What is FSM/Getting Started

The following article provides a clearer view of what Field Service managements is, and how you can get started using Mobileforce FSM with your organization.

Work Orders & Service Tasks

The work that is performed out in the field, is often recorded in a Work Order, comprising of individual tasks or Service Tasks, which may need to be performed in a specific sequence by workers who possess specific skills to help them complete the Service Tasks.

The work performed in a service task is referred to as a Service, and it may be in proactive response to a planned activity or a managed service. This work may be covered by a pre-existing maintenance contract or installation service. This Service may be scheduled well in advance (often weeks to months). Contracts that are specifically related to purchases of products or services typically specify the frequency and timeline for such work.

Alternatively, the work may be in response to an unplanned activity: such as a repair or break-fix. Such work may be covered under a warranty or service contract, or it may be outside the scope of such a service contract. Such work may be scheduled as an emergency service, to be completed in a rapid period of time, depending on the severity of the repair. Such work typically is initiated by a Service Request, which may come into the organization via a phone call, an incoming email message, a chat message from a website or app, or even a social media channel.

Most work orders require the person performing the work to possess one or more skills. Work orders may also require specific resources: such as equipment or parts. Work orders are tied to specific locations where the work needs to be performed, and hence impose geographic requirements on the worker who can be dispatched to do the work. Finally, work orders may also require a careful synchronization of a sequence of service tasks. Only when the service tasks are completed in a specific sequence, would the work order be complete.

Technicians

The workers travelling outside of their offices to locations where the work is performed are often referred to as Technicians. These Technicians possess specific skills, work in specific territories, and may either be employees, contractors, or freelancers who provide the services for an organization. Technicians typically work out of a specific office, which is often their starting location for the day's work and can be assigned tasks in specific geographic areas, based on their familiarity with the region or the area they can cover in a given time period.

Agents and Dispatchers

Mobileforce provides automation tools for the non-field employees, such as Agents and Dispatchers, that allow them to create, manage, and schedule Work Orders and Service Tasks, as well as dispatching, and routing the technicians to the locations where the orders and tasks are to be peformed.

Agents

The employees responsible for receiving requests for service are often referred to as Agents. Agents typically monitor communications channels through which incoming work requests are routed, and are primarily responsible for creating work orders and service tasks. Typically, Agents do not go out into the field and remain inside the organization at a specific office. Agents are often the first and only point-of-contact for the party who contacted the organization requesting the Work Order or Service Task.

An Agent's job is not only to create the Order or Task in response to customer requests, but also to perform entitlement checks ensuring that the requestor is entitled to the requested service based on their service contract or purchase agreement. Additionally, Agents often assign the created Work Order or Service Task to specific offices from where a technician will be sent out to fulfil the Order or Task. The Work Order or Service Task is also given an "address" (typically a customer location) by the Agent and the office selected by the Agent is typically in proximity to that location.

Dispatchers

The Dispatcher role processes all Work Orders and Service Tasks after they have been created by the Agents. The Dispatcher is another worker, similar to the Agent, who do not typically go out into the field and remain inside the organization at a specific office. One or more Dispatchers process all of the requests assigned by an Agent to an Office or to a group of Technicians.

Dispatchers are responsible for the following activities:

• Scheduling (assigning) a Work Order or Service Task at a specific date/time and assigning it to a Technician. In this process, an appointment is created for that scheduled task, and the technician is notified (often via a mobile app) that a work or a task is assigned to her, on a specific date and time.
• Checking that the date/time when the Work Order or Service Task is scheduled, is acceptable to the customer. If so, the Dispatcher confirms/locks the appointment on to the Technician's calendar.
• Dispatching (scheduling) the Technician for the specific day: this could involve routing the technician from one appointment to another, ensuring that there is sufficient travel time between the appointments. Furthermore, the dispatcher has the ability to re-order appointments in a day for a technician, if the re-ordering results in a more efficient travel schedule: that minimizes travel time.
• Routing the Technician from their home location to the job location, or at the end of the day, from the last job location to their home location.

The Dispatcher decides which technician to assign to the order or task, taking the following factors into account: Availability; Skill; Location; Territory; Past History with the task, order, or customer. Additionally, the Dispatcher determines the scheduling of the Work Order and Service Task based on urgency, skill requirements, completion time, and dependence on other tasks, as well as taking into account who has the resources (equipment and parts) needed to complete the task. Finally, the dispatcher handles any real time isssues that may arise when the technician is en-route to perform a task, at the site where the task is being performed, or even after a task is completed.

Resources

Mobileforce FSM provides tools for inventory tracking allowing you to record when resources are available. Tracking the resources (such as parts, products, and tools) needed to complete tasks provide a crucial value for keeping an accurate inventory and track how often the resources are used. Resources can be located in an office, in a wareshoue, on the technician's vehicle, or even at the customer location.

Tools

The tools needed by technicians to complete their tasks range from equipment, electronics, and sofware, are often used for:

• Diagnostics
• Recording and tracking (for example, mobile apps with cameras)
• Time management or physical resources (for example, clock in/clock out software and forms)

Mobileforce FSM provides the software to store and corelate what was recorded such as photos or video, with the actual work order or service task. In addition, Mobileforce FSM also provides clockIn/clockOut tools for technicians to record and bill based on time spent. Mobileforce also provides a powerful forms engine that enables the recording of structured information (often in an off-line context) that the technician would otherwise use paper and pencil for, thus digitally transforming the business processes.

In the example above, Jane finds that the customer requesting a Circuit Panel upgrade is a new customer, and not under any warranty or maintenance contract, so she quotes a price for the job that is based on T&M (Time and Materials). This means, Charles needs to record the time he spends at the customer premise using clock-in/clock-out, and keep track of the time spent over several days: if the job requires connecting to an existing panel, co-ordinating with the local electricity company (Pacific Gas and Electricity) to turn off and back on, the electric meter etc. Charles may also have to fill a standard electrical panel upgrade form as mandated by Pacific Gas and Electricity. Furthermore, as a part of the permit process, Charles may have to take pictures of the newly installed 200A Panel and include them with the permit application, to the City of San Francisco.

As you can see Mobileforce Field Service Management provides quite a bit of automation that streamlines the activities of dispatchers and technicians, providing your service team with the right information, from all relevant data sources, at the right time, on any device.