How much time should inventory management take? The short answer is: It depends! Every situation involves variability and nuance, but there’s one thing that pretty much all of us have in common: We have to start somewhere! We also have to understand that getting the right system in place requires time, patience and, very often, some help. The most important thing is establishing a clear endpoint – checklists and procedures that, once in place, will make every function flow more smoothly and efficiently.

• The No. 1 answer to the No. 1 question that Nicole receives is: “No”! Your inventory isn’t the worst or most disorganized she has ever seen. It’s an area of vet med lacking in training and resources so the struggle is real – and common!
• So how much time should I be putting into my inventory each week? The answer is … It depends on a number of variables.
• The time it takes to streamline your approach may seem like A LOT – because it is! But once that work is done, going forward everything will flow A LOT more quickly, easily and accurately.
• Attention! Here some common inventory time wasters:
  • Walking around and looking at every single item (rather than having reorder flags or bins set up).
  • Ordering randomly multiple times throughout the week (rather than starting the week by printing your reorder report based on a forecast. Done and done! No more placing, receiving and unpacking orders on a daily basis).
• Attention Again! Here are some key time savers:
  • Using automated, repeating or recurring systems.
  • Deploying reorder points to quantify and predict lows.
  • Leaning out the inventory and consolidating where products are stored.
• If you enjoyed this episode, please reach out or write a review!

Hi, I’m Nicole Clausen and I started Veterinary Care Logistics with the dream of changing the way we manage inventory together.

With 14+ years of experience in the veterinary industry, I have worked in several positions from receptionist to operations manager for several different hospitals.

While no two practices are ever just alike, I noticed one common problem: a lack of inventory management and control.

If you are tasked with managing inventory, I understand first-hand the challenges you face.

When I first started managing inventory, I struggled with the same things that many of my client’s experience: a to-do list up my chin and a pretty persistent case of imposter syndrome. But jolting awake in the middle of the night, wondering if you remembered to order rabies vaccines is no way to live.

I knew something had to change.

Veterinary Care Logistics was born out of the demand by several industry leaders to utilize my inventory system as a model throughout the country. Whenever I tell people what I do, I usually get a puzzled reaction: “Why would you want to do that? I hate inventory!” Truthfully, I love the puzzles, the numbers, and the strategies of inventory. But what really sets my soul on fire is creating lightbulb moments.

New clients who often come to me tell me that they feel like they’re drowning or that they think they’re just not cut out for this. Then once we start working together, putting systems in place, there’s always, always an “ah-ha” moment.

And at that moment, a shift occurs. You know exactly what you need to do. Your confidence rises. And the confusion, overwhelm, worry all begin to melt away like a bad, backordered-rabies-vaccine dream.

These are the moments I live for.

• VISN: https://www.veterinaryisn.com/
• Inventory Ally – Inventory Management Software: https://inventoryally.com/
• Free Resources: www.vetlogic.co/education