Function #32: Schedule low stock notifications on a timely basis to specific users of the organization

Function #32: Schedule low stock notifications on a timely basis to specific users of the organization


Hello everyone and welcome back to our series!

 

For a business that heavily relies on inventory, monitoring the stock levels and getting timely notifications of low stock items will ensure a smooth sail.

Zoho Books allows you to always keep a check on your stock level by defining a safe limit called - Reorder point. Whenever the stock quantity reaches the defined reorder point, it will be classified and listed under our default filter - 'Low Stock Items'.

Now, instead of doing a manual verification each time, wouldn't it be nice if the system automatically notifies you with a compiled list of all the items shown under 'Low Stock Items'? Makes life a bit easier, right?

Furthermore, you can also have all the users who are involved in the restocking process, be a part of this notification as well.

Yes, today’s automation will help you achieve this.

We have constructed a schedule that will automatically trigger an email notification at a frequency you define to one/multiple users and alert them for the items that have reached the reorder point. The users will then be able to raise the necessary transactions to restock the items.

This schedule is an extended version to the default reorder notification that is sent to a user once a day.

Here's how it works:

When you create an item in Zoho Books and enable 'Track Inventory for this item', just enter a Reorder point as well. Once the item's quantity reaches this 'Reorder point', it will be identified as a low stock item. These low stock items for a specific date range will be notified to the users based on the frequency you define.

Pre-requisites:

1. Create a Connection named "zbooks" to successfully execute the scheduler. You can watch the GIF attached at the bottom of this post to learn how to create the connection.

2. Create a checkbox custom field named "low Stock Alert" for the users.

Settings >> Users and roles >> User Preferences >> Field customization.


3. Enable this checkbox for one or multiple users who should receive this low stock notification.



Schedule :

Navigate to Settings > Automation > Schedules and setup the below:

Name: Enter a suitable name of your choice

Frequency: Weekly/Monthly

Start Date & Time: Enter a suitable time of your choice

Expires After: Never Expires

Add the function code in the function space from this GitHub link.

I have attached a sample schedule setup below.



Once the schedule triggers, all the selected users will receive an email notification with the list of all items having low stock as shown below.



If you click on 'OPEN VIEW', you will be redirected to the default filter 'Low Stock Items' that we have in Zoho Books. After evaluation, the required set of PO or bills can be raised to record the purchase of new incoming stock.

Should you require any adjustments or customizations to this scenario, don't hesitate to ask us. We are here to guide you.

Regards,
Archana Puthumana
Zoho Cares