Exploring Field Service Management

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 6 minutes to read
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    Summary of Exploring Field Service Management

    The Field Service Management application allows organizations to manage on-site work requests efficiently. It aids dispatchers, managers, and field service agents in resolving customer issues swiftly while reducing costs associated with managing disconnected systems. This solution enables teams to connect processes and systems, providing technicians with mobile access to tasks, whether online or offline.

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    Key Features

    • Optimized Routing: Different types of maps for agents, dispatchers, and managers to view and assign tasks based on location, SLA, and technician availability.
    • Drag-and-Drop Assignments: Dispatchers can easily assign tasks to technicians based on proximity and skills, enhancing efficiency in task management.
    • Mobile Application: Technicians can manage tasks, track time, and complete checklists using a mobile app that works offline, enabling service without internet access.
    • Customizable Reporting: Managers can create tailored reports and dashboards for real-time insights into task metrics, technician capacity, and other critical data.
    • End-to-End Workflow: A structured workflow from work order creation to task completion, involving roles such as Administrators, Initiators, Dispatchers, and Agents.

    Key Outcomes

    Implementing Field Service Management leads to:

    • Streamlined operations and faster issue resolution.
    • Improved customer experience with real-time tracking of agent status.
    • Increased technician utilization through dynamic scheduling and intelligent task recommendations.
    • Enhanced data visibility for identifying improvement opportunities in service delivery.
    • Effective management of resources and compliance with service level agreements.

    To get started, collaborate with an implementation specialist and consider enrolling in ServiceNow's Field Service Management training program for comprehensive knowledge and skills development.

    Use the Field Service Management application to manage work requests that are performed on location by field service agents. Whether you are starting or expanding your implementation of Field Service Management, learn more about available features to help create a seamless experience for your dispatchers, managers, and agents to resolve issues and fulfill requests.

    Proactively manage and solve customer issues in the field

    Problems that require on-site services from field technicians must be addressed and resolved fast. The costs are high if you're attempting to resolve complex on-site issues using disparate, unconnected systems with little or no automation or visibility.

    With the Field Service Management application, you can get more tasks resolved faster with applications that can streamline task workflows. Help your field service teams to proactively address issues and to resolve them quickly. With Field Service Management, connect teams, processes, and systems to find the root cause of issues and resolve them in a timely manner. Empower your technicians with access to all of their tasks using the Field Service mobile application, which can be used online or offline.

    Note:
    You can also View and download the full infocard for a highlight of Field Service Management features.
    Figure 1. Efficiently manage technicians and tasks based on location

    Field Service Management provides different types of maps. These maps help field service agents, managers, and dispatchers to get tasks done faster.

    Agent map
    Field service agents can view optimized routes for tasks assigned to them on a given day.

    Managers can view optimized routes for tasks assigned to members in their team.

    Dispatch map
    Dispatchers can know where field service technicians are so that the dispatchers can assign and re-assign work based on proximity.

    Dispatchers can view all open work tasks so they can understand work distribution and can quickly identify impacted areas.

    Dispatchers can easily assign work tasks, optimize routes, and change assignments directly from the map.

    Service level agreement (SLA) map
    The SLA map is color-coded. Dispatchers can prioritize work tasks for technicians based on SLA contractual terms, such as time to breach.
    Figure 2. Drag work assignments based on proximity, availability, and skills

    Dispatcher Workspace gives dispatchers drag-and-drop work assignment capabilities so they can assign tasks to technicians based on proximity, availability, and the specific skills required. Dispatchers can see an overview of what times are available for technicians and the current distance from tasks. Dispatchers can then drag unassigned work onto available times for technicians.

    Dispatchers can efficiently route work to technicians and monitor their performance. Route optimization determines the optimal route for them to service multiple locations.

    Figure 3. Empower technicians with an optimized mobile application

    From their supported smartphones and tablets, field service technicians can do various tasks, such as accept or reject tasks, track travel and work time, display tasks and parts using map views, and access their schedules. Questionnaires are available to collect and complete necessary task details, such as safety or work completion checklists. When assignments are complete, customers can acknowledge the work with a signature on the technician’s mobile device. Customers can also receive a work order summary by email.

    The mobile app also supports offline mode, enabling technicians to work without internet connectivity.

    Use and customize reports available with your application to get insights into task metrics, such as mean time for resolving work order tasks. Get real-time understanding of utilization, capacity, customers, locations requesting work, and other metrics using the dashboard. Managers can easily customize reports and dashboards to gain real-time insight into technician utilization and capacity. Managers will better understand customer and employee work requests and locations to pinpoint improvement opportunities.

    Figure 4. Improve insights with reporting and dashboards

    Use and customize reports available with your application to get insights into task metrics, such as mean time for resolving work order tasks. Get real-time understanding of utilization, capacity, customers, locations requesting work, and other metrics using the dashboard. Managers can easily customize reports and dashboards to gain real-time insight into technician utilization and capacity. Managers will better understand customer and employee work requests and locations to pinpoint improvement opportunities.

    Field Service Management workflow

    The following example shows a sample Field Service Management end-to-end workflow describing different roles and stages handled by these roles starting from creating the work order and related task through the completion of the work order task. Workflow showing how Field Service Management roles work together to resolve a service request. For the text description, refer to the workflow steps.

    Field Service Management workflow steps

    In the Field Service Management workflow:
    1. Administrator configures the Field Service Management application to automate the process of assigning work order tasks to field technicians and make it ready for use.
    2. Initiator creates a new work order or can create a work order from other record types, such as problem, incident, change, or project task.
    3. Qualifier reviews and qualifies work orders to ensure that the work order tasks are created.
    4. Dispatcher assigns the work order tasks to the most appropriate and available agents. Dispatcher can also track agent's travel and work time, part requirements, and asset usage.

      Dispatchers are a part of the Field Service Management team, who manages the field teams and customer experience simultaneously to achieve positive outcome for the organization.

    5. Manager manages and monitors the progress of work order tasks. If an agent rejects the task, you can reassign the tasks to another agent.
    6. Agent travels to the customer location with the required parts and skills to work on the assigned task.

    Benefits

    Field Service Management provides the following benefits:

    Table 1. Field Service Management benefits
    Benefit Key feature Role
    Simplify setup using low-code plugins and guided setup. Guided setup Administrator
    Automatically capture critical data when creating a work order from a case, incident, problem, change request, or project task record. Integrated work order entry Initiator
    Empower customers using Field Service Management - Customer Experience to track en-route agent location and arrival time. Customer Experience in Field Service Management Initiator
    Find and analyze work orders with similar underlying issues using Predictive Intelligence for Field Service Management. Work order insights powered by Predictive Intelligence Manager
    Make the most of your resources. Schedule work for technicians dynamically based on capacity and tasks. Capacity and Reservations Management Manager
    Give dispatchers everything they need in one place to make smart and fast scheduling decisions. Dispatcher Workspace Dispatcher
    Automatically assign tasks to available field service agents with the right skills and equipment. Dynamic scheduling Dispatcher
    Improve agent utilization by recommending the best available tasks to fill gaps in the agent's schedule. Intelligent Task Recommendation Dispatcher
    Support complex work for technician crews. Field Service Crew Operations Dispatcher
    Efficiently schedule and manage the resource utilization for work order task based on different geographic regions. Field Service Territory Planning Territory Planner
    Enable technicians with an intuitive, native Mobile Agent application that enables them to quickly view and record information. Mobile experience for Field Service Management Field Service Agent
    Achieve seamless visibility and task resolution for complex workflows across teams and business units. Playbooks for Field Service Management Field Service Agent
    Track and manage the inventory between stockrooms. Managing inventory in Field Service Management Field Service Agent
    On-board contractor teams for outsourcing work order tasks and ensuring that service level agreements are met. Field Service Contractor Management Manager
    Monitor and enforce compliance with environment or health protocols. Emergency Exposure Management Manager

    Learn

    What is field service management (FSM)?

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