Inventory Consulting

What can we help you with

There are many factors involved with implementing Fishbowl Inventory into your company. First, there is the setup of the database. Then, you have to figure out how your new inventory management software works with your other software systems, such as QuickBooks. Furthermore, you will need to figure out how to train yourself and your co-workers to use the software. While it might seem overwhelming to tackle new inventory management software, there are consultants that can help you each step of the way. Fishbowl Inventory Consulting experts are able to help with all of the difficult hurdles that come up as you implement Fishbowl into your company. Many people question whether or not they need Fishbowl Inventory Consulting. That is, until they attempt to set up a database by themselves, or they realize that there are a large number of moving parts that are involved with an inventory management software implementation. Getting help from expert consultants is the best option to help you make the transition as smooth as possible.

1 Setup

When setting up a Fishbowl Inventory database, there are several considerations that come into play. Some things that can cause a challenge are: choosing your costing method, pulling your information out of your previous software and formatting it to import into Fishbowl, integrating Fishbowl with your other software systems, such as the Fishbowl Go App, LilyPad Mobile Warehouse, UPS Worldship, etc.

You have items, customers, vendors, price lists, bills of material, and other aspects of your business which need to be correctly defined and entered into the system. The decisions you make when entering these items will affect the operation of your business for the life of your software. Some of this information may be clean and ready to go – some may need intensive work to correct. Either way, Sharpe consultants work with you to not only create and populate the Database, but to show you the ramifications of decisions on data. This is the foundation of your system and errors at this point will limit your ability to use the system correctly.

2 Training

The best form of training that you can provide for your employees is to have On-Site Training. This means that you will have Fishbowl Inventory consulting experts come to your place of business for a set number of days (depending on how much help and training you need), and they will make sure that all of your personnel and departments are fully trained, and understand their role in the system. This can also include a day or two of “go-live” help, where one of those Fishbowl consulting experts is available to help with any issue that might arise as your team begins using Fishbowl for the first time.

3 On-Site Training

4 Custom Reports

There are times when you may need a report that doesn’t come standard with the Fishbowl Inventory Reports. When this is the case a Fishbowl Inventory consulting expert can help you determine how to get the report that you need. With their intimate knowledge of the Fishbowl database structure, they can give you options. After all, each custom report that you need will require an investment in time and money to get developed. Make sure you get the best from your report by working with a Fishbowl consulting expert.

5 Support

Now that your database has been set up, and your employees have been trained, you might find yourselves needing extended support for those pesky problems that sometimes arise, or for questions you can’t find the answers to. Fishbowl Inventory consulting doesn’t have to stop just because you are now using Fishbowl every day. When you invest in a support contract, you can rest assured that the experts will be available to help you if you ever get in a pinch.

6 Full Implementation

When considering using Fishbowl Inventory consulting, a full implementation is the best plan of action. Full implementations will take you from the planning phase, all the way through the database build, training, and going live. This will ensure that your time and money are not wasted by trying to muddle through the implementation on your own. By far, the greatest number of success stories comes from companies that use full implementation services from Fishbowl Inventory consulting experts. They know how Fishbowl works, and they know how to help you achieve your goals.

Installing a new software system is a major decision in any business. Studies show that on the average, companies use the same software system for approximately 7 years. That’s a lifetime in today’s business environment. Your investment in Fishbowl Inventory Software includes not only the money for acquiring the licenses but the time invested by your staff and the results you achieve. Fishbowl Implementation services can consist of whatever assistance you need to get the most from your investment – Database Design and Population, Process Development and Documentation, Management Reporting Indices, and much more. Further, these Fishbowl Implementation Services can be delivered in several ways – tailored to meet your budget and schedule. In each case, these services are delivered by Consultants with years of experience with the software, and with businesses using the software, to become more efficient and effective.

We very much appreciated Mark’s extensive manufacturing background and his extensive knowledge of Fishbowl as well as his experience with the integration points with both Magento and QuickBooks. And as Mark (nor Sharpe Concepts) is not affiliated directly with Magento, Fishbowl, or Intuit he was able to provide us with an unbiased and experienced view of each system. Finally, Mark’s sense of humor was greatly appreciated by the team. In a session that could have otherwise been tense he immediately diffused any sense of angst within minutes.

Jeff Felice
Chief Operating Officer, Logical Operations