The Most Dangerous Phrase: “We’ve Always Done It This Way”
The Service Supply Chain is evolving faster than ever. From endless disruption affecting your part availability to service level commitments that get increasingly shorter, today’s environment demands both agility and foresight. Technology has become a central driver of Service Supply Chain optimization, helping organizations make smarter, faster decisions that keep customers satisfied and operations cost-efficient. But some service departments cling to old processes with the mindset of “We’ve always done it this way” can hold your organization back. This is where change management comes in.
True success comes from knowing which tools to adopt, how to integrate them, and how to prepare your team for change. You can then leave outdated habits behind and build a service organization that’s ready for whatever comes next and holds a competitive advantage against even your biggest competitors.
Modern Service Supply Chain Technology
Advancements in analytics, automation, and cloud-based platforms (SaaS) have reshaped how service organizations plan and execute. Modern Service Parts Planning software can analyze vast amounts of historical and real-time data, install base data, surface patterns, and guide planners toward the right actions, even under volatile demand conditions.
These capabilities give planners more time to focus on strategy, supplier relationships, and risk mitigation rather than manual data crunching.
The Different Faces of AI
Artificial intelligence now comes in multiple forms, each with its own role in improving service planning:
- Machine learning (ML) learns from historical patterns to deliver increasingly accurate demand forecasts and recommend inventory adjustments over time.
- Generative AI can process complex data sets to recommend innovative stocking strategies and summarize performance trends in ways that are easy for decision-makers to understand.
- Agentic AI goes beyond recommendations, autonomously making recommendations or decisions on selecting planning tasks, executing them, and triggering actions in connected systems.
- Specialized AI forecasting tools leverage domain-specific models designed for the unique challenges of Service Supply Chains, identifying low-volume, high-value parts or highly variable failure patterns.
Each type of AI strengthens a different aspect of Service Supply Chain optimization, but the real value comes from combining them in a way that fits your organization’s specific needs.
The Importance of Change Management
Adopting new technology in the Service Supply Chain isn’t just about flipping a switch. It’s about guiding teams through change, adapting processes, and sustaining momentum long after the initial rollout. Too often, this is where promising projects lose their edge.
Baxter Planning takes a different approach. Through our Planning as a Service (PaaS) model, we work alongside your team from the very beginning. Our experienced planners integrate into your daily operations, helping align strategies with business priorities, sharing proven best practices, technical know-how, and supporting execution through and adoption of our BaxterPredict platform.
This isn’t a one-off implementation, it’s more of a long-term partnership for your planning team. We stay engaged, adoption becomes second nature rather than a short-lived initiative. We blend people, process, and technology in a way that feels organic, helping teams build confidence in their planning capabilities and adapt to whatever comes next. Over time, this approach strengthens resilience, drives consistency, and ensures the technology delivers lasting value. Onboarding any new technology comes with risks and this model virtually removes any and all risk involved with adding the BaxterPredict platform or any of its products.
Why Tech Stack Integration Matters
The value of any technology grows when it works seamlessly with your existing ecosystem. Interoperability is a must within complex systems like the Service Supply Chain. With purpose-built solutions for service parts planning, order execution, and issue resolution, BaxterPredict integrates directly with your ERP, CRM, and 3PL systems.
This integration creates a single source of truth for data while delivering predictive insights, AI-powered optimization, and full control over inventory, operations, and customer service. By connecting these capabilities, you can improve stocking strategies, reduce downtime, and strengthen your overall service performance, helping you navigate disruptions and exceed customer expectations at every stage.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
Technology is only part of the equation. Future-focused leadership and an agile team are essential. Leading service organizations stay ahead by:
- Partnering with vendors who keep up with industry trends and bring innovation to your doorstep
- Reading Service Supply Chain benchmarks and internally auditing where their operations stand
- Joining professional networks like the Service Council or Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) to exchange insights with peers
- Carving out regular time for teams to learn, experiment, and refine processes
This proactive approach ensures your team is ready for what’s next, not just reacting to today’s challenges.
Baxter Planning’s Commitment to Innovation
At Baxter Planning, we are obsessed with always finding a better way. Our commitment to innovation comes from decades of real-world experience and a team of planners who understand the realities of Service Supply Chains. Our planner DNA brings together technical expertise with a deep understanding of the human and operational factors that drive real results.
With the right balance of technology, integration, and human insight, Service Supply Chains can be more agile, more resilient, and better aligned with business goals. That’s the journey we’re here to guide you through.
Thomas Edison once stated, “There’s a way to do it better—find It.” And that quote is used incredibly frequently here at Baxter Planning; it’s actually on a plaque in our CEO’s office. It’s engrained in our team, and we will always work to find the best way forward for our customers.
Discover how Baxter Planning can help you build a smarter, stronger Service Supply Chain. Connect with us today.
