How Field Requests Work

Field Requests are how technicians ask for materials when they're running low in the field.

Technicians only have visibility into materials at their own assigned locations (typically their trucks). When they're running low, they can submit a Field Request from the mobile app, selecting the materials they need.

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The request is automatically sent to the manager, admin, or owner for review.

Once a request comes in, you can fulfill it by:

✅ Encourage technicians to use full, clear item names when texting in a Field Request.

Short or abbreviated phrasing is more likely to be misread by the AI parser than a fully spelled-out request.

✅ Remember that a picklist is always capped at available stock — it can never transfer more than what's physically on hand.

If a report or truck count looks like it received more than expected, double-check whether there are two similarly-named materials involved rather than assuming a bug — see Common issues & fixes below.

✅ Know that stock only moves once a picklist is marked Completed. See Understanding Picklist Statuses in Ply for the full status breakdown.

"A picklist created from a Field Request seems to be missing out-of-stock materials."

This used to be an inconsistency, Pick Lists generated from Field Requests could exclude out-of-stock materials instead of showing them. This has since been fixed: Pick Lists from Field Requests now correctly include out-of-stock materials (consistent with picklists created directly) and clearly flag when a material isn't available at the source location, so your team has visibility during fulfillment.

"A truck's stock count looks higher than what the picklist should have transferred." Before assuming this is a bug, check whether there are two similarly named materials involved (for example, a "3/4-inch" and a "1-inch" version of the same part). In a real case, a truck's quantity looked wrong at first glance, but it turned out to be the correct combination of existing stock plus a separate, correctly capped picklist transfer for a similarly named item. Picklists always cap at available stock, they never transfer more than what's actually on hand.

"A technician got an error submitting an AI text Field Request."

This was a confirmed bug tied to short, abbreviated phrasing in the text message, and it's been fixed. If you're still seeing an error, try having the technician use a more fully spelled-out request, and let us know if it persists.

"Field Request counts don't match between the list view and the board view."

This has come up before and was resolved on the backend, so both views show the same count. If you're seeing a mismatch, reach out to support with the specific request numbers involved.

Can a technician see materials at other trucks or the warehouse when submitting a request?

No, technicians only see materials at their own assigned location(s) when submitting a field request.

Does fulfilling a Field Request always create a PO?

No, you can fulfill it by transferring existing warehouse stock or by creating a picklist. A PO is a separate path, typically used when the material isn't available anywhere in your existing stock.

Who receives a submitted Field Request?

It's automatically routed to a manager, admin, or owner for review — not fulfilled automatically.