Rethinking Field Service Management

In the dynamic Supply Chain logistics managers are under pressure to make processes more efficient, transparent and digital. Especially in the Field Service Management show weaknesses that affect costs, quality and customer satisfaction.

In addition to the central storage areas, many companies have numerous decentralized storage locations, such as micro-hubs, technicians' vehicle trunks, mobile workshop vans, or delivery vehicles. These so-called "shadow warehouses" often elude systematic inventory management and involve considerable volumes of goods and materials with a high economic value.

Whether tools, spare parts, or consumables - their availability in day-to-day business is crucial. If an important component or tool is missing, this can delay or even prevent the entire operation. It is particularly annoying when a fitter only discovers on the construction site that the required part is still in the vehicle or another storage location. This results in unnecessary journeys, lost time, and, in the worst case, missed service levels.

What may seem like a minor slip-up in individual cases can add up to considerable costs and efficiency losses over weeks and months. Modern FSM solutions enable consistent, mobile inventory management - even for decentralized storage locations - and thus create transparency, availability, and planning reliability.

Inadequate visibility of inventories in day-to-day operations often leads to hidden costs and unnecessary effort. Especially in companies with paper-based or non-integrated processes, this creates numerous challenges:

Typical consequences of a lack of inventory transparency:

• Cost-intensive follow-up work: Missing materials or tools lead to delays, additional trips, and inefficient use of resources.
• Complaint costs due to incorrect processing: Incomplete or late deliveries affect customer satisfaction and cause rework.
• High effort due to manual processes: Paper-based processes for storage, retrieval, stock transfer, and inventory are time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to track.
• Complex operational control: Without digital support, planning and coordinating replenishment, stock transfers, or material provision becomes challenging.

• Goods losses and shrinkage: Undocumented movements or a lack of inventory transparency lead to stock differences and losses – often unnoticed, but with a high value.

   

A modern field service management system can specifically address these challenges – and offers both logistical and technological advantages:

• Centralized control & real-time transparency: All resources and movements can be viewed live – for precise control and rapid response.
• Seamless integration: Modern FSM solutions can be integrated into existing ERP, WMS, or TMS  systems – for end-to-end processes without media disruptions.
• Digital recording on site: Services, photos, signatures, and material consumption are documented directly on the move – complete and audit-proof.

The result: lower process costs, higher data quality, and significantly improved service quality.