Office supplies:
managing your team's needs efficiently
It's not always easy to coordinate everyone's supply needs. Here are some ideas to help you!
Only one catalogue
Are there office supplies catalogues on every desk in your company? Centralise everything! Otherwise personal choices and buying of small quantities will increase.How can you rationalise your needs? Start by analysing the orders of the last six months and identify the most frequently recurring supplies. Once the inventory is established, select one or two models for each type of need. Then provide your colleagues with a "home-made" catalogue that incorporates a reduced list of supplies selected from your supplier's website. Don't forget the pictures, it's more user-friendly! Employees will then place their orders solely on this customised list.
CAUTION: take stock of your needs every six months, as they may have changed!
Appropriate tools
To manage the needs of your teams, create an Excel file with the standard supplies you have pre-selected, don't forget to mention their price and reference number.Multiply this list by the number of persons or departments that wish to order and then link the sheets to generate an automatic calculation.
Place the file on the company server so that everyone can manage their supplies independently.
A locked cupboard
As you may know from experience, an unlocked supply wardrobe is quickly emptied of valuable items. Prevent waste and start looking for a safe storage place.Ask your colleagues not to keep private stocks of envelopes, erasers, pencils, etc., as this reduces your visibility of the actual stock.
A tip
Most websites of office equipment suppliers offer you an order history(if you have an account), which is useful for taking stock of the needs for your company.