Customer needs more tiles. AI finds the same shade lot.
A customer bought a floor tile from you months ago and is now extending the room. Even a slight shade variation between batches is visible once laid. IBIOS retrieves the original lot number from their order history and checks whether the same batch can still be supplied.
Why does tile shade lot matching matter so much?
A customer calls to say they are extending their en-suite and need more boxes of the same floor tile they bought from you months ago. The tile looks identical in the catalogue photo. But ceramic and porcelain tiles are fired in batches, and even the same product code from a different firing can have a perceptible colour or tone difference when laid next to the original run.
If the wrong batch is supplied, the mismatch is not visible until the tiles are on the floor. At that point, the cost of resolution — lifting tiles, reordering, relaying — falls on your business. The customer is rightly unhappy, and the reputation damage outlasts the job.
The correct answer starts with one question: what lot number did we supply originally? If that information lives in a spreadsheet, a paper invoice, or a staff member’s memory, you are relying on luck. If it is in IBIOS, it is on the original order record.
How does IBIOS find the same tile shade lot for a repeat order?
From the customer’s first call to a confirmed order, with the correct lot code on the purchase order.
Staff search the customer's order history
Using the customer name or job reference, staff open the original order in IBIOS. The product line item shows the supplier lot or batch code recorded at the time of purchase — no manual notes or spreadsheets required.
IBIOS identifies the exact lot
The system displays the lot code, the original quantity ordered, and the supplier it was sourced from.
Live stock check against the lot
IBIOS queries current stock and supplier availability for that specific lot code. If the lot is still available, staff see quantity on hand and lead time. If not, the system flags it immediately rather than letting the order proceed.
Alternates surfaced if needed
When an exact lot match is unavailable, IBIOS presents alternative shade lots from the same product line, with stock levels and lead times for each. Staff can compare them before speaking to the customer.
Order placed with lot code confirmed
Once the customer approves, the supplier order is raised in IBIOS with the lot code recorded on the purchase order. The supplier receives the specific lot requirement in the order, reducing the risk of a substitution being shipped without notification.
The outcome
Shade mismatch complaints are expensive and often avoidable. IBIOS makes the lot code a permanent, searchable part of every order record — so the information you need to protect the customer’s floor is there every time, regardless of which staff member handled the original sale.
Questions about tile shade lot matching
What happens if the same lot is no longer available — does IBIOS suggest alternatives?
Yes. When an exact lot match cannot be found, IBIOS surfaces alternate shade lots from the same product line, ranked by visual proximity based on the supplier's shade coding. Staff can present these options to the customer with accurate stock levels and lead times before placing any order.
How are shade lots tracked — by the supplier's lot code or IBIOS's internal reference?
Both. IBIOS stores the supplier's own lot or batch code against each order line item, and maps it to the internal product SKU. When you search by customer or job, you retrieve the supplier lot code that was actually delivered — the one that matters for matching the physical tile on the floor.
Can this work for tiles purchased by a previous customer who is now extending?
Yes, provided the original purchase was recorded in IBIOS. If the tiles were sold to a different customer, staff can search by product SKU and lot code directly rather than by customer name. The lot code is stored against the product line item in every order it appears in.
Does lot tracking apply to other products such as carpet, LVT, and stone, or just ceramic and porcelain tiles?
Lot tracking in IBIOS applies to any product category where shade or batch variation is a concern. Ceramic, porcelain, natural stone, LVT, and carpet are all supported. The field is optional for product types where batch variation is not relevant, so your catalogue stays uncluttered.
What if the customer does not know their original lot number?
They do not need to. IBIOS retrieves the lot number from the original order record using the customer name, job reference, or product name. The customer only needs to tell you when they bought the tiles and roughly what they are. The system does the lookup.
Related features
Stop relying on memory for shade lot information.
IBIOS records lot codes against every order so you can match any tile, any time. Book a demo to see it live.