When materials are added to a job in Ply, the system needs to decide which inventory location those materials should be deducted from (for example, a technician’s truck or a warehouse).
This behavior is controlled by Location Response Mapping.
This article explains how Location Response works today, why inventory may sometimes be pulled from the warehouse unexpectedly, and how to configure your account correctly.
What is Location Response Mapping?
Location Response Mapping determines which inventory location Ply uses when materials are added to a job.
Depending on how technicians are assigned to the job, and how users are configured in Ply, inventory may be pulled from:
- A technician’s truck
- Or the default warehouse
If no response location is clearly defined, Ply will fall back to the warehouse.
How Location Response works today
Here’s the current logic used by Ply:
1. No technician assigned to the job
- Materials are pulled from the default (integrated) warehouse
- The system assigns the transfer to a system/default user
This is expected behavior.
2. One technician assigned with a Response Location
- Materials are pulled from the Response Location set on that technician (typically their truck)
- This is the ideal and recommended setup
✅ Inventory counts remain accurate for both the truck and the warehouse.
3. Two or more technicians assigned to the job
- Materials are pulled from the default warehouse
- This is a known limitation and a common source of confusion
⚠️ Why this can be an issue:
- Even if technicians are actually using materials from their trucks
- Ply will continue deducting materials from the warehouse
- This can cause warehouse inventory to decrease incorrectly while truck inventory remains unchanged
Why trucks may not appear as an option
For a truck to appear in the Response Location dropdown, two conditions must be met:
- The technician must be assigned to that truck
- A Response Location must be set on the technician’s user profile
If no users are assigned to stock locations, no options will appear in the dropdown. This is one of the most common setup issues.
How to configure Location Response Mapping
To configure Location Response Mapping in Ply:
- Go to Settings
- Navigate to Company & Billing → Team
- Use the dropdown field in the Location Response Column
- Set their Default Response Location
Once configured, materials added to jobs will be deducted from the correct location instead of defaulting to the warehouse.
Important things to keep in mind
- Inventory behavior is driven by technician assignment and response location, not by job timing or scheduling
- If materials are consistently pulling from the warehouse, it usually means:
- No technician is assigned to the job/location.
- Multiple technicians are assigned to the job/location.
- Or Response Locations are not configured correctly.
Summary
If inventory is being deducted from the warehouse when you expect it to come from a truck, review the following:
- Is exactly one technician assigned to the job?
- Does that technician have a Response Location set?
- Is the technician assigned to a truck in Ply?
Ensuring these settings are correct will keep your inventory accurate across warehouses and trucks.
If you’d like help reviewing your setup, our Support team is happy to assist.