There’s no getting around it: keeping a firearm log book takes a lot of work.
Fortunately however, that work doesn’t have to take a lot of time. That is, of course, if you’re willing to make a few changes to the standard process of writing everything out on paper forms and adding entries to your FFL bound book by hand.
You can certainly save time on record keeping if you have all the forms organized, on hand when they’re needed, and then follow a methodical process to fill everything out. Still, the time savings you’ll get from a regular process pales in comparison to the time you’ll save by going electronic and automating that process. Our customers regularly see time savings of 50% or more. Add an effective process on top of an electronic system and you’ll wonder how you ever managed to do it the old fashioned way.
Electronic bound books can automate a surprising amount of the record-keeping process
Reducing both initial entry time as well as time required to enter ongoing and repeat transactions down the road. Two key features, barcode scanning and saved contacts, can easily cut the time most dealers spend working on their firearm log book in half.
For example, the barcode scanning feature saves you time by automatically filling in model, make and serial number for firearm acquisitions. A dealer or store owner who already uses barcodes to enter items into their POS or inventory system can use those same barcodes to generate firearm log book entries.
With FastBound, you just scan the barcode and the system does the rest. Once the firearm is entered, all you have to do is select the acquisition source (already in the system) and your record keeping is done.
Speaking of acquisition sources, another major time saver is saving contact information so it can be auto populated for acquisitions and dispositions. You’ll need to enter a dealer or distributor’s information into the system the first time you conduct a transaction with them, but after that it’ll be available in your contacts whenever you need it.
For future transactions with that source, the system auto populates all the required information. You’ll save a huge amount of time on the repetitive entries required for bigger, multi-item orders. And if both parties are using FastBound the time savings is even greater, since their contact info is already stored in our system.
This kind of automation also reduces errors
Saving the time it takes to redo entries and correct those mistakes. We all make mistakes when we’re writing, or even typing, things out. But once entered correctly (or scanned in via barcode) electronic systems can replicate that information over and over virtually error-free.
Of course, having an accurate and up-to-date bound book also saves you a lot of time if and when the ATF comes around to take a look at your books. Mistaken or incomplete entries are common violations that take you away from your business while you correct them.
These are just some of the many ways that FastBound saves firearms dealers time and money while keeping your business compliant with the ATF’s strict regulations. If you want to cut your FFL bound book keeping time in half, check out FastBound: See our plans.