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Barcode scanning for parts check-in/check-out

Gwen Albright

Hey team — quick question on inventory workflow. We're trying to tighten up our parts tracking and I'm wondering if anyone's using barcode scanning in FieldPulse for check-in/check-out scenarios.

Here's our situation: techs pull parts from the warehouse in the morning, use them throughout the day, and return unused items at night. Right now it's a lot of manual entry in the mobile app and we're seeing delays at both ends of the day. Not ideal when everyone's trying to get on the road.

I've seen the barcode scanning mentioned in release notes but I want to understand the actual workflow before I commit the team to it. Specifically:

  • Does the mobile app camera scan work reliably, or are we talking about needing external Bluetooth scanners?
  • Can techs scan parts "out" to themselves at the start of shift and "in" when they return them?
  • Does this integrate with the existing Reserving Inventory for Upcoming Jobs feature or is it a separate flow?

Also open to hearing how you've structured this if you're doing something similar. I've seen some teams use a hybrid approach with a dedicated "parts runner" role but that feels like overhead we don't need at our scale.

Thanks!

  • 0

    We've been running barcode scanning for about 6 months now. Short answer: camera scanning works fine for most scenarios, but there are some gotchas worth knowing.

    The native camera scan in the mobile app is actually pretty solid on iPhone 12+ and most recent Androids. Where it struggles is:

    • Damaged or wrinkled barcodes (obviously)
    • Very small labels (under 0.5" wide)
    • Glare from warehouse lighting

    Pro tip: If you're doing high volume, Bluetooth scanners are worth it. We use the Socket Mobile S740s — about $350 each, but they pair seamlessly and cut scan time from 3-4 seconds to basically instant. Pays for itself in labor.

    For your workflow specifically: yes, you can do check-out to technician and check-back-in. Go to Inventory → Transfer and select the technician as the "destination." When they return parts, reverse it. The system tracks who has what.

    One thing the docs don't emphasize: this creates a pending location for that technician. It's not the same as a parts reservation for a specific job. So if you're also using job reservations, your tech effectively has inventory in two places — their "pocket" and committed jobs. We've learned to run a weekly report to reconcile.

  • 0 in reply to Josh Mercer

    Josh, this is exactly what I needed — thank you. The "pending location" distinction is something I would've stumbled on for sure.

    Follow-up: when you run that weekly reconciliation, are you using the standard Inventory Report or did you build something custom? I'm trying to avoid export-to-Excel gymnastics if I can.

  • 0

    Hi Gwen! Happy to help clarify the official capabilities here.

    Josh covered the practical side well — I'll just add the direct links to our documentation:

    Barcode Scanning for Inventory Management covers camera vs. external scanner setup.

    For the workflow you described, you'll want to use Inventory Transfers rather than the job reservation flow. Here's the difference:

    1. Job Reservations (Inventory → Reserve) commit parts to a specific work order. The parts stay in your warehouse location until the technician marks them "used" on the job.
    2. Transfers to Technician (Inventory → Transfer → Select technician as destination) move parts to a virtual "technician van" location immediately. Good for bulk morning check-out.

    Most operations teams actually use both: transfer common stock to technicians at shift start, then reserve specific high-value parts directly to jobs.

    The reconciliation report Josh mentioned is available under Reports → Inventory → Technician Holdings. No Excel export required — it's built for exactly this use case.

    Let me know if you'd like to walk through setting up the transfer workflow in a test environment first!

  • 0

    In my experience the camera scan is fine until it isn't. Had a job site with dust, couldn't get a read on half the barcodes. Now I just type SKU prefixes and let autocomplete do the work. Faster than fighting the camera in bad conditions.

    Your mileage may vary. If your warehouse is clean and well-lit, probably fine.