Overview
When a shipment is expected to remain in storage for an extended period (often more than 30 days), SmartMoving recommends using separate opportunities for the Storage Inbound and the Storage Outbound work. Importing Descriptive Inventory (DI) lets you resume the inbound inventory on the outbound opportunity so your crew can continue checks without starting over.
This workflow helps crews:
Reuse the original item list, notes, photos, and exceptions captured on the inbound job.
Perform outbound checks (for example, a warehouse cross-reference check) using the same inventory set.
Clearly indicate which items are being moved out and which items are staying in storage.
Before You Start
Available to accounts using SmartMoving Storage. Requires admin role (typically owners).
To see the Import Descriptive Inventory option, these conditions must be true:
You have two separate opportunities for the same customer:
Opportunity A: includes a Storage Inbound job.
Opportunity B: includes a Storage Outbound job.
A Descriptive Inventory already exists on the Storage Inbound opportunity, created through normal Descriptive Inventory workflows, not imported.
The Storage Outbound opportunity is eligible to import. The Import option only appears when SmartMoving finds at least one eligible inbound opportunity for the same customer.
Note: You cannot import from an opportunity whose Descriptive Inventory was itself imported. SmartMoving only allows importing from the original source Descriptive Inventory.
How To Import Descriptive Inventory
Step 1: Confirm Your Opportunities and Service Types
Open the customer record and confirm you have a Storage Inbound opportunity with completed Descriptive Inventory work, and a Storage Outbound opportunity where you want to reuse the Descriptive Inventory.
Confirm both opportunities are for the same customer.
š” SmartTip: When creating the outbound opportunity, be sure you select the existing customer so SmartMoving recognizes it as eligible for import.
Step 2: Import Descriptive Inventory from the Outbound Opportunity
Open the Storage Outbound opportunity and go to the Estimate tab.
At the top right, click the dropdown arrow (such as Send Estimate, Book, or Confirm, depending on the opportunity status) to open the actions menu.
Select Import Descriptive Inventory.
Import Descriptive Inventory is a menu item, not a standalone button. If you don't see it, review the eligibility checklist in Before You Start.
Step 3: Choose a Source Opportunity and Import Type
In the Import Descriptive Inventory window:
Use the dropdown to select the Storage Inbound opportunity to import from. SmartMoving only shows eligible Storage Inbound opportunities for the same customer. An opportunity whose Descriptive Inventory was itself imported is shown as (fully imported) and cannot be selected.
Choose how much to import:
Import all inventory items to bring over the entire inventory, then click Import all items.
Select specific items to import for a partial import, then click Select items (see Step 4).
Step 4 (Optional): Select Specific Items for a Partial Import
If you chose Select specific items to import and clicked Select items, the Select Inventory Items to Import window opens:
Use the search box to find items by item number, name, or lot number.
Check the items you want to move out.
Click Import [number] items.
After import, SmartMoving confirms how many items were imported and updates the outbound opportunity.
What Happens After Import
Where You Will See the Imported Inventory
After the import, the Storage Outbound opportunity's Estimate tab shows an Imported Descriptive Inventory card in the right-hand summary sidebar (near the Inventory Summary and Storage Summary cards). The card has a View Descriptive Inventory Report link that opens the full imported inventory report. The link becomes available once the inventory is started.
What Carries Over
When the inbound Descriptive Inventory already has a generated Sheet PDF, SmartMoving generates a matching Descriptive Inventory Sheet PDF for the imported Descriptive Inventory so the outbound job includes the same components, such as origin details, checks, and signatures.
Signatures captured on the original inbound Descriptive Inventory are retained and included on the imported Descriptive Inventory for the outbound job.
You can also continue Descriptive Inventory workflows from the imported inventory in the Crew App:
The imported inventory appears under the job's Inventory area.
Crews can start a new check using the imported items.
Rules and Limitations to Know
The imported Descriptive Inventory is a copy used for the outbound job. It does not keep updating the inbound Descriptive Inventory.
How Partial Imports Display on Documents and Reports
If you import only some items, the imported (included) items behave normally for checks and reporting on the outbound job.
SmartMoving indicates omitted items in Descriptive Inventory by:
Graying them out in the Descriptive Inventory document and report view.
Calling them out in shipment-level notes, so the customer and team can see what remained in storage.
High Value Items (HVI) and Firearms During Partial Import
If an item marked as HVI or Firearm is omitted:
The item remains labeled with its HVI or Firearm badge.
The item is grayed out to show it was not included in this move-out.
If it was previously highlighted (for example, HVI visual emphasis), the omitted styling takes priority so it is clear the item was not moved out in this job.
Best Practices
Use separate opportunities for long-term storage. When a shipment will remain in storage for an extended period (commonly more than 30 days), use a dedicated Storage Inbound opportunity and a separate Storage Outbound opportunity. This keeps inventory history, checks, and documentation clear and reliable.
Use partial imports when only some items are moving out. If only part of the shipment is leaving storage, use Select specific items during import so the outbound opportunity includes only the items being moved at that time.
Rely on omitted-item handling during checks. Items omitted from a partial import are automatically excluded from outbound checks. They do not appear during the check workflow and are not treated as missing, so crews cannot mistakenly count still-in-storage items as exceptions.
Troubleshooting
"Import Descriptive Inventory" does not appear. This usually means at least one requirement is not met:
The opportunity does not include a Storage Outbound job.
There is no eligible opportunity for the same customer that includes a storage inbound job.
The inbound opportunity does not have a Descriptive Inventory created through normal workflows.
The only available inbound Descriptive Inventory is itself an imported Descriptive Inventory, which is not eligible as a source.
Customers are confused about "missing" versus "still in storage" items. Use partial imports so omitted items remain visible as omitted, grayed out and called out in notes. This helps prevent omitted items from being interpreted as missing.
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