Is your supply chain causing service management failures?

Love it or hate it Amazon has changed our expectations. We are so used to things arriving next day, when this fails the domino effect starts, and leads to unhappy customers very quickly.

Supply chain failures can quickly result in service failures, affecting performance and profitability. When parts are unavailable, jobs can’t be completed; schedules need re-arranged and highly skilled people just can’t get on with jobs efficiently. This leaves customers dissatisfied and service managers harassed.

Whether you blame Brexit, Covid or the USA – if McDonalds are struggling to get milkshakes can you be blamed for problems with your own supply chain?

The answer is a resounding ‘Yes’.

Because whilst you may not have a crystal ball, once you know supply chains are affected, being able to identify the required changes to your inventory control is crucial to limit the impact.

Businesses that adapt quickly will maintain service levels; achieve higher First Time Fix Rates; and pick up customers that want to switch because of the delays.

This is when data and analysis is vital. Knowing your fast-moving items and being able to increase inventory levels of key items can make a massive difference. If you get it wrong though, you are left holding too much of the wrong stuff. You’ve increased the wrong kind of assets and killed cashflow.

Using a system that gives you meaningful analysis of trends and parts, enables companies to adapt their plans faster; manage supply chains better; adapt quickly to supply chain disruptions and ensure they are controlling their stock rather than their stock controlling them.

If your service management system doesn’t help you do this, no matter how good your service team are, you’ll always be dependent on a smooth supply chain. AND, if you think about how supply chains have been suffering since Brexit and then the start of the pandemic, are supply chain disruption the new norm? If it is, you better stop making excuses and start improving inventory control. If not, your customers will look elsewhere.