Field One Field Service

The Field Service application provides tools for these key roles on your service team: Customer service agents triage incoming requests and determine when to create work orders for onsite visits. Agents primarily use the application through a web browser.

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The Dynamics 365 Field Service business application helps organizations deliver onsite service to customer locations. The application combines workflow automation, scheduling algorithms, and mobility to set mobile workers up for success when they're onsite with customers fixing issues. Free voice over generator.

The Field Service application enables you to:

  • Improve first time fix rate
  • Complete more service calls per technician per week
  • Manage follow-up work and take advantage of upsell and cross sell opportunities
  • Reduce travel time, mileage, and vehicle wear and tear
  • Organize and track resolution of customer issues
  • Communicate an accurate arrival time to customers
  • Provide accurate account and equipment history to the field technician
  • Keep customers updated with the status of their service call and when it's resolved
  • Schedule onsite visits when it's convenient for the customer
  • Avoid equipment downtime through preventative maintenance

Here are some examples of the types of organizations that use the application to manage their field service:

  • Manufacturing - A medical device manufacturer sells machines to hospitals and clinics, and uses the application to manage maintenance services over the lifetime of the machines.
  • Utilities - A fiber optic cable utility company uses the application to respond to outages by dispatching technicians to problem areas.
  • Health care - An in-home health care service provider uses the application to schedule and dispatch healthcare workers to administer medicine and other care to multiple patients.
  • Equipment maintenance - A facilities manager uses the application to deliver maintenance and repair services for heating and cooling equipment.

Key capabilities

Field service capabilities include:

  • Work orders to define the service work needed primarily (but not exclusively) at customer locations.
  • Scheduling and dispatch tools to manage resources and equipment needed for customer service, visualize onsite appointments, and optimize service schedules with efficient routing and resource skill matching.
  • Communication tools to enhance collaboration between customer service agents, dispatchers, field technicians, customers, and other stakeholders.
  • An easy-to-use mobile application that guides technicians through schedule changes and service work.
  • Asset management capabilities to keep track of customer equipment and service history.
  • Preventive maintenance by automatically generating recurring maintenance appointments for equipment.
  • Inventory, purchasing, and returns capabilities to manage truck stock, purchase order requests and fulfillment, and product returns.
  • Billing capabilities to generate invoices based on products and services delivered to customers.
  • Time tracking to help you track how resources are spending their time, whether they're traveling, on break, or working.
  • Analytics for reporting on key performance indicators for managing work orders, scheduling activities, and interacting with customers.

Field Service roles

The Field Service application provides tools for these key roles on your service team:

  • Customer service agents triage incoming requests and determine when to create work orders for onsite visits. Agents primarily use the application through a web browser.
  • Service managers track performance metrics and oversee service delivery, finding ways to increase efficiency and standardize processes. Service managers primarily use the application through a web browser.
  • Dispatchers review and schedule work orders, and assign them to resources on the schedule board through resource availability searches, and through a fully automated resource scheduling optimization add-in. Dispatchers primarily use the application through a web browser.
  • Field technicians manage their assigned work orders using the mobile app on a phone or tablet, and perform maintenance and repairs onsite at customer locations.
  • Inventory managers ensure field technicians have what they need to complete their service calls. Inventory managers also handle product returns and purchase new inventory. Inventory managers primarily use the application through a web browser.

Using the Field Service application

Work orders describe the work that a technician needs to perform at a customer location. In the Field Service application, a typical work order lifecycle looks like this:

  1. Work orders generate from service cases, sales orders, emails, phone calls, service agreements, web portals, or Internet of Things (IoT) telemetry and then display in Field Service. Work orders are typically grouped by geographical territory and lines of business. Work order details consist of a checklist of tasks, parts to use, labor to bill to the customer, and skills required.

    Most work orders also include a location based on the related customer account and/or equipment that needs attention; this location routes the field technician from job to job. Finally, incoming work orders that are marked as ready for assignment are passed along to a dispatcher for scheduling.

  1. An interactive schedule board helps dispatchers assign work orders to the best resources based on location, availability, skill set, priority, and more. This is done via a manual drag-and-drop method, a semi-automated scheduling assistant, or fully automated with Resource Scheduling Optimization.

    The schedule board displays each resource--whether an employee, contractor, or equipment--and their scheduled work orders. Resources and their assigned jobs are also displayed on a map along with routes and traffic patterns in real time. The schedule board is extensible and can be used to schedule anything within Dynamics 365, including work orders, sales orders, projects, and custom entities. Additionally, Office 365 integration allows for emailing and skype calling to available resources.

  1. An easy-to-use mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows devices guides field technicians through the process of resolving assigned work orders. For each work order, the field technician can view important information such as location, step-by-step instructions, customer assets, and service history, and can use his or her device to take pictures and videos or record a digital customer signature. Field technicians can also automatically download important information to their devices for offline work when internet is not available.

    After performing the work, the technician can mark the work order as complete or as requiring a follow up; the dispatcher can then see this change on the schedule board.

  1. As technicians submit completed work orders, equipment service history and inventory levels update automatically. This allows service managers to manage and track inventory needed, as well as track movement of parts from order to inventory to onsite installation.

    For example, if an equipment part is installed at a customer's location during an installation or repair, the system will document a reduction in inventory from the related warehouse or truck and document the part as a new customer asset along with installation/repair details. Closing a work order will then generate an invoice for any used parts or labor.

Watch an overview video

In this video, see how the interactive schedule board and other tools help a service team resolve a customer's issue.

The Skedulo Approach to Field Service ManagementThe field service landscape is changing as quickly as the technology that powers it. The field service workforce is a mix of full-time employees, part-time employees, and contractors working independent schedules, and managers rightfully expect the software they use to accommodate this complexity. As the technology evolves, field service management (FSM), already a $1.78 billion category of software, is expected to grow to.Companies that want to compete in the new field service landscape need to find new ways to keep employees connected. They need tools that allow them to connect seamlessly with other employees, the back office, and other data collection systems.As with other industries, field service providers are finding that the marketplace is more competitive than at any time in the past. There’s less room for error than ever before—including no-shows, late arrivals, double bookings, or “estimated service windows” that leave customers waiting around for hours on end.

It doesn’t have to be that way. They know what reliable, on-demand, on-time service looks like, and they don’t see why they should accept anything less.Basic metrics like employee utilization and windshield time were a main focus for field service providers in the past, but no more. Field service providers need to track data that show:.

How employees are meeting customer expectations and needs in the field. How operations staff is handling scheduling and administrative tasks.

How overhead expenses are affecting revenue. How performance, expenses, and efficiency are trending over time. How processes align with business goals and prioritiesHowever, collecting this kind of data—and putting it into practice for your workforce—requires the right FSM tool to tie everything together. The Evolution of Field Service Management (FSM)This field service revolution is driven by larger changes in how, where, and when we work. Mobile workforce is projected to grow from from 2015 to 2020—accounting for nearly 75% of the total U.S. Workforce.This upward surge is driven by cost, technology, and competition:.

Cost is always a factor, and improving field service efficiency can offer enormous savings. Companies have started to invest in tools, which offer the data collection, analysis, and insights needed to cut costs. Technology advancements mean more real-time communication through smartphones, mobile apps, GPS devices, and more. Field technicians can now get updated schedules, urgent notifications, and important data wherever they are, resulting in a more interconnected workforce with real-time communications that was almost unthinkable just a few years ago. Competition has gotten stiffer, and field service providers find themselves competing not only with others offering similar services, but every other brand the customer interacts with. These days, the —not their “next best alternative” dictates their expectations for you and your service. Customers expect more from the companies they do business with, which means the bar is higher for everyone.FSM software itself is growing and expanding in new ways.

Modern field service management —perhaps some that you wouldn’t even expect. As the analysts at Gartner point out, FSM is shaking up healthcare, non-profit, solar energy, and plenty of other fields in the move toward a more mobile workforce. The Problem with Traditional Field Service ToolsOrganizations look to for certain benefits: increased efficiency, less reliance on paper-based systems, more visibility into day-to-day operations, and more time spent servicing customers.Traditional field service tools help with some pain points. However, they tend to bring up some pain points of their own.

Here are a few common problems with traditional FSM tools: Not Mobile-FirstToo many tools are, not for the field technician. Mobile workers have to jump through hoops, log onto special systems, or use a specialized device to communicate with other employees or management. The back office may see increased efficiency from the system, but your mobile workforce is not getting a tool to support them in their work. In fact, it may simply further complicate matters.

Too ManualSome FSM systems still require paperwork, manual check-ins, updates in spreadsheets, or other redundant tasks. Sometimes these manual tasks are part of the system itself, and sometimes manual tasks are added to the company’s process to make up for gaps in the FSM system. When follow-up visits, invoicing, or other next steps depend on manual data entry, job details get lost and customer service suffers. Modern FSM requires simple, automated data collection for all your business tasks—not just some. Whether it’s a customer signature, a feedback form, or an expense report, your system should automatically collect and store the information needed for those tasks so you can get on with your business. Too SlowA field service system that doesn’t share real-time data is too slow for today’s business environment.

Information should be shared back and forth as it happens—including signatures, photos, employee locations, and more—so your business loses no time due to communications delays. This type of instant data transfer is crucial for seamless customer service; for example, if an appointment is cancelled, management needs a quick way to reassign the job, contact everyone involved, and distribute up-to-date schedules so other customers don’t suffer. Too Focused on Filling TimeslotsToo many FSM systems have scheduling engines that focus exclusively on filling open time slots for field techs. This is a consequence of the fact that improving utilization has long been the top priority of field service providers. As the competitive environment has shifted, sophisticated companies are realizing they cannot grow by only scheduling for utilization to the detriment of other business goals. Scheduling for customer preferences, improved onboarding, or for multiple teams are objectives that most FSM systems simply cannot accommodate.

A modern system should be able to pivot to other priorities—and change scheduling and dispatching needs accordingly—when business needs change. Not Precise EnoughEvery FSM system can match an available employee to an unfilled job, but can it account for sophisticated needs like level of experience, qualifications, travel time, language preference, and past interactions with the customer? If not, the system doesn’t have the precision you need to stay competitive. Customers aren’t interested in repeating their problem, needs, and expectations over and over again to the customer service agent on the phone, then the person who shows up at their door, and again when scheduling a follow up appointment. Invest in a system that gives everyone in the process access to the appropriate customer data and can schedule specific appointment times around the customer’s needs. These types of personalized experiences are what make the difference to customers in today’s marketplace. Too DisconnectedYour FSM solution can’t exist in a vacuum; in order to be effective, it must integrate with the other systems and tools your business relies on.

When a mobile field service management system doesn’t work with your CRM or other existing systems, it results in redundancies and errors. According to Gartner, more than 40% of field service work will be performed by contract technicians by 2020, making it imperative to have one system that can handle employees and contractors—or at the very least, a system that integrates seamlessly with your contractor management system.

First-Time Fix FailuresUnprepared employees are a huge issue for customer satisfaction: up to report that most customer complaints come from poor first-time resolution or an inability to resolve issues. More often than not, being unprepared is a result of not having all the necessary background info about a job—and more often than not, this lack of context comes from a lack of data from the FSM system. Make sure your field service tools make it easy for mobile workers to get the information they need on the customer’s needs, customer history, and necessary equipment or supplies.

Focused on Equipment, Not CustomersFSM systems have for years been focused on optimizing the upkeep of goods or equipment that a business sells or owns. FSM systems were purpose-built for businesses whose primary business drivers are their physical products, like manufacturing, utilities, telecommunications, and infrastructure. Unfortunately, this meant that the customer’s needs and preferences took a backseat to marginal improvements in utilization and reductions in windshield time.

With the and imperative to meet customers’ needs first to stay competitive, an FSM system that treats the customer as a secondary, or even tertiary, concern will not support business growth. The Skedulo Approach to Field Service ManagementWith so many field service issues to tackle, finding a comprehensive, user-friendly solution is a tall order—but Skedulo is up to the challenge.The Skedulo platform delivers an for truly modern field service operations. Our system manages your mobile workforce, customer preferences, scheduling, dispatching, and communication needs, all in one streamlined system.The Skedulo approach to FSM delivers the critical value of traditional field service systems while putting the people that make your business possible–customers and mobile workers–at the front of decision making. Alignment With Key Business GoalsEfficient field service management means knowing what’s going on with your team throughout the day, then using that data to drive toward key business goals. Skedulo makes it easy to and automatically integrate it with your CRM or system of choice.Once you have this data in one simple platform, you can use it to focus on specific business priorities, such as:. Reducing expenses and overhead costs.

Improving customer satisfaction. Improving employee satisfaction and retention. Growing your customer baseWith the Skedulo platform, you can collect data on everything from field service productivity to customer satisfaction. This offers insights into trends that may otherwise go unnoticed.For example, say you are reviewing job completion rates and average time spent at the job site. One employee seems to take 50% longer to complete an standard job than their colleagues, but their job completion rate is in line with the average.

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After investigating the issue, you learn the mobile worker has been taking some unnecessary steps that are dragging out the appointment process.If your priority is cost reduction, sit down with the worker and explain the quicker, more efficient way of handling the appointment. This allows the worker to get back on the road and see more customers, increasing the number of appointments per day.If your priority is customer satisfaction, dig deeper to see if this longer appointment process results in higher customer satisfaction. If so, consider adding elements of this customer-centric process to other mobile workers’ workflow.If your priority is employee satisfaction and retention, dig deeper to see how these longer customer interactions affect employee satisfaction.

Is the employee spending longer with customers because it results in a better all-around experience? Or are they frustrated by taking too long at certain appointments? Depending on their answer, prioritize what will make employees the most satisfied with their work. Collects and Simplifies the Data You NeedIn today’s competitive environment, the field service organizations that embrace their data will survive.