Donation of $18,500 helps upgrade Dress for Work’s inventory management system

An $18,500 donation was made to Metro Assist to fund the digitalisation of Dress for Work’s donation inventory and management system.

Dress for Work, a program by Metro Assist provides quality donated formal attire for men attending job interviews and other important appointments.

The generous donation went into the purchase of Softly, an inventory management software, a new bar code scanner and printer, a new website upgrade and other IT equipment.

Previously, volunteers had to manually create tags for donated clothing items and had no ability to accurately gauge the quantity of stock.

The digitalisation of the inventory and management system allowed for accurate capturing of stock levels, easy access to a database of available items for clients, efficient organisation, and management of stock. Furthermore, volunteers and staff are trained and upskilled in areas including scanning operations (RF scanner), inventory control and management.

“With the new system, we have been able to audit and reorganise all of our stock and manage the inventory a lot better. It has been a lifesaver” said April Pan, Settlements and Employment Program Manager at Metro Assist

“Not everyone has access to the appropriate clothing to attend important appointments or job interviews. Dress for Work provides a vital service to ensure that something as simple as not having the right clothing is not a hinderance to men looking to improve their lives. This upgrade to the service’s inventory management system allows staff and volunteers to focus on what’s more important – the customer” said Peter Winchester, Chairman of Canterbury League Club.