How to add units to your inventory

In this article, you'll learn how to add units to your inventory in Asset Tracking, either one at a time or as a whole run of numbers at once. Every dumpster, container or trailer you rent out has to be in here before it can go out on a job, and before the CRM can tell you what's free on a given day.

Note: Asset Tracking has to be switched on first, from its page in Features. Until it's on, the Asset Tracking page sends you to that store page instead. It isn't part of the free CRM. The first time you open it after switching it on, you'll go through a short six-step setup. Its first step, What do you rent out?, is where your first units go: type what it is, an optional Prefix, the First unit # and Last unit #, then click Add to inventory. Once setup is done, you add more from the Inventory tab as shown below.

To open your inventory:

  1. In the menu, click Asset Tracking.
  2. Click the Inventory tab.
The Inventory tab, with the category counts and the Add units button
The Inventory tab, with the category counts and the Add units button

How units work here

Each physical unit is its own row with its own number. There's no quantity field. If you own twelve 20-yard dumpsters, you add twelve units, and the CRM does the counting: how many are in the yard, how many are out, and the total for each category.

The Category is the size or type a unit belongs to, like "20 ft container" or "15 yard dumpster". Availability counts free units by category, and rental prices are set per category, so units of the same size should share exactly the same category name. A name you haven't used before starts a new category.

Add one unit

  1. On the Inventory tab, click + Add units. On the phone app, and on the web at phone width, the button reads Add units.
  2. In the Add one unit card, type the unit's number in Unit #, for example C-151.
  3. Type its size or type in Category, for example 20 ft container.
  4. Add anything worth knowing in Notes (optional).
  5. To add a picture, click Take / choose photo under Photo (optional). On the phone app this opens a sheet with Take photo and Choose from library.
  6. Click Add unit.

You'll see "Unit C-151 created." and the number and notes clear so you can add the next one. Each unit number can only be used once. If you type one you already have, you'll get a message saying that unit already exists.

Adding a single unit

Add a range of unit numbers

This is the quick way to load a whole size that's numbered in order.

  1. Click + Add units if the form isn't already open.
  2. In the Add a range of unit numbers card, type the Category. It's applied to every unit in the range.
  3. If your numbers start with letters, type them in Prefix (optional), for example C-.
  4. Type the First unit # and the Last unit #, for example 151 and 200.
  5. Check the line under the fields. It shows how many units will be made and the first and last numbers, like "Creates 50 units: C-151 … C-200".
  6. Click the button, which reads Create 50 units (or however many you're making).

A few things to know:

  • You can create up to 200 units in one go. For a bigger fleet, do it in batches.
  • Leading zeros carry through. If the first number is 001, the units come out as 001, 002 and so on.
  • Numbers you already have are skipped, not doubled up. The message after you save tells you how many were created and how many already existed.
Adding a range of units
Tip: The form stays open after you save, so you can add your next size straight away. When you're finished, click Done to go back to the list.

Your units list

Above the tabs you'll always see the totals: how many units you have, how many are on site and how many are in the yard. On the web, the Inventory tab also shows a card for each category with how many are in the yard, how many are out, and the total.

The list shows each unit's Unit #, Category, Status (In yard, or On site with its job number), Location, and how many days it's been on site. You can narrow it by category with All categories, or by where the unit is with All, In the yard, Out and Untracked. Untracked means a unit that's out on a job but has no spot on the map.

If you skipped the photo when you added a unit, you can add one later. On the desktop web, click the Photo button next to its number. The photo uploads and a window opens so you can frame the round map pin from the picture. Once a unit has a photo, a Pin button (or Re-pin) reopens that window. On the phone app, tap the empty photo square instead.

A unit that's out on a job has a Move button for when the customer wants it somewhere else, and a Release button to bring it back to the yard. A unit sitting in the yard has a Delete button instead.

Warning: You can only delete a unit while it's in the yard, and the CRM asks you to confirm first. The unit drops out of every list and count, and there's no undo button for it.