Onsite arrival and check-in

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Onsite arrival and check-in

    The Onsite Arrival and Check-in process in ServiceNow ensures accurate confirmation of an agent’s presence at the task location and effective time tracking of onsite activities. It leverages geofencing to validate the agent’s location and records various check-in status outcomes, supporting both online and offline modes.

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    Check-In Purpose and Geofencing Validation

    • Purpose: Notify when an agent arrives onsite and confirm prerequisites before starting work.
    • Geofencing: Validates the agent’s latitude and longitude against a configured geofence radius.
    • Check-In Status: Stores results such as success, failure, skipped, or offline with geofence validation outcomes in the work order task record.

    Check-In Process and Status Outcomes

    • Agents click the Check-In button on the mobile app to trigger geofencing validation.
    • Statuses reflect scenarios including successful validation, failed validation, check-in skipped, and offline mode.
    • Check-in status is saved in the work order task table to track arrival accuracy.

    Time Tracking and Task State Management

    • Time spent onsite before work starts is recorded in the Actual Onsite Arrival Buffer Duration.
    • Upon clicking Start Work, the system updates the Actual work start time and changes the task state to Work In Progress.
    • A Task travel time card is automatically generated and stored under the Time Worked related list.

    Check-In Button Visibility and Configuration

    • The Check-In button visibility depends on the system property Enable/Disable Onsite Arrival Check-in for Agents.
    • Check-in is optional; agents may skip it and begin work directly.

    Offline Mode and Direct Start Work

    • When offline, the system bypasses geofence validation but records the status as offline with geofence validation unavailable.
    • The system captures timestamps for actual onsite arrival and updates relevant fields even when offline.
    • Agents can directly start work without checking in; the system still tracks timings and updates status accordingly.
    • Travel duration is calculated automatically between travel start and onsite arrival times, supporting manual overrides.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    • This process helps ensure accurate location confirmation and time tracking for field service tasks.
    • Configurable system properties allow flexibility in enforcing check-in procedures and handling offline scenarios.
    • Real-time and offline support provides reliable tracking regardless of connectivity.
    • Automatically generated time cards simplify labor tracking and task management.

    The Onsite Arrival and Check-in process ensures accurate task location confirmation and effective time tracking.

    Check-In purpose

    Task Location and Prerequisites
    • Informs when the agent arrives at the task location.
    • Completion of prerequisites before initiating work.
    Geofencing Validation
    • Verifies agent location within the configured geofence radius.
    • Check-In status stores the outcomes such as success, failure, or skipped scenarios. The following table outlines the outcomes based on different scenarios and geofence validations when an agent clicks the Check-in button. The status gets stored in the Check-in status field of the work order task table. For more information, see Create a work order task
      Table 1. Check-in scenario and status
      Scenario Check-In Status
      Geofence validation successful after clicking check-in button on the mobile app Geofence validation successful
      Geofence validation failed after clicking check-in button on the mobile app Geofence validation failed
      Check-in skipped, geofence validation failed (agent starts work directly) Check-in skipped. Geofence validation failed
      Check-in skipped, geofence validation successful (agent starts work directly) Check-in skipped. Geofence validation successful
      Offline, geofence validation failed (agent clicks check-in button on the mobile app) Offline. Geofence validation failed
      Offline, check-in skipped, geofence validation failed (agent is offline and skips to click check-in button) Offline. Check-in skipped, geofence validation failed
      Check-in skipped on platform Platform. Geofence validation skipped

    Check-In procedure

    Geofencing Process
    • Triggered upon agent clicking the Check-in button.
    • Captures latitude and longitude of an agent's current location.
    • 'Check-In status' outcomes determine geofencing success or failure.
    Time Tracking
    • Captures time spent on the work site and task-related activities before starting work
    • Duration saved in 'Actual Onsite Arrival Buffer Duration'.

    Check-In button visibility

    • Visible based on Enable/Disable Onsite Arrival Check-in for Agents property.
    • Not mandatory; agents can skip and start work directly.

    Check-In and task execution during offline

    1. Check-In process:
    • Enable the system property Enable/Disable Onsite Arrival Check-in for Agents to use the Check-in process.
    • Open the work order task record.
    • Click Start Travel and then click the Check-In button when reached at the work location.
    • Task state changes to Onsite arrival.
    • System checks the agent's current latitude/longitude within the geofence boundary.
    2. Offline mode:
    • If the user is within the geofence but in offline mode, the system bypasses geofence check.
    • Updates a flag with status: "Offline Mode. Geofence could not be validated" in the work order task table.
    • Captures timestamp and updates the Actual Onsite Arrival field in the work order task.
    3. Start work:
    • After arriving at the job site, clicking Start Work under Related Links.
    • The Actual work start field is automatically updated with the system time.
    • Task state changes to Work In Progress.
    • Automatic generation of the Task travel time card, stored under the Time Worked related list.

    Direct start work during offline

    1. Direct Start Work: Open the work order task record and directly click Start Work under Related Links, skipping the Check-In action.

    Enable the system property Enable/Disable Onsite Arrival Check-in for Agents to view the Check-in button although you choose to skip the check-in process.

    2. Offline mode:
    • If the user is within the geofence but in offline mode, the system bypasses geofence check.
    • Updates the check-in status as "Offline Mode. Check-in skipped, and Geofence could not be validated" in the work order task table.
    • Captures timestamp and updates the Actual Onsite Arrival field in the work order task. Applicable when the system property Enable/Disable Onsite Arrival Check-in for Agents is enabled.

    3. Travel duration calculation: The Actual travel duration field is automatically populated with the time difference between "Actual travel start" and "Actual onsite arrival time," unless manually set.

    4. Automatic generation of the Task travel time card, stored under the Time Worked related list.