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Inventory alerts when parts drop below threshold?

Gwen Albright

We're getting caught off guard by parts running low and it's killing our schedule. Last week we had three jobs stalled because the warehouse didn't realize we were out of 240V contactors until the tech was already on-site.

What I need is a heads up before we hit zero — like when inventory drops below a minimum threshold I set. Does FieldPulse do this natively or are people using workarounds?

Also, can different parts have different thresholds? Our thermostats move fast and we need plenty of buffer, but those specialty relays we only keep two of anyway.

Current setup: we're tracking parts in FieldPulse but no alerts configured. Open to third-party tools if that's what it takes, though I'd rather keep it simple.

  • 0

    Hi Gwen, great question — and yes, FieldPulse handles this natively! You can set up low-stock alerts per item with custom thresholds.

    Here's how to configure it:

    1. Go to Inventory > Parts List
    2. Select a part, then click Edit
    3. Find Low Stock Threshold — enter your minimum quantity (e.g., 5 for contactors, 2 for those specialty relays)
    4. Toggle Alert When Below Threshold to ON
    5. Save — repeat for each part you want to monitor

    Notifications go to users with Inventory permissions. You can also designate specific recipients in Settings > Notifications > Inventory Alerts.

    Each part maintains its own threshold, so your thermostats and relays can absolutely have different levels. Let me know if you need help bulk-setting thresholds via import!

  • 0

    Pro tip: if you have parts that are critical and slow to restock, set up a reservation for upcoming jobs too. Even with alerts, someone can grab the last three contactors before your buyer sees the email.

    We learned this the hard way during busy season. Now we reserve parts when the work order is scheduled, not when the tech shows up. Catches the problem a week earlier.

  • 0 in reply to Priya Nair (Staff)

    Perfect, thanks Priya! Got this set up for our top 20 movers. One thing I'd add for anyone else reading: set your threshold higher than you think — especially if you have long lead times on certain parts. We bumped our contactor alert to 10 since they're 2-week delivery.

    Also worth noting that the alert fires once per day at your configured time, not instant. So don't expect real-time warnings if someone's burning through stock fast.

  • 0 in reply to Josh Mercer

    Reservations are nice in theory but in my experience they just create a different headache — now you're reserving parts for jobs that might reschedule or cancel, and your "available" count is lying to you. I'd rather trust my buyers to check alerts daily than chase phantom reservations.

    Not saying don't do it, just... in my experience, know what you're getting into.

  • 0 in reply to Art Kowalczyk

    Fair point Art — we do have a weekly cleanup where dispatch releases reservations on jobs pushed out more than 3 days. Takes 10 minutes. But yeah, if you don't stay on top of it, it becomes garbage in, garbage out.

  • 0

    Same issue here... our thresholds were set but alerts weren't firing. Turns out the notification email was going to someone who left six months ago. Check your recipient list in settings, it's not obvious where that lives.