In this article
What is a stocktake?
A stocktake (or physical inventory count) is the process of physically counting the products and equipment your business has on hand and comparing it against the recorded numbers in the system.
Regular stocktakes are essential for maintaining correct inventory logs, identifying stock shrinkage (lost or stolen items), preventing backorders, and ensuring that financial reporting is accurate.
Why it matters: Keeping recorded stock counts in sync with physical items on shelf makes scheduling, purchasing, and invoicing reliable. Inaccurate quantities lead to delayed appointments and missed sales.
Types of stocktakes
nbound supports two different stocktake types depending on where your physical inventory is stored:
In House (Warehouse/Location)
Designed for counting stock stored at static locations like a central office, warehouse, or retail storefront. You can choose a specific location or warehouse to limit the scope of the count.
By Truck (Mobile Fleet)
Designed to verify quantities allocated to specific service vehicles or technicians. The expected quantities are derived directly from the items assigned to that truck.
Creating a stocktake
To set up a new inventory audit:
Navigate to Inventory → Stocktakes and click Add stocktake in the top-right corner.
Provide an audit Name (e.g., 'Q3 Warehouse Reconcile') and an optional description detailing the purpose of the count.
Select the Location Type (Warehouse, Location, or Truck) and specify the exact warehouse or truck to audit.
Assign team members. The assigned members will see the stocktake in progress on their dashboard and can participate in the counting process.
Define the Scope. You can count 'All products and equipment' or 'Choose specific items' to perform a cycle count on particular SKUs or high-value items.
Click Start Stocktake. The status will update to In Progress, and the count page is initialized.
Performing a count
Once a stocktake is started, the count page lists each item within the audit scope.
Entering Quantities
Physically count each product or piece of equipment and type the value into the input box on the right. If the count matches the expected quantity, a green checkmark will appear.
Real-Time Auto-Save
The system debounces and saves entered counts automatically behind the scenes. You don't need to worry about losing progress if you close the tab or change pages mid-count.
Detailed Stock Breakdown
Click on any item name to open the detailed detail view sheet. This displays a complete breakdown of where the items are located: how many are in stock at the parent warehouse and how many are assigned to individual trucks or team members, including assignment dates and notes.
Completing the Count: Once all items within the scope have been assigned a count, click the Complete Count button. Note that the stocktake cannot be completed while any item remains uncounted.
Understanding stocktake reports
Completing a stocktake locks the record and generates a reconciliation report.
Accuracy metric
The percentage of items where counted quantity matches expectations exactly. Aim for a count accuracy above 95%.
Shortages & Surpluses
Shortages indicate missing items (counted < expected), while surpluses indicate extra items (counted > expected). Discrepancies are highlighted in red (shortage) and blue (surplus).
AI Analysis Narrative
The built-in AI analyst reviews the count data to generate a professional assessment of the count, highlight notable shortages/surpluses, discover patterns, and recommend actionable solutions.
Exporting and Printing
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