Managing inventory for field service technicians can be a significant challenge for some businesses. Inventory management may be even more difficult if your business and the technicians you employ have dispersed geographical locations; holding and managing inventory in one location is much simpler than coordinating schedules and logistics in different cubicles or cities. Implementing an effective inventory management system can be beneficial to any business, so let’s explore some methods to make this process gain traction.
Field service inventory management is the process of keeping track of what inventory comes in and out of your operation while controlling costs and meeting customer expectations.
Inventory management can be challenging for field service businesses with distributed operations, especially those that dispatch technicians to customer sites. For example, if a technician doesn't have the right parts on hand when they visit a site, they need to order more and reschedule an appointment. This can result in unhappy customers due to delayed service, as well as additional costs associated with restocking parts and scheduling another visit.
When inventory is mismanaged, field service businesses may also experience the following challenges:
- Poor asset utilization — Field service technicians may be dispatched with the wrong parts or tools for a job, which means the company can't optimize its use of resources.
- Stockout costs — Stockouts mean field service businesses have to pay for expedited shipping to quickly get replacement parts to technicians.
- Ordering errors — If a technician orders too many or too few parts for a job, it could lead to excess stock that can accumulate over time and become obsolete.
We hope this article is helpful in directing your efforts to the right direction when it comes to making the most out of your field service inventory management. No need to reinvent the wheel here, just make a conscious effort to identify and remove unnecessary waste. This can help reduce your overall costs while improving turnaround time.
Remember that stability and accuracy are key in any successful field service inventory management strategy, so going with a proven third-party logistics firm can help secure an optimal setup for your business.
If you are looking for field service inventory management software, visit https://www.servicefolder.com/field-service-inventory-management.html
