Inventory Setup Guide
This guide will take you through how to configure every aspect of your inventory for use in CRM:
- Get your inventory & stock levels in
- Configure & customise your inventory options
- Set up your products
- Housekeeping steps
You also don’t need to worry if you don’t complete the entire guide, other function guides that have a crossover with inventory will cover what you need to know in relation to that function.
There may be some sections that aren’t applicable to you, we’ll let you know if that’s the case so that you can skip ahead.
1. Get your inventory & stock levels in
These steps will help you to get all your products and stock levels into CRM so that you can start configuring, customising and cleaning up your inventory.
Connect your accounting system
If you haven't already done this step, connecting your accounting system will bring in all your products and current stock levels to CRM. You are then able to configure an ongoing data sync between the systems.
Learn How
Set up Locations in CRM
If you already have multiple locations in your accounting system, these will be brought into CRM and you can skip this step. If you'd like to have multiple stock locations but your accounting system doesn't support that, you can create these in CRM.
Learn How
Connect your e-Commerce platform
If applicable, and you haven't done this step already, connecting your e-Commerce system will import all your products into CRM. You are then able to configure an ongoing data sync between the systems.
Learn How
Import other product data
If you have product data that is not contained in your accounting or e-Commerce system, you can import it into CRM via csv file.
Learn How
Perform a stocktake
If your accounting system doesn't have stock levels or you're importing product data from another source, you can perform a stocktake to give CRM starting stock levels.
Learn How
2. Configure & customise your inventory options
There are options that you can configure at a system level for your inventory. Not all options may be applicable to you, for example:
- If you don’t import goods or purchase them in foreign currencies, you won’t need Landed Costs enabled.
- Time Billing only applies if you’d like to produce itemised customer bills for time spent on Activities or Projects.
- When selling goods, if you don’t have price tiers or different prices for your customers, you can skip the pricing setup.
Options that will apply to everyone are:
- Product Settings: here you set your default GL codes and tax rates at a system level.
- Product Fields: this allows you to customise values that appear in a range of fields on the Product form; some values also feed through to Reports and Dashboards.
- Product Categories: as well as allowing you to segment your inventory, these also feed through to system reports & dashboards.
- Product Groups: a handy way to quickly segment your inventory.
Click on a link below to learn more and find out how to configure the option.
Not sure what you need?
As you move through other function guides, we'll revisit how your inventory needs to be configured. If you need more time to work out how you'll be using CRM or just to get your head around the different types of product options, you can always come back later on.
Contact Helpdesk
3. Set up your products
Once your starting inventory is in CRM, there are new types of Products you may want to create or changes you may like to make to existing ones. If you’ve already got everything exactly the way you want it, you can skip this step and move on to housekeeping.
The key here is knowing how you’ll be using CRM and then making sure your inventory is set up correctly, for example (and not limited to):
- Manufactured items need to be marked as such and Time products can be useful for calculating your cost of production in BoMs.
- If you want to batch-track or serialise stock you need to enable this feature.
- Products you sell customers that you want to track as Assets need to be specified.
- If you regularly bill customers you may want to use Subscription products.
- If you’re going to use Jobs for servicing, you’ll likely need Time and Service products.
- Where products are made up of a number of options or choices, you might want to consider Configurable.
- One product that has many variants could be set up as Variable.
- You can also set up a range of Features like weight, dimensions and volume for items.
Click on a link below to learn more and find out how to configure the option.
Sick of reading and would love some video content right now?
No reading - we promise! We've got a video about working with products you can watch.
Inventory VideosUpdating your Product data
Worried you’ll now be spending weeks ticking boxes in CRM? Fear not – here are the shortcuts!
4. Housekeeping steps
In this section, we’re going to do a few final checks to make sure your inventory is ready to go:
- Everyone’s CRM comes with a Deposit and Freight product you’ll need to give GL codes & tax rates.
- Check that all your products have correct GL codes & tax rates set up.
- Now is a good opportunity to deactivate any old products you don’t buy or sell anymore.
- Whether you have multiple Locations for stock or not, you can give your stock Bay Locations so it is easy to locate.
- If you’re using Customer Portal, you can choose which products will be visible there and hide the ones you don’t want to show.
- Finally, check that your accounting sync settings for Products and Stock Levels are set to MANUAL.
Click on a link below to learn more about each step.
How can I see when a product has been bought or sold?
Open a product and there are tabs for prior items quoted, sold, invoiced and purchased you can use.
Why do your product tabs look different to mine?
You can customise the tabs to show you what is most relevant. To switch to another available tab, click on the blue circle and then select a tab.
To customise the order of your tabs, click on Edit Tabs and de-select a tab to remove it or drag tabs up/down the list to reorder them.
Why can’t I add an item to a stocktake?
Make sure the Track Stock box is ticked on the item.
Why can’t I add an item to a quote/order/invoice to sell?
Make sure the Sellable box is ticked on the item.
Why can’t I add an item to a purchase order?
Check that the purchasable box is ticked on the item.
In February 2022, Tall Emu was acquired by MYOB. This exciting move enables Tall Emu to deliver and develop the best CRM for your business whilst continuing to integrate with both MYOB and Xero.
