Avoiding Common RFID Initial Tagging Pitfalls

One of the most crucial steps in your RFID tag implementation is assigning asset tags.  Depending on how many assets you are attempting to tag at once, this process can be time consuming.  Proper planning before you begin tagging will save you a lot of time and effort, and you will avoid some of the most common mistakes.  We have asked some of our current customers their thoughts on what problems have come up when doing the initial tagging, and how they solved those problems. 

1. Organize your data beforehand.  Remember that if you are headed out to tag assets, it’s important that you are using data that is as clean as possible.  This means making sure there are few discrepancies between your financial system and your RFTrack system.  A lot of this is handled when you do an initial import of data into the software, but you should still make sure you are starting out on the right foot with the most accurate data possible.  This can save hours of time and effort in the field tagging. 
2. Dealing with assets that move.  Many times, you will have an asset that is not in its intended location.  Workers may temporarily need to borrow an asset, or even take things off-site.  Sometimes they forget to update the location of the asset before moving it and you are stuck looking for missing inventory.  One great way to prevent this from happening during your initial tagging is to notify all employees of when the tagging process will take place.  Make sure they know that every asset needs to be put back in their assigned locations before you begin tagging.  If for some reason they cannot move the asset in time, give them options to keep the asset visible.  For instance, they could update the location of the asset in your financial system or notify you that this asset will be missing when you go tagging.   
3. Make sure you have access to your financial tracking system or spreadsheets.  There will be occasions when you find an asset that does not have a tag affixed or a unique identifier such as a serial number.  When you find an asset like this during tagging, you may not be able to pull up that exact asset quickly, which can be frustrating. Having an extra laptop or tablet as you travel through locations tagging makes it easier to pull your existing financial system or spreadsheets and identify assets more easily.  This is especially difficult when you have common asset models/manufacturers without any unique numbers affixed to them.  Reaching out to different departments ahead of time to make sure that your previous barcode tags are visible on the assets is a great way to avoid this problem. 
4. Assets with multiple components.  Sometimes assets can be made up of multiple components working as a system.  Often these assets are counted as one asset, rather than being separated into multiple assets.  Decide in advance where you want to place those tags so that you are not confused during your initial tagging.  If you are not sure, ask the person in charge of the department that holds this asset to weigh in with their opinion, because they could have a preference. 
5. Bring some help.  If you are tackling many assets, it makes sense to work with your whole department if possible.  Having everyone work together means you will get through things faster.  If you don’t have anyone else in your department, you could ask someone to divert some time to help you, or even consider hiring an intern or temporary employee.   
6. Remember that this can count as your yearly inventory.  This first tagging is the biggest hurdle to get over.  Rest easy knowing that you can use your assign tag information as proof that your yearly inventory was completed instead of having to go back out and complete it again. 
   
   

Overall, we see that customers who are organized and prepared can tackle the tagging process more quickly and easily.  Taking a few initial steps can help to save your company a lot of time and effort in the long run.  

Visit www.inlogic.com for additional information about our RFTrack software.