Agree what each stock figure means
Before building a workflow, distinguish product catalogue information from available, allocated and physically held stock where those concepts apply. Confirm the locations, identifiers and movements your configuration needs to represent. Connect the customer's request to the appropriate product and operational records, with an owner for discrepancies. Staff should know which view is authoritative before quoting availability or promising a dispatch date to a customer.
Keep exceptions visible across the business
A short shipment, return or stock discrepancy can affect both the customer conversation and the invoice. Define how the issue is recorded, who investigates it and when finance is informed. If stock is also managed in an ERP, commerce platform or specialist warehouse system, agree the system of record and exchange direction. Review reconciliation and failed updates as part of the integration scope rather than assuming that matching product names will keep systems aligned.