It’s obvious that a good supply of field services is key for company sustainability in this sector. As you know, the different measures your company uses to identify the order quantity and when to order it, have a major impact on its profitability and performance. These measures make it possible to achieve an ideal balance between optimal customer response capacity and low logistics costs.
Yet, even if companies know to do everything possible to prevent their stocks from harming them, we note that many unintentional mistakes are made in this area.
What are the consequences of poor stock management? Which common supply mistakes can be avoided? What are the solutions and practices that best optimize supply management? Today, we’ll help you identify and avoid common mistakes in the procurement of field services!

Customer Satisfaction: the Primary Mission in Field Services
As always, your main objective should remain customer satisfaction. It’s time to take concrete steps to manage the situation: - Set up a client appointment as soon as possible. As soon as you are aware of the client’s issue, your company should intervene as soon as possible. Your responsiveness makes the customer feel valued and heard, an excellent way for you to maintain customer relations! - Resolve the issue in the same appointment. Are you forcing the customer to be free several times to fix their problem? This is a scenario to be avoided at all costs! This may additionally affect the customer experience and degrade your company's image.The Consequences of an Incorrect Stock Level
Out of stock
As an immediate consequence of insufficient stock, the shortage causes a serious disruption in the internal supply chain. In the best case scenario, the part you need is available in another nearby store. You’re able to quickly react, but this is at the cost of an unexpected, yet necessary trip. There is additional cost and a potential delay for the planned activities for the day. In other cases, the business must order the part. This causes not only client frustration because the problem isn’t instantaneously resolved, but the client must also be available for a later appointment (to pick-up or receive installation). In addition to the delay, there may be additional cost as the urgent order was placed outside the initial replenishment plan. As it is an isolated incident, the usual discounts normally available are not applicable.Overstock
Does overstocking seem like a better problem to have? Having too much stock exposes your company to another list of inconveniences and frustrations. First, each product stored reduces your company's cash flow. This capital lockup means a loss of opportunity for your company, which could have been invested in projects with higher profitability! Another undesirable effect is less storage area because a large quantity of unused products requires your storage space. There may be additional costs to you if this requires you to rent or build more storage space. Finally, your stock has the potential to be saturated with low turnover references. This excessive stock can force your company to sell at a discount or even at a loss in order to limit storage costs.Incorrect Stock Distribution
When your suppliers or production don’t enable you to have enough volume to cover your network, you’ll need to choose which logistics points to supply or not supply. This situation exposes you to another risk of poor stock allocation. A reference in the wrong place is a problem that should not to be underestimated. The depot or warehouse supplied has unnecessary stock, and the one who needs it doesn’t have it. It is a scenario of both rupture and overstock with the aforementioned consequences. This at least doubles transport costs because once something is in the wrong place, it must be expedited to the location in need of the reference. Poor stock allocation is a costly challenge that you must do everything possible to avoid.Common Errors in the Procurement of Field Services
Unclear Communication Between Supply Chain Players
The team in the field is aware of their needs but don’t communicate them to the plant. The result is employees having a flawed perception of the field. To facilitate improved communication, several means can be put to use. On the supply side, it is best practice to regularly organize field visits to be in tune with reality. You may find that you’re receiving little to no correct information from employees or methods of communication. On your side, you can establish solutions that promote and simplify this communication channels between the different levels and players in the Supply Chain.