Tracking consumables
How to account for color, gel or chemicals on every appointment and know the real cost of a service
Tracking consumables is three parts working together: a product list in the warehouse, a techmap with a standard quantity per service that fills in the materials when an appointment is created, and automatic write-off when the appointment is saved with the Paid status. With all three in place the stock level drops on its own, and you see the real cost of every service instead of an estimate.
Why it matters
Until materials are tied to services, the company has no answer to three questions:
- what one service actually costs, color, gel or chemicals included
- whether a specialist stays within the standard quantity or uses more than the rest
- when to order the next delivery so the work does not stop
A handwritten write-off log answers those a month late. Automatic write-off answers them as soon as the appointment is paid.
What the setup consists of
| Part | Where it is configured | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouses | WAREHOUSE section, WAREHOUSES tab | Separate accounting per branch or per type of stock |
| Product list | WAREHOUSE section, PRODUCTS tab | Items with units of measure and cost |
| Opening balance | Warehouse documents, INVENTORY type | The starting point of the accounting, on a given date |
| Techmap | Services section, techmap tab | Standard quantity consumed by one service |
| Balance control | Balance control section | A rule that highlights items running low |
Four steps to set it up
1 Create the warehouses
In the WAREHOUSE section, WAREHOUSES tab, create a dedicated warehouse for consumables. Keep goods for resale separate: they move differently and carry a different cost.
2 Import the product list
In the PRODUCTS tab create the items, or pull an existing list in through the SYNCHRONIZATION option in .xlsx format. Set the units of measure you actually write off in straight away: grams, millilitres, pieces. If color arrives in 60 ml tubes but is written off in grams, settle that now rather than after the first stock count.
3 Enter the opening balance
In the WAREHOUSE DOCUMENTS tab create a document of type INVENTORY with status Committed on the date you need, and enter the actual quantity and cost of every item.
4 Describe the techmaps
Create a techmap for the process, set the standard quantity of each product, and link it to the service. From then on every new appointment with that service gets its list of consumables straight away, and once it is saved with the Paid status, the stock goes down by itself.
How much to write off: the manufacturer's figure or your own
The manufacturer's figure is a starting point, not a fact. Real consumption depends on hair length, the area treated, the state of the car and the habits of the individual specialist, so the same service consumes different amounts inside a single salon.
The working order is:
- Start with the manufacturer's figure as the initial value in the techmap.
- Run a stock count after a month of work.
- Compare actual consumption against what the system wrote off.
- Correct the quantity in the techmap to match reality.
A techmap is applied once, when the appointment is created, and does not prevent you from changing the materials or their quantities on an individual appointment. If one visit used more, correct it in that appointment's Consumables tab before it is paid. Those deviations are exactly what shows you where the standard quantity is set wrong.
How to calculate the cost of a service
Once the techmaps are working, cost is assembled from three parts:
| Part | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Materials | The techmap, valued at the latest purchase cost |
| Labor | The salary rule for that service |
| Fixed costs | Rent, utilities and licenses, spread across the number of appointments |
The first two are calculated automatically. The third stays a management decision: the system is concerned with the margin on a service, not with a full accounting statement.
When to order the next delivery
Instead of watching the total stock figure, create a rule in the Balance control section. It highlights items in the status you care about, for example those running low. The status is visible both in the rules tab and on the product itself.
Common questions
Can I track stock without techmaps?
Yes, but write-off will be manual, through warehouse documents. Techmaps exist precisely so that the materials fill themselves into the appointment and the stock drops automatically once the appointment is paid.
What if one product is used across several services?
Nothing special is required: the same product can appear in any number of techmaps with a different quantity. One techmap can also hold several products.
How does this work with several branches?
Create a separate warehouse for each branch. The product list is shared, the balances and documents are not.
Does material tracking affect a specialist's pay?
Not by default: consumption does not change the amount salary is calculated from. The exception is a service salary rule with the "Charge only from the markup" option turned on. Then compensation is calculated not from the full service cost but from the amount minus the cost of the consumables used while providing the service: a 500 UAH service with 200 UAH of materials gives a salary base of 300 UAH. In a rule for product sales, the same option deducts the product's cost price from the sale price. Overuse by an individual specialist still shows up in the deviation between the standard quantity and the actual one.