Configuring Field Service Crew Operations

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configuring Field Service Crew Operations

    Field Service Crew Operations in ServiceNow allows administrators and dispatchers to create, modify, and enable crews to complete work order tasks that require multiple agents. This capability is essential for managing work types that inherently need a team rather than individual agents. When a work order is created from a template or work type designated to require a crew, the system automatically enables theNeeds Crewfield. This facilitates scheduling and dispatching of crews through the Field Service Management interface.

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    Key Features

    • Needs Crew Field: Automatically enabled on work orders or can be manually selected on work order tasks in Draft, Assigned, or Pending Dispatch states, signaling that a crew is required.
    • Plugin Activation: Activating the Field Service Crew Operations plugin adds the Needs Crew option to relevant forms including work order tasks, work types, and work order templates.
    • Dynamic Scheduling Integration: Auto-assignment of tasks requiring crews is supported through dynamic scheduling configurations, which include new filters such as Crew Appointment Tasks, Pending Dispatch Crew Tasks, and Agent Suggestions based on crew task criteria.
    • Auto-Assignment Constraints: These prevent conflicts such as assigning tasks to crew members already booked for overlapping tasks.

    Configuration Overview

    Configuring Field Service Crew Operations involves several key steps:

    • Activate the Plugin: Enable the Field Service Crew Operations plugin (com.snc.fsmcrewscheduling) to access crew management capabilities.
    • Create Crews: Define crews as groups of agents to assign work order tasks efficiently.
    • Add Skills to Crews: Assign skills to crews, including equipment-related skills, to match crews with tasks requiring specific expertise.
    • Create Ad Hoc Crews: For tasks that need specialized skills or when no existing crew fits the need, ad hoc crews can be created.
    • Update Crew Requirements: Adjust the number of agents required for work order tasks to ensure proper resource allocation.
    • Add Crew Members: Add agents to crews as necessary to maintain flexibility in resource management.
    • Configure Crew Leaders: Identify or assign leaders within crews by associating skills with leadership roles, ensuring clear task management responsibility.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This feature streamlines the management of complex field service tasks that require teamwork, enhances task scheduling accuracy, and improves resource utilization by matching crews with appropriate skills and availability. Dispatchers gain control over crew assignments directly from work orders and tasks, while dynamic scheduling automates task allocation with crew-specific constraints, reducing scheduling conflicts and improving service delivery efficiency.

    Create, modify, and enable crews and their requirements to complete work order tasks that require a crew of agents.

    Once an administrator identifies the type of work that requires a crew, the requirement can be designated from the work type form and the work order template. Whenever a work order is created using the template or the work type is selected in the task that requires a crew, the Needs Crew field is automatically enabled. This field enables dispatchers to schedule and dispatch a crew for work order tasks created using the work order templates. For more information about enabling crew requirements from work order templates, see Create a work order template.

    An administrator or dispatcher can select the Needs Crew option in the work order task form if a crew is required to complete a work order task. This selection can be done when the task is in the Draft, Assigned, or Pending dispatch state if a crew a crew is required to complete a work order task.

    Activate the Field Service Crew Operations plugin, to add the Needs Crew option to the work order task form, work type form, and the work order templates.

    Dynamic Scheduling for crew operations

    Auto-assignment of tasks in dynamic scheduling is enabled for work order tasks that require a crew. New criteria are defined in the dynamic scheduling configurations to include work order tasks with the crew requirement enabled. These criteria are set to perform the following actions on work order tasks that require a crew:
    • The Task Filters related list includes:
      Crew Appointment Tasks
      This filter is specific to the task that requires a crew and has an appointment window
      Crew Assignment: Pending Dispatch Work Order Tasks
      This filter is specific to the task that requires crew and is in the Pending Dispatch state.
      Agents for crew tasks
      This filter is specific to the task that requires the crew to suggest the eligible agents. The criterion selected in the filter determines what agents are recommended for the crew task.
      Task filters evaluate work order tasks and schedule them automatically when they require a crew.
    • A constraint helps prevent unassigning the task when it requires a crew.
    • The auto-assigment feature helps prevent assigning tasks to the agents who are part of a crew at the same time for which the task is set to be scheduled.

    Configuration overview

    The steps for configuring Field Service Crew Operations are:
    1. Activate Field Service Crew Operations

      You can activate the Field Service Crew Operations plugin (com.snc.fsm_crew_scheduling) for Field Service Management if you have the admin role. The application includes demo data and installs related ServiceNow Store applications and plugins if they aren’t already installed.

    2. Create crews in Field Service Management

      Create crews to assign work order tasks to a predefined group of agents.

    3. Add skills to a crew

      Add skills to a crew so you understand what crews are correct for work order tasks that require unique skills.

    4. Add an equipment skill

      Designate skills as equipment-related skills so that when a task that requires equipment skills is assigned, the correct equipment skills can be selected.

    5. Create ad hoc task-specific crews

      Create an ad-hoc task-specific crew for a task if existing crews aren’t available to work on the task or the task requires specific skills.

    6. Update the crew requirement of a work order task

      Add or update the number of agents to perform a particular type of work for a work order task.

    7. Add Field Service crew members

      Add agents to a Field Service crew as needed.

    8. Configure the leader role to identify crew leaders

      Identify a crew leader if one isn’t specified by the dispatcher by adding skills to the leader role.