This chapter provides an overview of the Oracle Field Service Suite and integrated applications, and then describes how these integrated applications can be used to automate Field Service business processes.
This chapter covers the following topics:
The Oracle Field Service suite supports automated processes for managing field service operations. In cases where the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) use third party service providers for better, wider, and faster field service coverage, Oracle Field Service provides portals that administrators and technicians of third party organizations can use.
Field Service provides specialized functionality for scheduling and dispatching tasks to field technicians, and monitoring the progress and status of those tasks through to completion. The application has a full range of debrief capabilities to support call closure and reporting time, parts, and expenses associated with the execution of the task. The application also includes street level routing capabilities through Oracle Advanced Scheduler when used in conjunction with spatial data. Oracle Spares Management provides logistics and inventory planning features. A Preventative Maintenance module is included for planned work.
The Web-enabled Field Service Administrator Portal module provides Field Service managers and administrators with the ability to view, update and report on the individual task assignments on behalf of the technicians. They can also order parts, return excess parts, receive shipments, create service requests, and create follow-up tasks.
Oracle Advanced Scheduler not only supports both interactive and automated task scheduling for field service operations, but also handles complex scheduling with street-level routing and drive time and schedule optimization. It takes into account skills, driving time and distance, resource availability, overtime, cost factors, service level agreement response times, customer preferred technicians, and customer site access hours. Advanced Scheduler also handles complex scheduling scenarios such as scheduling a task that is greater than the shift duration of technicians, customer confirmation process, and scheduling tasks within customer access hours interactively.
Integration with Oracle Spares Management enables Advanced Scheduler to also consider spare parts availability while evaluating scheduling options.
The Debrief component of the Oracle Field Service product provides the ability for reporting day-to-day service activities performed at customer sites. Data related to a specific task, such as task status, labor, expenses, parts used and recovered, and counter readings captured in Oracle Field Service or Mobile applications are displayed. You can view and update debrief information prior to uploading to Oracle Inventory and Oracle Install Base. When the task status is set to Completed, the Install Base, and spares sub-inventories are updated, and charges are created.
The Dispatch Center is a one-stop service task resource scheduling and monitoring dashboard in the Oracle Field Service product. Dispatchers use the Dispatch Center to schedule, release, and monitor field service activities. Dispatchers can view incoming service requests, schedule and release work to technicians, and create daily work routes, or trips, for each service technician. They can also monitor progress of filed service tasks, and adjust or reschedule tasks if necessary.
The Dispatch Center Plan Board and Gantt views support monitoring service technicians progress against their schedules. Dispatchers can change schedules to react to unplanned events. If spatial data is loaded, dispatchers can use the Dispatch Center Map to view the technicians status and location.
On behalf of technicians, dispatchers can enter debrief details for a task with respect to time spent, material consumed, and expenses incurred.
After tasks are committed to field technicians, the schedules are then communicated to Field Service technicians through the following Oracle Mobile Field Service optional products:
Mobile Field Service (Store and Forward) - Laptop
Mobile Field Service (Store and Forward) - Pocket PC Devices
Mobile Field Service - Wireless and Voice
Oracle Mobile Field Service (Store and Forward) runs on laptop or pocket personal computer devices. Service requests and associated task related information are stored locally on the disconnected device.
The Oracle Mobile Field Service (Wireless and Voice) module provides real-time wireless access to the enterprise applications. Using a wireless device, technicians can remotely access the latest information critical to performing their work. Additionally, they can use the wireless device to create service requests and tasks, and self schedule them.
The Mobile Field Service module includes a voice-activated application providing access to enterprise information through a land line or cell telephones. Input modes include keypad and voice recognition.
The Preventive Maintenance solution in Field Service supports planned maintenance and inspection programs. PM programs can be defined and linked to the install base through Contracts. PM schedules, based on either usage activity or time, can be automatically created along with the service request and task required for execution.
Oracle Spares Management includes both logistics and inventory planning functionality needed to manage a service parts inventory across the Field Service supply chain. Integration with Oracle Advanced Scheduler provides you with the capability to coordinate parts availability with technician schedules. Spares logistics processes include:
Processing of orders.
Managing excess inventory.
Tracking and managing of parts repair activity for internal and external repair suppliers.
Complete integration with Oracle Depot Repair is included for internal repair suppliers.
Spares inventory planning covers technician and warehouse inventories. Automated min-max planning for technician sub-inventories includes specialized features to handle planning scenarios unique to Field Service, such as planning for the new or transferred technician. Automated time-phased planning for the warehouse includes integration with internal and external repair.
The Field Service Technician Portal is a personalized, Web-enabled module that enables field technicians including third party technicians to access, update, and report on their individual task assignments. The Technician Portal also enables technicians to view their calendar, order spare parts, return excess parts, receive shipments, add notes, create follow-up tasks, and initiate new service requests.
Note: Third party technicians can neither view service request details nor create new service requests.
The Technician Portal integrates with other Oracle applications such as TeleService, Install Base, Knowledge Management, Service Contracts, Spares Management, as well as key components of CRM Foundation, such as Notes, Calendar, and Task Manager.
The web-enabled Field Service Third Party Administrator Portal provides third party administrators with the ability to view, update and manage tasks after field service dispatchers have created service requests and field service tasks against customers and assigned them to third party service providers. While Field Service managers or dispatchers still manage the service lifecycle when scheduling tasks to third party organizations, they need not worry about customer confirmation requirements, task constraints such as task duration vis-à-vis shift timings, customer access hours and after hours, parts availability, cost factors, trip availability, and travel time. They can commit the tasks to available third party resources and leave the relevant third party administrators to do the rest of the tasks while rescheduling and managing the task to completion.
Third party administrators manage the execution of tasks released to third party organizations by manually scheduling and rescheduling them among the third party technicians assigned to them. Administrators of these third party service providers can also order parts, return excess parts, receive shipments, and create follow-up tasks.
Note: Third party administrators can neither create new service requests nor create tasks for existing service requests. They can only manually manage the schedules of technicians belonging to their third party organization.
Oracle Field Service integrates with these Oracle Applications.
Field Service relies on information set up in the following CRM Foundation components:
Resource Manager
You define service technicians and dispatchers individually in the Resource Manager. To be able to access the Oracle Field Service Dispatch Center, you also need to define dispatchers as part of a dispatcher group created in the Resource Manager.
For information on setting up Field Service technicians and dispatchers, see Setting Up Field Service Technicians and Dispatchers, Oracle Field Service Implementation Guide.
Territory Manager
Territory Manager is used for two purposes:
Populating technicians in the Dispatch Center Plan Board and Gantt views.
Identifying qualified technicians for task scheduling.
Task and Escalation Manager
You use the Task and Escalation Manager for setting up task types, statuses, templates, priority, escalation, and so on.
Knowledge Base
Knowledge Base is a repository of information useful for resolution of repetitively reported service issues.
Calendar
For each technician you need to define working hours, shifts, and non-available working hours such as public holidays or vacations. This information is used for scheduling.
Notes
Notes provide a text area for entering information about a customer, product, service, or anything related to the service report that may be helpful for other service technicians or customers. After creating a note, it can be attached to the task, sent to the customer, and submitted to the knowledge base for reuse. Notes functionality is accessible from Debrief.
Trading Community Architecture (TCA) provides information about parties and contacts. Field Service relies on information set up in the following Trading Community Architecture components:
Inventory provides information used by the service request to determine the items that are serviceable. Inventory is also used to track inventory balances and is tightly integrated with debrief to process inventory transactions reported by the technician in task closure. Spares Management uses on-hand and available inventory balances for inventory planning and Advanced Scheduler integration.
Install Base provides information used by the service request to indicate the items that are installed base items. It provides input to the Dispatch Center and Advanced Scheduler as to which service technicians are preferred to perform the field visit. Finally, Install Base provides information that is sent to the Mobile applications, and then used by service technicians when servicing the asset or customer-owned product.
You can update a customers Install Base from Debrief. Updating the Install Base results in an update of the items of the customers Install Base. After you report information in Debrief that information cannot be modified after it is transmitted to the Install Base.
A service request is created when a customer calls for assistance. Tasks are created when it is determined that a service technician must visit the customer site.
Service Requests
Service requests are initiated by entering information through Self Service iSupport, the Contact Center window, or the Teleservice Service Request window that are delivered with the base Field Service product.
Charges
You can update Charges with parts usage, counter information, labor time, and expenses for a task from Debrief. Recorded information transmits to the Charges database when you update a transaction. In Charges, this information is checked against contracts. Charges are then sent to Order Management, and an invoice is generated.
After you report information in Debrief that information cannot be modified after it has been transmitted to Charges.
Contracts and Service Contracts
The contracted response time for a service request is used for task scheduling. The Contracts Labor Billing Schedule is also used to automatically generate labor charges from labor debrief records.
The Oracle Field Service solution supports two business processes: break/fix and planned work. The break/fix process applies to repair operations for unplanned equipment outages, or annoyances and cosmetic issues that are saved up over time. The planned work process applies to preventive maintenance and field inspections. Many field service operations employ both processes.
Preventive maintenance requires some additional ongoing setup activities, such as defining time-based and usage-based PM programs, and forecasting usage rates. These periodic processes are discussed later. See Preventive Maintenance Programs.
This section includes the following topics:
Field service business processes are initiated by field service requests, generated by a preventive maintenance program, or as the result of communication with a customer.
When service visits are necessary, field service tasks are created and scheduled to qualified and available service technicians. Required service parts are reserved or ordered. Technicians report completion of tasks along with time, parts and expenses used. Charges are recorded, and invoices are created. This process is driven by service request and task status changes.
Field service business processes are described in more detail below:
Initiating field service requests and verifying entitlement
Customers initiate field service requests through the Web, e-mail, or by dialing into a call center. As requests are received, the customer, product, and service contract are checked in the entitlement step. At this point, the Service Level Agreement (SLA) Respond By and Resolve By dates and times are stamped on the service request.
For preventive maintenance programs, the solution generates service requests and tasks automatically.
This process relates to the following applications:
Oracle TeleService Service Request window: Service requests are initiated by call center agents or dispatchers from the Contact Center or Service Request windows.
Oracle Service Contracts: Customer entitlements and SLAs are applied.
Oracle iSupport: Service requests initiated by customers or agents through the Web.
Oracle E-mail Center: A service request arrives through the e-mail inbox.
Oracle Mobile Field Service: Service requests and tasks created by Field Service technicians.
Oracle Field Service Preventive Maintenance: System generates service requests.
Screening Field Service requests
After a service request is created, it is screened to determine whether a field visit can be avoided. Analysts search the Knowledge Base for solutions to previously reported similar service issues. Possible outcomes from this process include: closing the request, shipping a replacement part to the customer, or authorizing the customer to return the defective product for exchange or depot repair. When field visits are required, predefined tasks can be used based on problem descriptions and actions needed to resolve the issues. Service parts and skills can also be defined for a task.
This process relates to the following user interfaces:
Service Request: Access the Knowledge Base.
Knowledge Base: Search for previously reported similar issues for a solution.
Scheduling tasks to service technicians
Task scheduling is the core functionality of the Field Service application. Task assignment in Oracle Field Service is assisted by the Advanced Scheduler. Advanced Scheduler functionality is used for enhanced task scheduling, either in interactive or automatic mode. Advanced scheduling is based on decision factors such as required skills, service territory, customer site access hours, preferred technician, and spare parts inventory.
This process relates to the following applications:
Oracle Field Service: Use the Dispatch Center to schedule, monitor, and dispatch tasks.
Oracle Advanced Scheduler: Provides comprehensive scheduling capabilities and enables the optimization and recalculation of scheduling tasks to qualified resources.
Oracle Spares Management: Use the Spares Management application to order spare parts. When Advanced Scheduler is installed, and there is a parts requirement, the parts are automatically reserved or ordered at task assignment.
Scheduling service technician trips
Service trips are planned, based on factors such as travel time and distance, service level agreement priority, and overtime costs. When this step is done, task schedules are released to the service technicians. Optionally, the service technician may accept or reject task assignments, or unplanned events could require that committed schedules be changed.
This process relates to the following applications:
Oracle Mobile Field Service (Laptop and Handheld Devices): After synchronization, the schedule is received on the mobile devices.
Oracle Mobile Field Service (Wireless): Similar to Laptop and Handheld Devices, however real time schedule information is available from the wireless connected mobile device.
Executing services
Service technicians deliver services at the customers sites according to the assigned task schedule. Technicians indicate progress by advancing the task status.
This process relates to the following user interfaces:
Knowledge Base: Search for related information.
Field Service Technician Portal: Drill to task details and notes.
Monitoring service visits
Dispatchers use the Dispatch Center to monitor execution of scheduled task activities and make adjustments or reschedule tasks if necessary. For example, a dispatcher responds when conditions of a Service Level Agreement are not being met for a particular service request.
This process relates to the following applications:
Oracle Field Service Dispatch Center: Plan Board, Gantt chart, and Map.
Oracle Service Contracts: Service Level Agreements (SLA).
Debriefing service visits
Technicians report time, expense, and service parts they install or recover from the site. They can also report additional information which includes counter readings and notes describing how the problem was resolved. Technicians can create follow-up tasks or new service requests if, for example, the problem was not resolved during this visit, or additional service issues are discovered.
This process relates to the following applications:
Oracle Mobile Field Service (Laptop, Handheld Devices, and Wireless): Technicians report time, material, expenses, and counter readings.
Oracle Field Service Debrief: Information from mobile devices is received and consolidated in Debrief. This information is then used to update Inventory, Install Base, and Charges.
Completing and closing tasks
As service technicians complete tasks, they advance the task status to "Completed". Advancing the task status to "Closed" initiates updates to Inventory and Install Base and automatically generates charges.
This process relates to the following page:
Field Service Technician Portal: Update Task Status.
Billing for field service visits
The Field Service manager or administrator can validate service contract and warranty coverage information. They can review and change debriefing and charges information, initiate an invoice process, and update Inventory and Install Base information.
This process relates to the following applications:
Oracle Field Service Administrator Portal: Review and change debriefing and charges information.
Oracle Charges: Invoices are automatically generated and reviewed for billable expenses.
Managing service parts inventory
The Spares Management component plans service part inventory for Field Service warehouses and technicians, creates priority and replenishment orders, manages excess parts, and facilitates recovery, consolidation, and repair of defective parts.
This process relates to the following applications:
Oracle Spares Management: Logistics and inventory planning.
You can define PM programs for products that need planned inspection and maintenance. PM programs track customer products, installations, and usage. PM programs are defined either as usage-based or time-based. For usage-based PM programs, a usage forecast is required.
Defining PM Programs
Maintenance Engineering defines PM requirements and programs. This setup is implemented in Oracle Field Service Preventive Maintenance, and in Oracle Service Contracts.
Authoring Contracts
Service Marketing creates PM contract offerings, which define contract price and the financial coverage of work done, PM service requests, labor coverage, parts coverage, and so on.
PM contracts are sold to customers and define which products in the Install Base are covered. Instances of products, coverage, and program schedules are maintained by the service contracts department to track and plan for PM activities.
Service contracts can be authored for serviceable products and incorporate fixed, or date based, preventive maintenance schedules. Service coverage templates can be created to include PM program and activities with patterns of maintenance schedules.
The PM program and activity schedules are automatically instantiated from the predefined coverage templates.
PM Planning
PM planning occurs in two phases:
First, a general PM schedule is generated for the length of the program. PM schedules can be based on forecasted or actual usage, or can be based on appointed service due dates. For usage-based PM programs, the schedule is based on actual counter readings and forecasted usage. For time-based PM programs, the schedule is defined in the contract itself.
Second, service requests and tasks are generated over a time frame that can be defined by the user. A concurrent program is used to automatically generate PM service requests and tasks.
PM Execution
Once PM programs are established, standard Field Service execution is used for scheduling, reserving or allocating resources, capturing customer confirmation, delivering PM activities, and billing the customer.
Note: The following additional processes are unique to PM task completion:
When PM tasks are completed, Debrief updates the PM schedule with task accomplish dates.
If the PM program is usage-based, Debrief updates counter readings. When the PM schedule is updated, the forecast usage rate adjusts for the actual usage recorded in Debrief.
For detailed information on setting up preventive maintenance, see the Oracle Field Service Implementation Guide.
Changes to task status drive the Field Service processes. Depending on the current status, different subsequent actions, transitions, and statuses are possible. Once a task is released to the scheduled resource, the task assignment status determines the task status.
Task Assignment Status
When the task is assigned to a resource, a task assignment is created. A task assignment consists of a resource and a related task. Oracle Advanced Scheduler assigns only a single technician to a task. Dispatchers can manually add more technicians in the Tasks tab of the service request.
After task assignment, you commit the schedule. The commit process releases the work to the technicians. When the schedule is committed, task assignment status and task status change to Assigned or as dictated through the profile option CSF: Default Commit Task Status. Task assignments are then available to the Field Service technicians, and sent to their mobile devices. Service technicians report on task assignment status.
Task assignment status displays in the Resources tab and it also displays on the Plan Board and Gantt chart of the Dispatch Center. Task status displays in the Task Status field of the Overview tab of the Dispatch Center.
Task statuses and task assignment statuses that display in the Dispatch Center enable the dispatcher to monitor progress. When a task is created, it typically enters the Dispatch Center at a status of In planning.
Note: The dispatcher can manually update the status and assignment status of a task from the Dispatch Center. For more information on such updates and edits, see the Overview Tab and Overview: Rescheduling Tasks in this guide.
Oracle Field Service comes with a predefined task status flow. This table lists the seeded task statuses used in the predefined task status flow, their behavior, and the event that occurs when they are created. When all task assignments for a task are completed, the task status changes to Completed.
| Task Status | Task Assignment Status | Behavior | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Planning | In Planning | The task is ready for scheduling. The dispatcher can schedule the task to technicians. | Task creation. |
| Planned | Planned | The task is scheduled. It has scheduled dates and times and is assigned to one or more technicians. | Task is scheduled and assigned. |
| Assigned | Assigned | The task is committed (released) to a service technician. | Task is released to a resource. |
| Accepted | Accepted | The task is accepted by the service technician. Reporting on the task is enabled. | Technician accepts the task. |
| Traveling | Traveling | The service technician is en route to the customer site to start work on the assigned and accepted task. While in this status, you cannot reschedule this task to the same technician or other technicians. | Technician travels to work site. |
| Working | Working | The service technician arrives at the customer site and starts work on the task. Entering actual start time enables dispatchers to view progress on the schedule and to view the predicted start times of next tasks. Reporting on the task is enabled. | Technician arrives at the work site. |
| Completed | Completed | Work on the task is done. No further updates or reporting on the task is allowed. Reporting on the task is enabled. | Task is complete. Technician departs from work site. |
| Closed | Closed | Debrief for the task is reviewed and sent to Charges. Install Base and Knowledge Base are updated. | After review, the service request associated to the task is closed. |
Important: You can define additional task statuses and modify the task flow. For the Preventive Maintenance module, you must define a Task Status of 'Confirm.'
For more information, see Setting Up Task Status, Transition Rules, and Cross-Task Validation in the Oracle Field Service Implementation Guide.
Under certain circumstances, tasks are closed automatically upon closure of the service request for which they are associated. Oracle Field Service makes several validations to ensure that only appropriate tasks are closed automatically. The validation of the automated closure ensures that the tasks comply with the Field Service state transitions applied to tasks during setup.
Conditions that must be met to enable automated closure:
The Task Type must have the Rule set to 'Dispatch' and have the 'Schedulable' check box selected on the Task Types window (Field Service Setup > CRM Foundation > Task and Escalation Manager > Setup > Define Task Type).
The task must be at one of these statuses: Rejected, Completed, or Canceled.
The Task must not have an open debrief line.
For tasks that need to be closed but have not been scheduled yet, there is no debrief line check.
Scheduled tasks that need to be closed and have only the scheduled start date are unplanned during the close task automation process as long as no debrief lines exist.
For more information on setting up tasks and task types, see the Oracle Field Service Implementation Guide.