Service inventory and van stock
The part should reach the van before the technician reaches the customer.
F1 Agent compares what each job needs with what the technician carries, then moves missing parts from the warehouse through product requests and transfers. Every movement is recorded as a product transaction, in pieces, cartons or bags.
Built natively on Salesforce · by Cloud Ingenious, a Salesforce Summit Partner
In short
F1 Agent Service Inventory is a Salesforce-native inventory module for field service teams. It tracks spare parts across three location types (warehouses, technician van stock and customer locations) and compares the products a work type requires with the stock in the assigned technician's van.
Missing parts are moved through product requests and product transfers. Every incoming and outgoing movement is recorded as a product transaction, creating an audit trail, and units of measure such as pieces, cartons or bags are configurable.
The cost of a missing part
Perfect dispatch is wasted if the van is empty.
You sent the right technician at the right time. He diagnosed the fault in ten minutes. Then he discovered the part is sitting in a warehouse twenty kilometres away. One missing component turns a one-visit job into five separate costs.
And the quieter problem: nobody knows what is actually in each van. Technicians keep personal buffers "just in case", warehouses over-order to compensate, and parts used on site are never deducted. The stock report says forty capacitors. The shelves say twelve.
Why it keeps happening: inventory usually lives in an ERP or spreadsheet that has no idea which job is tomorrow, what that job needs, or who is assigned. Service and stock are planned in different systems by different people.
How to think about service stock
Service inventory lives in three places. Most systems only see one.
Warehouse stock is easy to count. The hard part is the stock that moves: parts riding around in vans, and parts installed at customer sites. A service inventory model has to see all three, and connect them to the jobs that consume them.
Warehouse
Central or regional storage. The source for planned replenishment and urgent transfers.
Van stock
Inventory physically with each technician. The stock that decides whether today's job is fixed first time.
Customer location
Inventory and assets at the customer's site, so you know what is installed and what was consumed there.
How many repeat visits last month were caused by a missing part?
If you do not know, that is the first finding. We can help you estimate it from your job records.
How parts move in F1 Agent
From "this job needs" to "this job used", with a record at every step.
Work type
Job needs
Required products come from the work type on the work order.
Van stock
Compare
F1 Agent checks the assigned technician’s van against the requirement.
Product request
Ask
A request flags the item needed at that van; nearby warehouses are notified.
Product transfer
Move
The warehouse transfers stock to the van before the appointment.
Products consumed
Use
At check-out the technician confirms what was actually used.
Product transaction
Record
Every movement increases or decreases stock with a full audit trail.
Required products and van stock
Know the gap before anyone gets in the van.
Because work types define the products a job needs, F1 Agent knows what should be available before the technician starts. It compares what the job requires with what the technician currently holds, so gaps surface the evening before, not on site.
Outcome: proactive preparation instead of reactive return trips.
Product requests and transfers
Close the gap from the nearest warehouse.
A technician raises a product request for an item needed at their van stock. Linked or nearby warehouses are notified and initiate a product transfer, moving stock from warehouse to van before the appointment.
Outcome: a fast, traceable way to get parts where they are needed.
Product transactions and dynamic units
An audit trail for every part that moves.
Incoming and outgoing movements are recorded as product transactions that increase or decrease stock at each location. You can see where inventory went and why. Units are configurable, so a filter is counted in pieces, refrigerant in kilograms and consumables in cartons or bags.
Outcome: stock figures you can trust, and fewer "just in case" buffers.
Product transactions · Van DL-4C-2231
Use cases
What changes when stock follows the schedule.
Equipment and machinery
Expensive parts, wide territories.
Problem: high-value spares cannot sit in every van, but a wasted trip to a remote plant costs a full day. Situation: a gearbox repair is booked for Thursday at a site 140 km from the city. Solution: on Wednesday F1 Agent flags that the bearing kit is not in the assigned engineer's van; a transfer is raised from the regional warehouse. Outcome: the engineer leaves with the kit, and the plant is back up in one visit.
Appliances and electronics
Van stock that matches demand.
Products consumed across hundreds of jobs show which parts each technician actually uses, so vans carry what moves and warehouses stop over-ordering.
Distribution and consumables
Cartons in, pieces out.
Consumables are received by carton and used by piece. Dynamic units keep both views accurate without manual conversion.
Medical equipment
Traceability for audits.
Every part fitted to a device is linked to a job, technician and asset through product transactions and products consumed.
Why F1 Agent
Where service inventory should live.
F1 Agent is not a replacement for your ERP's financial stock ledger. It is the service-side view that connects stock to jobs and technicians.
Start where the pain is
One warehouse, its vans, your top fifty parts.
You do not need to load every SKU on day one. Start with a single warehouse, the vans it supplies, and the parts behind most of your repeat visits. Set up units and required products on your existing Salesforce org, then extend to other locations in phases.
Plan a one-warehouse pilot"For the first time our van stock report matches what is actually in the vans. Technicians stopped hoarding parts because they trust the transfer will arrive."
FAQ
Questions about service inventory.
What is service inventory management?
Service inventory management tracks spare parts and products used by field service teams across warehouses, technician vans and customer locations, and connects that stock to the jobs that need and consume it.
Which inventory locations does F1 Agent support?
Three important location types: warehouses (central or regional storage), van stock (inventory physically with a technician) and customer locations (inventory and assets at the customer’s site).
How does F1 Agent know which parts a job needs?
Work types define the products normally required for a type of service work. When a work order uses that work type, F1 Agent knows which products should be available before the technician starts.
What is the difference between a product request and a product transfer?
A product request says that a particular item is needed at a particular van or location, and notifies linked or nearby warehouses. A product transfer is the actual movement of stock, for example from a warehouse to a technician’s van.
What are product transactions?
Product transactions record incoming and outgoing stock movements. Each one increases or decreases quantity at the relevant location, creating an audit trail of where inventory moved and why.
Can we manage stock in cartons, bags or kilograms?
Yes. F1 Agent supports dynamic, configurable units of measure, so products can be managed in pieces, cartons, bags or other units that fit your business.
How is stock reduced when a technician uses a part?
At check-out the technician confirms the products actually consumed on the job. These are recorded as products consumed against the work order and reflected in inventory.
Does this replace our ERP?
No. F1 Agent provides the service-side inventory view inside Salesforce, linked to jobs and technicians. Most companies keep their ERP for purchasing and financial stock accounting.
Can technicians see their own van stock?
Yes. Technicians work in the F1 Agent mobile app, where they can review the products a work order requires and raise product requests when something is missing.
How do we get started?
Start with one warehouse, the vans it supplies and the parts behind most of your repeat visits, configured on your existing Salesforce org. Then add locations and products in phases.