman

AV Inventory Management Software – Do You Need it?

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

AV Inventory Management Software – Do You Need it?

Do You Need AV Inventory Management Software? Any AV business, or any small business that has inventory, should carefully consider its value, how it is managed, and what impact it has on their bottom line. This requires strict monitoring and control of what comes in and goes out on a weekly or even a daily basis. In addition, it requires solid process management, software and accountability. However, this is often much easier said than done, especially now, when businesses ar

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

What is Inventory Control?

Inventory Control In a service driven world, not every business has inventory. However, in the integration space, where we deal with products and equipment, most do. Inventory control is much easier for those who are only selling a few products. For those with a larger number of items to sell, manual inventory is simply out of question. Before we delve deeper into that topic, let’s consider why a good inventory control system is absolutely vital. Here are just a few key reaso

Choosing A Data Driven Business = Profitability

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Choosing A Data Driven Business = Profitability

Data sets, both big and small, are vital for answering critical questions and developing business strategies. Data offers the insights which help organizations analyze the market, and their position within it, to form better and more informed strategies and run profitably. For many small businesses, turning a blind eye to the details is much easier and sometimes less expensive than manually tracking them. Spending a few extra dollars here, or taking a discount for early payme

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Tracking Your Progress to Profitability

Do you believe that revenue is the most important metric on a company’s financial statements? If so, you aren’t alone. For most companies, that belief is so strong that all of their focus is placed on increasing revenue. They believe that revenue can fix all business problems. Unfortunately, many businesses also struggle with problems that growing revenue can actually intensify. With an increase in revenue, we often see an increasing demand for product, a need for better cust

Every Percentage Can Impact Your Bottom Line

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Every Percentage Can Impact Your Bottom Line

Small Things that Matter the Most Let’s begin with an example: If a company buys 1,000,000 dollars a year in inventory and decreases shrinkage (on purpose or by accident) by just 2%, it is adding 20k back to their bottom line. That’s a huge number. If a company spends 500k in labor each year and increases labor utilization by 1%, they are decreasing their bottom line by 5K. If companies start looking at every part of their business with the big picture in mind, it presents a

Is QuickBooks Good for Inventory Management?

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Is QuickBooks Good for Inventory Management?

Does QuickBooks Track Inventory? Every business is looking for the perfect CRM, ERP, Project, and Accounting tool rolled into one easy solution that will meet their needs and the needs of their customers. Is there a product on the market today that will fulfill all of their requirements? For many, the answer has been QuickBooks, an accounting software in the residential integration space that is used by AV integrators for project management and inventory management as well. B

Why Customers Stick with Their Software Provider

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
2 min

Why Customers Stick with Their Software Provider

Focus on solutions. The focus of the company should be directed towards customers if attaining successful customer retention is the goal. If you want them to stay loyal to your brand, you have to exceed their expectations with regards to customer service. The customer-first attitude has to be reflected in an enterprise-wide phenomenon and not just among a few employees. Most successful organizations today consider each and every employee an important touch point for their cus

The Details in the Data and What You Cannot See

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

The Details in the Data and What You Cannot See

Many small businesses try to run their organizations via email, text, or (worse) paper notes, leaving them open to failure, not to mention, project disasters. Success is in the details, and most often it’s the small details that make the biggest difference. For any given project, there are so many pieces to coordinate that it takes time, effort, and the right management solution to tie them all together. Businesses, small or big, need to begin relying on technology to streaml

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Building a Culture of Accountability

Gaps in accountability Accountability is one of the key contributors in converting business strategies into practicality, which is why it plays a pivotal role in determining the success of a project. In the course of a project, it’s all too common to experience disagreements and stressful situations where differences in ideas and points of view could lead to one person being side-lined or someone else being burdened will all the work. Clearly, these are gaps in accountability

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

How to Make AV Projects More Profitable

AV integration project, it’s all too common to draw your conclusion based on the revenue. But, if you want your AV integration projects to be truly profitable, you should look beyond revenue. In fact, fast-changing technology has made the AV industry a challenging area with product life cycles becoming shorter and systems and devices becoming more complex than ever before. This is why there’s a greater need to maximize profits from each individual project. Here are four strat

Five Ways to Improve Cash Flow with Inventory Management

Reid Hanson

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Five Ways to Improve Cash Flow with Inventory Management

Improving Cash Flow with Inventory Management How Can Residential Integrators Improve Cash Flow? So, what interrupts cash flow? In integration business, it’s a fairly common thing for the receivables to arrive after a long gap of say, more than three months. Receivables languishing for such long duration can be bad for your business, in terms of both actual profitability and relationships with your suppliers and customers. Here are five ways in which you can improve cash flow