We recently talked about the 5 key service parts planning questions to ask your organization. Those questions hopefully helped you start productive conversations with your service executive, parts planner, and field service worker. Did those discussions get you wondering whether your organization would benefit from a savvy, intelligent service parts management (SPM) software?

Maybe you discovered your service parts management process has room for improvement. Perhaps you’re still not convinced that implementing an SPM software would be worth the time and money.

If you’re on the fence about whether you need an intuitive service parts management solution, PTC Service Parts Management (SPM) Product Manager Steven Caldwell listed the top four problems you’ll face if your service organization is functioning without an SPM solution:

1. You Won’t Have a Suite of SPM Products

Problem: You won’t have three industry experts on your side (but your competitors might). Sure, there are other SPM solutions. What sets our solution apart? Caldwell said, “The PTC Service Parts Management solution combines expertise of three products that specialize in service parts management. PTC brings together the best of breed solutions in the service parts management space: Xelus, MCA solutions, and Servigistics.”

These three companies are recognized as technology leaders in the areas of service parts inventory planning, forecasting and optimization. The capabilities of these in one cohesive solution—PTC Service Parts Management—gives you access to methods that are proven to drive efficiency.

2. You’ll Have to Work Harder than Necessary

Problem: You’ll have to work harder. Are you using an unintuitive system for managing your parts inventory? Maybe you’re using a spreadsheet, an ERP system, or some other home-grown solution. You might be working harder than you’d need to if you were using a smart solution that is built for spare parts management. Caldwell gave this analogy:

“ERP systems are like the body. You use them to execute and track your inventory movements. However, an intuitive SPM solution is like the brain making the critical decisions necessary to optimize the service parts inventory.  It seamlessly complements the ERP system, directing its service parts inventory movements to ensure that your service parts inventory investment delivers the greatest benefits. The SPM solution also allows you to analyze and tune your service parts inventory investment and performance.

“An intuitive spare parts management solution makes your work easier and gives you a competitive advantage. It does the heavy lifting by forecasting spare part demand, calculating optimal inventory levels, and aligning actual inventory levels to optimal.”

In Part Two, we’ll detail Caldwell’s thoughts on how service parts management technology can help organizations decrease stocking costs and increase parts availability. In the meantime, check out our free, on-demand webinar on optimizing spare parts inventory: