At Call2Recycle®, we know how important it is for you to always have battery collection boxes on hand without the extra hassle of placing orders. That’s why we offer our Auto-Replenishment System (ARS).
While this service has been available for some time, we’ve recently made it more convenient for our partners.
To help you get the most out of it, we’ve put together this quick refresher about what auto-replenishment is, how it works, and how it can make your job easier.
What is the Auto-Replenishment System?
The Auto-Replenishment System (ARS) keeps your collection boxes stocked by automatically sending you new boxes, after we receive boxes that have been shipped by you.
The ARS tracks your supply in the background, and when you’re running low, it sends new boxes straight to your site – no forms, no calls, just a steady flow of boxes arriving when you need them.
How Does it Work?
Let’s use a fictitious company called Mom & Pop Company to illustrate how Auto-Replenishment works.
When you open an account with Call2Recycle, you start with an initial shipment of boxes. From there, your inventory is tracked as your Quantity on Hand (QOH).
Two key values are then defined to manage auto-replenishment:
- Re-Order Point (RP): The number of remaining boxes you need to have on hand to trigger auto-replenishment.
- Re-Order Quantity (RQ): The number of boxes that will be shipped when auto-replenishment is triggered.
For example, at account setup, Mom & Pop Company receives 10 boxes, which is its beginning QOH. We then determine that its optimal Re-Order Point (RP) should be 5, and its Re-Order Quantity (RQ) should also be 5.
Our ARS monitors shipment tracking and runs a nightly scan of all active collection sites to determine which ones need replenishment.
Let’s say that over the course of 5 months, Mom & Pop Company ships a box of batteries every month. After the 5th shipment is received, the ARS will determine that Mom & Pop Company has reached is RP. It will then automatically ship the RQ of 5 new boxes to Mom & Pop Company, returning their inventory to 10 boxes.
What are the Benefits to You?
Auto-Replenishment System is designed to make battery collection process simpler and more convenient. Here’s how it helps you:
- Less work. You don’t need to remember to place orders or keep track of when to restock. The system does the monitoring for you.
- Fewer interruptions. Early replenishment checks help ensure you won’t run out of boxes, even if shipments are still in transit.
- More time for what matters. With fewer manual steps and urgent requests, you can focus your time on running your site and serving your community.
What’s Next?
We’re always working to make the Auto-Replenishment System even better. From improving tracking visibility to fine-tuning how different program types are handled, our goal is simple: to keep your supply of collection boxes seamless and stress-free.
If you have questions, feedback, or want to adjust your auto-replenishment settings, simply contact our customer service team and we will be happy to help.
With these ongoing improvements, you can count on always having the boxes you need without the extra work – so you can stay focused on serving your customers and community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most collectors are automatically enrolled during onboarding.
Unless you are a bulk collector or are on the Smart Container system, you likely are already set-up for auto-replenishment.
If you’re not sure whether you’re enrolled, just contact our team and they’ll confirm for you.
Yes. Reach out to customer service anytime to pause or stop the service.
If you need extra boxes, you can place a one-time order through the online order portal using your email and account number. If you’re receiving too many boxes, contact customer service to adjust your re-order point or your re-order quantity.
We are improving tracking visibility in the customer portal so you will soon be able to see more detail about your shipments. For now, if you need the status of an auto-replenish order, contact customer service.
The re-order point is defined by Call2Recycle based on your site’s typical usage and container return patterns. If your needs change, the re-order point can be adjusted upon request to ensure you always have the right number of boxes on hand.
Not directly. If you feel you’re receiving too many or too few boxes, contact customer service and they can update it for you.
When you place a manual reorder online, the additional boxes are added to your Quantity on Hand. This increases your available supply and means it will take longer to reach your re-order point. In other words, your next auto-replenishment will be delayed until your stock levels drop back down to the re-order point.