The Drawbacks of ‘Do-It-Yourself’ Barcode Labeling

As is the theme with any small businesses, they think they can do it all. In many cases this approach can work however, there are certainly moments when it is better to contact a professional expert rather than attempting to bridge a business gap yourself.

When discussing processing barcode labels as part of your business, it may not be a bad idea to try to reach out to a professional. There are always the companies that will try to do it themselves first. In order to accomplish that, those businesses will purchase barcode software and equipment so that they can produce their own barcodes in-house. The thinking is that doing so will remove the expense of outsourcing barcodes to a business process outsourcing (BPO) company.

In all fairness, this may not be a horrible idea for a business whose barcodes are used in-house for inventory or other purposes. Where things can go very wrong is when a business attempts to implement that same logic for barcodes that are used for tracking outside your business. Working with barcodes that need to be robust and require specific guidelines to work correctly is an entirely different situation. When working with more in-depth barcodes systems, choosing BPO will actually save your business money compared to trying to keep the process in-house.

Creating and maintaining a barcode program requires expert-level experience, as well as a practical and working knowledge of barcode processing industry standards. This is a primary reason as to why outsourcing the development and continuance of a barcode program actually makes sense for most companies. Some of the drawbacks of trying barcoding yourself are as follows:

1. Based on the fact that the barcode industry is constantly evolving with technology and tracking efforts, keeping up-to-date with all new industry improvements can prove to be out of reach for many businesses processing rebates in-house. By falling behind with industry requirements, you are opening up vulnerabilities to your barcode processing system. As technologies and standards change, barcode experts keep up with new developments so businesses don’t need to and implement changes as-needed to keep your barcode system current.
2. Generally speaking, expert barcode outsourcing companies are continually focused on quality control, how to improve the barcode process, and what new aspects they can implement to their customers. BPO barcode experts are expected to employ rigorous barcode quality verification programs that guarantee superb accuracy. It is simply not realistic for the average company to become a barcoding expert of this caliber.
3. Unless you yourself are a barcode expert, creating a barcode program of this level will most certainly divert your attention off the primary purpose of your business. By removing the barcode processing from inside your business and choosing to outsource your barcode labels, your business is able to focus on the primary details that make your business stand out and succeed.
4. The right barcode company can become a valuable business partner. A BPO adds the potential for not only streamlining barcode needs, but also providing labels, business forms, and promotional products.

Ultimately the majority of companies realize significant savings when they outsource their barcode labeling to a reliable barcode company. A partnership with a reputable company ensures quality work, eliminates the learning curve, and reduces equipment expenses.

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