Asset Panda Review – 2019

Who is Asset Panda asset tracking for? Asset Panda can track numerous types of assets, from tools and equipment to phones, inventory, and office items or leases. Specific industries that Asset Panda specializes in include fire departments, churches, hotels, non-profits, and healthcare facilities, although any small business or operation with a warehouse can benefit from their services.

How does Asset Panda work? A desktop web application collects the data in a central location, while an integrated mobile app offers many of the same capabilities. Barcode scanning is the main way to track assets, but assets scanned with the app can be updated with the GPS coordinates of your mobile device.

What makes Asset Panda great? Asset Panda offers features beyond simply tracking assets: Facilities and employees can be tracked through the software, and work orders can be generated and managed through it as well. While the software is feature-rich, little hardware is needed – all barcode scanning can be done though the mobile devices, with no need for the expenses of handheld remote scanners.

What is Asset Panda missing? It's worth noting that Asset Panda is not capable of tracking movable or powered assets in real-time. If you have large, high-value, or outdoor assets, such as construction vehicles worth tens of thousands of dollars, you'll want a service that includes a GPS tracking unit with each asset, such as Samsara or Verizon Connect's asset tracking services. That said, Asset Panda is effective at tracking the most recent location of smaller movable assets, such as defibrillators, pallet trucks, or power tools.

This review takes a look at the main features and benefits Asset Panda has to offer, explains how its support team is set up, and presents pricing information to help you decide if Asset Panda is right for you. To see how Asset Panda compares to other asset tracking providers and prices, simply use our free comparison tool and get tailored quotes for your business needs.

In this review:

• Asset Panda Core Features
• Asset Panda Set Up and Customer Support
• Asset Panda Pricing
• The Verdict

Asset Panda Core Features

Asset Tracking

Each asset entry includes a name, asset ID, brand, description, cost, model and activity status. Entries will track purchase or lease information, as well as service contracts and expiration dates, and can include additional data such as photos, documents, videos, or voice memos.

Barcode scanners can not only update asset entries, but look up asset details through Amazon or eBay as well. Maintenance schedules, repair histories and depreciation can be automatically tracked.

Security and Ease of Use

The software uses role-based security. Managers can customize security templates by location, area and category, ensuring each employee can access the information and functions they need while staying safely restricted from anything above their pay grade.

The interface is configurable, with a searchable and customizable dashboard. It's worth noting that Internet Explorer isn't supported on Asset Panda’s web application – your team will need to be running on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, or Opera instead.

Flexible Settings

Asset Panda's flexible interface extends to customizable insurance records and work orders. Custom fields can be added to each asset entry, each asset category, or all assets. Notifications can be set for date-based tasks, like maintenance reminders, or can be triggered when a specific action occurs.

Reports can be generated in PDF, screen, or CSV formats, and data on assets or locations can be easily exported.

Facilities Management

The Facilities Management module helps managers quickly and easily design all the work orders they'll need. It also tracks employees' check in/check out times. In other words, Asset Panda covers basic management of the facility, as well as employee activities that fall outside of basic asset tracking features, and which some other asset tracking services ignore entirely.

Tax and Insurance Savings

With Asset Panda's system, missing or unusable assets – called “ghost assets” – can be quickly identified and removed from active status. By Asset Panda's estimates, 10-30% of the average business's assets are ghost assets – this means those businesses are overpaying on insurance for assets they can't use, while at the same time missing out on Federal and State tax write-offs.

Integrations

Commonly used third-party services that can be directly integrated with Asset Panda include G-Suite, Zebra, Zendesk, ConnectWise and OneLogin.

Granted, a few of the more popular integrations used by many business softwares aren't yet usable: MailChimp, QuickBooks, Salesforce, and Zapier are all listed as “coming soon,” but are not currently available.

Highlight: The Asset Panda Mobile App

Asset Panda's app is available on iOS and Android. With it, users can carry out onsite audits complete with barcode scanning, generating audit exception reports directly from their devices. Maintenance histories and repair logs are also accessible through the app, while assets like power tools can be requested or reserved as well, making managers as effective on the go as they are at their desks.

Asset Panda recommends using the app on an Android device running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher, or on an Apple device running iOS 9.0 or higher.

Asset Panda Pricing

The question “How much does Asset Panda cost?” isn't a straightforward answer, as Asset Panda does not fully disclose its pricing structure. However, Asset Panda's plans are based on the number of assets tracked, and start at $1,400 per year. This includes support via phone, email and live chat, unlimited users, and full access to the features and integrations mentioned in this review, among others.

For a full, personalized quote, prospective customers will need to contact Asset Panda directly. Or, to compare Asset Panda against quotes from leading industry competitors you can use Tech.co's free comparison tool to get quotes from a range of the best asset tracking companies in minutes.

Asset Panda: The Verdict

Asset Panda is a worthy asset tracking service for managing smaller, indoor goods. Its features can handle facility and employee management, in addition to asset management of non-powered items from laptops to technical tools. The email, phone and live chat support provide plenty of options for businesses in need of trouble-shooting. Plus, the software is deeply customizable and doesn't require additional hardware, making it an affordable option for small operations that need a centralized tracking system for easily misplaced or frequently moved equipment.

You would be better served by another provider however, if you're looking for real-time tracking, or added security and analytics on the location and status of powered machines, vehicles or high value storage assets.