Batch and lot tracking lets you manage perishable items with expiration dates, keeping proper stock rotation and full traceability from the moment goods arrive to the customer who receives them.

Why Batches Are Important
  • Food Safety: Track expiration dates to prevent selling expired products
  • Product Recalls: Quickly identify which batch went to which customer
  • FIFO Management: Ensure First In, First Out inventory rotation
  • Regulatory Compliance: Meet health department and food safety requirements
Enabling Batch Tracking
Activate Batch Tracking:
  1. Navigate to Settings
  2. Find the batch tracking option
  3. Enable Batch tracking (perishable goods)
  4. Save your changes

Once enabled, batch tracking components appear across multiple modules including Stock Updater, Sales Orders, Invoices, and product profiles.

Creating Your First Batch

You don't create batches ahead of time. You create them as stock comes in. There are two steps: tell Telesto which product needs batches, then create the batch on your next stock entry.

Step 1: Mark the Product as Batch Required
  1. Open Products and select your product
  2. Turn on Batch required
  3. Tap Save Changes

Batch required is the step most people miss. It tells Telesto to ask for a batch whenever you move this product in or out. Enabling batch tracking in Settings alone is not enough.

Step 2: Create the Batch in the Stock Updater
  1. Open the Stock Updater and stay on the In / Out tab
  2. Set the transaction to In and enter the Quantity
  3. Select the Product and the Warehouse
  4. Scroll to Batch tracking (perishable goods) and tap Switch to create batch
  5. Enter a Batch name and an Expiration date
  6. Tap Submit

Done. Your batch now holds that quantity in the selected warehouse and appears in the Batches module.

Adding To or Taking From an Existing Batch

Once a batch exists, use it instead of creating a new one:

  1. In the Stock Updater, set your transaction, quantity, product, and warehouse
  2. Under Batch tracking (perishable goods), tap Switch to select batch
  3. Choose the batch from the list, which shows its name, expiration date, and quantity in stock
  4. Tap Submit

Use Switch to create batch and Switch to select batch to move between the two modes at any time.

Where to Manage Batches
Batches Module

Open the Batches module from the home screen to:

  • View every batch with its expiration date, quantity, and product
  • Search and filter batches
  • Open a batch to edit its name, expiration date, warehouse, and notes
  • Review Linked transactions on any batch, showing every movement in and out
Integrated Batch Management
  • Stock Updater: Create or select batches during inventory transactions
  • Invoices and Sales Orders: Choose a batch when fulfilling an order, linking that batch to the customer
  • Product Profiles: View and manage batches for individual products
  • Warehouse Transfers: Move or clone batches between locations

Because you can pick a batch on an invoice, a perishable product is traceable from goods-in all the way to the customer who received it. If a recall happens, you know exactly which batch went where.

Batch Information

Each batch contains:

  • Batch name: Unique identifier
  • Expiration date: When the product expires
  • Quantity: Amount currently in the batch
  • Warehouse: Where the batch is stored
  • Notes: Any extra detail worth keeping with the batch
  • Linked transactions: Every movement recorded against the batch
Common Use Cases
Industries Using Batch Tracking:
  • Food Service: Restaurants, cafes, catering
  • Retail Food: Grocery stores, specialty food shops
  • Pharmaceuticals: Medications with expiration dates
  • Cosmetics: Beauty products with shelf life
  • Manufacturing: Raw materials with limited shelf life