Reviewing Debrief and Billing

This chapter covers the following topics:

Overview: Administrator Portal Dashboard

The Field Service Support Dashboard is the entry point for administrators or managers to perform multiple functions on behalf of their reporting field technicians. The Field Service Support Dashboard is similar to the Field Service Technician Dashboard. Both of the dashboards function and operate basically the same except with the Field Service Support Dashboard you can query on task-related information for a specific resource. For information on the Field Service Technician Dashboard, see Explaining the Elements of the Field Service Technician Dashboard.

The Field Service Support Dashboard consists of:

Resource Search

The manager can search for information related to tasks assigned to a specific resource by selecting a Resource Type, and then providing a complete or partial value in the Resource Name search field. See Querying Technician Schedules.

Quick Links

The Quick Links region provides access to pages where the manager can:

Create Service Request

In the Create Service Request region, the manager or administrator can select a service identifier from the Search Key list of values, enter a value, and then launch the Create Service Request page.

Search Knowledge

In the Search Knowledge region, the manager can enter keywords, and then conduct either a Knowledge Search or an Advanced Solution Search.

Main View

In the Main View, managers and administrators can select from the list of seeded views, and can create additional personalized views to display selected columns of information in the desired sequence.

The list of predefined views includes the following: escalated tasks, open tasks, today's tasks, and unassigned tasks.

Show/Hide Details

The Details column displays for every seeded and personalized view. After task-related information is retrieved for a specific resource, click the Show link or "+" icon to:

Update Icon

An Update icon appears in each row. Clicking the Update icon opens the Update Task page to the Details tab, where the manager can:

Debrief Icon

A Debrief icon appears in each row. Clicking the Debrief icon opens the Update Task page to the Debrief tab, where the manager can:

Parts Icon

A Parts icon appears in rows for tasks having associated service parts. Clicking the Parts icon opens the Update Task page to the Parts tab, where the manager can create a parts order for a specific task.

Schedule Icon

A Schedule icon appears for each row. Clicking the Schedule icon opens the Schedule Task page where the manager can schedule the task.

Pro Forma Invoice Button

After the debrief is completed and posted, view the pro forma invoice, by clicking the Pro Forma Invoice button in the Show Service Request region in the Update Task page. When you click the Pro Forma Invoice button the Service Request Charges Report page appears displaying a summary of charges, estimated charges, submitted charges, and unsubmitted charges.

Supported Features

Reviewing Debrief by Technician Schedules

Use this procedure to load information about a specific technicians schedule into the Field Service Administrator Portal (Field Service Support Dashboard).

Steps

  1. Navigate to the Field Service Support Dashboard.

    The Field Service Support Dashboard appears displaying the default view of task-related information.

  2. To search for specific task-related information, begin by selecting either Employee Resource or Supplier Contact from the Resource Type list of values. Technicians are usually employee resources of the service organization.

  3. Next, provide partial or complete values in the Resource Name field.

    • Enter the technicians name in the Resource Name field, or

    • Enter part of the technicians name into the Resource Name field, and then click the Tab key.

      The Search and Select: Resource Name page appears displaying names that contain the entered search string. For example, type 'bram' in the Resource Name field, and then press the Tab key. Resource Names: George Abrams, Fred Bramer, and BalasuBramani Jones are retrieved. Click the Quick Select icon in the row for the Resource Name that you want to have return to the Field Service Support Dashboard, or

    • If you do not have any partial information for the Resource Name, leave the Resource Name field blank, and then click the Search for Resource Name icon.

      The Search and Select: Resource Name page appears. Click Go. All resource names of the selected resource type are listed. Click the Quick Select icon in the row for the resource name that you want to have return to the Field Service Support Dashboard.

  4. To filter the tasks that display, select a view from the View list of values, and then click Go.

    The Dashboard appears with tasks assigned to the selected resource, and that also match the View filter.

    Note: To create a personalized View, click Personalize. See Personalizing the View Display.

    Tip: When selecting columns to display in a personalized view, keep in mind that many details are available by displaying the Details column (Hide/Show).. Therefore you can decrease screen clutter by selecting only the frequently needed information for the personalized view, and then view details as needed.

  5. To view details for a task, in the row for a task, click the Show/Hide link in the Details column.

    Details for the task appear below the selected row.

Correcting Debrief by Task

Using the Field Service Administrator Portal or the Field Service Technician Portal (Dashboard) you can review and correct debrief information.

If the debrief information has not been processed yet, the Field Service administrator, manager, or technician can make a simple data correction to the debrief lines that need correcting. If the debrief information has been processed a few more steps are required by the Field Service administrator, manager, or technician to ensure that the corrected debrief information is handled and posted correctly.

A typical business process flow for debrief correction after the task has been closed may include these steps:

  1. The call center will answer the customer call and collect the data (customer number, service request number, task number) for the customer.

  2. Field Service administrator or manager will retrieve and display the service request and task number using the Field Service Administrator Portal.

  3. Field Service administrator or manager will change the task assignment status to a status that does not have the closed flag enabled.

    Specific transaction status change rules will have been created which enables them to change the task assignment status.

  4. Field Service administrator or manager will correct the debrief lines by entering return type transactions and save the changes.

    Return type service activity codes will have been created which will enable them to post return type transactions to the different debrief lines (material, labor, expense and so on).

  5. Field Service administrator or manager will change the task assignment status to a status that has the closed flag enabled.

    The task assignment change will initiate the CSF: Update Debrief Lines concurrent program.

Use this procedure to review and correct debrief transaction details previously submitted by Field Service technicians:

See also Understanding Debrief Procedures.

Prerequisites

Correcting Debrief Lines That Have Not Been Processed

  1. Navigate to the Field Service Support Dashboard.

  2. Enter search criteria and click Go.

  3. Click the Debrief icon for the task that you want to update.

    The Update Task page appears displaying the Debrief tab.

  4. Expand and then update information in the Travel, Labor, Material, Expense, Counters, and Notes regions.

  5. Click Apply.

Correcting Debrief Lines That Have Been Processed

  1. Navigate to the Field Service Support Dashboard.

  2. Enter search criteria and click Go.

  3. Click the Debrief icon for the task that you want to update.

    The Update Task page appears displaying the Debrief tab.

  4. Select the new task Assignment Status from the list of values.

  5. Click Apply.

  6. Update information in the Travel, Counters, and Notes sections.

  7. Click Apply.

Correcting Labor Debrief Lines

This functionality will override the profile option CSF: Allow Overlapping Labor Lines in Debrief.

  1. Expand the Labor section.

  2. Click Add Another Row.

  3. Select a Business Process and a Service Activity code that has been defined with a line category of return.

  4. Enter the labor correction line in the same format as the original labor line was entered.

    Enter one of the following:

    • Correct Start Time and End Time.

      The Service Date and Duration are populated by the system.

    • Correct Start Time, End Time, and Item.

      The Service Date and Duration are populated by the system.

    • Correct Item and Duration.

      The Service Date is populated by the system.

  5. Enter the Return Reason Code.

  6. Click Apply.

    The labor line is saved.

Correcting Material Debrief Lines

Use the following procedure to correct material debrief lines.

  1. Expand the Material section.

  2. In the Material - Return section, click Add Another Row.

    This expands the Material - Return region, where the administrator can enter information to create a material line.

For a Used Part

  1. You enter debrief material lines for additional parts that were installed or a new part that was installed to replace an existing, worn out part at the customer site. If it was a replacement part, then you must review both the debrief material install line for the new replacement part and the debrief material return line for the part that was removed or replaced.

    When correcting debrief for material that was installed and recovered, verify and edit the additional attributes listed below.

    • Check that the business process associated with the service request type is correct.

    • Check that the service activity codes for the installed and recovered parts are correct.

For All Assigned Parts

  1. To correct debrief for all parts associated with a task irrespective of their usage, verify the following regular debrief attributes for installed material and edit where required.

    • Check that the subinventory is the technician's default usable sub-inventory.

    • Check that details of the item, product item, and recovered item are correct including their instances.

    • Check that the destination organization and subinventory details are as defined by routing rule setup or point to the technician's default defective subinventory.

    • Check the additional shipping details.

    • Check the reasons.

    • After you make your edits, click Apply.

      The material line is saved with the corrected values

Correcting Expense Debrief Lines

Use the following procedure to correct expense debrief lines.

  1. Expand the Expense section.

  2. Click Add Another Row.

  3. Select a Business Process, Service Activity code that has been defined with a line category of return, and Item.

    The Currency, UOM, and Service Date fields are populated by the system.

  4. Enter the expense correction line in the same format as the original expense line was entered.

    Enter one of the following:

    • Correct Amount and Currency.

    • Correct Quantity and UOM

  5. Enter the Return Reason Code.

  6. Click Apply.

    The expense line is saved.

Automatic Debrief Posting

After entering, reviewing, and correcting debrief lines for a task, the technician or the administrator can from their respective portals change the task assignment status to Completed in order to initiate the CSF: Update Debrief Lines concurrent program.

You can change the Task Assignment Status to any one of the following:

Changing the task assignment status to one of these values initiates the CSF: Update Debrief Lines concurrent program. The concurrent program CSF: Update Debrief Lines sends debrief line information to Oracle Inventory, Install Base, and Charges. Alternatively, technicians and administrators can directly when entering, reviewing, and correcting debrief, select debrief lines for posting and manually post the debrief information to Oracle Inventory, Install Base, and Charges irrespective of the task assignment status. See next section. Note that charges are not created for parts that were not used or installed.

The Update Debrief Lines concurrent program can have the following values:

The concurrent program CSF: Update Debrief Lines sends information to Oracle Inventory, Install Base, and Charges only if the task status has one of the following check boxes selected in theTask and Escalation Status window.

Manually Posting Debrief

Administrators can review and correct debrief lines and directly post their information to Oracle Inventory, Install Base, and Charges without changing the task assignment status from the Debrief tab of the administrator portal. In case the administrator is entering debrief on behalf of a technician in the technician portal, he can directly post these using the Post Debrief button. If the technician directly posts debrief from the technician portal and the posting completes successfully, the technician can no longer make any changes to the debrief lines.

In addition, when the CSF: Update Debrief Lines directly posts debrief information to Oracle Inventory, Install Base, and Charges, if you enabled return routing and set the required routing rules, this concurrent program transfers assigned, unused and defective on arrival parts associated with the task from the technician's good subinventory via the technician's default defective subinventory to the new specified routing location. For more information, see Understanding Return Routing Procedures.

Integrating Debrief with Oracle Time and Labor (OTL)

Field technicians belong to the hourly employee category and are required to create time cards for payroll processing. The integration of Oracle Field Service with Oracle Time and Labor (OTL) enables capturing, reporting, and posting field service labor details to payroll and time card systems by the field service providers.

The labor region displays the Field Service Time Card flexfield, which allows field service technicians to capture time card related data (for example, Labor Pay Code, Cost Center, and so on) while creating a labor debrief task. This eliminates duplicate data entry and improves time reporting efficiency and accuracy.

The debrief posting program creates corresponding time entries in OTL for labor hours.

Note: Applied Time refers to the regular time (entered using Labor Debrief) recorded for the field technicians who perform a task at a customer location.

Alternatively, field technicians can also post the time entries to third party time card and payroll systems by creating custom user hooks.

Reviewing, Correcting, and Submitting Charges

Reviewing, correcting, and submitting charges to Order Management for invoicing is accomplished using the Charges tab of the Service Request window.

Use this procedure to review, correct, and submit charges:

Prerequisites

Steps

  1. Navigate to the Service Request window.

    The Service Request window appears.

  2. Query for the service request you want to work with.

    View > Query By Example > Enter

  3. Enter the service request number in the Number field, and then run the query.

    View > Query By Example > Run

    The service request appears on the Service Request window.

  4. Select the Charges tab.

    the picture is described in the document text

    Charges information displays for the service request. This screen shot is displaying labor line charges.

  5. Select the Pricing tab and verify the charge lines are correct for the service request.

    the picture is described in the document text

    Labor and expense charge lines are created with negative amounts if any corrections were made to these types of debrief transactions. This screen shot is displaying pricing information for labor lines.

  6. Review and correct charges information as appropriate.

  7. To submit charges to Order Management, click Submit.

Viewing a Pro Forma Invoice

Invoking a Pro Forma Invoice enables adminisrators to review a report that details all the charges entered for the tasks performed at a customer site. The report includes details such as the customers name, bill to address, service request number, item name, quantity, and amount. You can print the report to send hard copy to the customer.

Use this procedure to access the Pro Forma Invoice.

Prerequisites

Steps

  1. Navigate to the Update Task pagefor a completed task.

  2. From the Update Task page, expand the Show Service Request region

  3. Click Pro Forma Invoice.

    The Service Request Charges Report page appears. In the header information, this report displays service request information. It also displays charges-related information, such as a summary of the charges and details of the charges, including estimate charges, submitted charges, and non submitted charges.

  4. To print this page, use the browser's print functionality.

Managing Unassigned Tasks

Using the Field Service Administrator Portal, Field Service Managers/Administrators can review all unassigned tasks owned by them or the groups they are a member of, and assign it to the suitable technician.

Scheduling Unassigned Tasks:

  1. Navigate to the Field Service Administrator Portal.

  2. Select Unassigned Tasks from the list of seeded views. All tasks owned by the group in which administrator is a member or owned by the administrator, with NULL Scheduled Start and End date and no task assignment records are displayed.

  3. Click on the Update icon to launch the Task Details screen. The Details Tab is enabled to allow the administrators to view the planned date and the Parts Tab is enabled so that the administrators can create parts requirements. The Debrief Tab is disabled. Note that the Debrief icon present in the dashboard is also disabled as the task is not assigned to a technician.

  4. Enter the resource name and schedule dates manually and click the Apply button to save the record. You can also click on the Schedule icon. In this method, Scheduler will provide plan options based on scheduler rules setup by the implementer. The system will create a task assignment record and the debrief icons will be enabled.

This feature is also available in the Third Party Administrator Portal. However third party administrators can only schedule the tasks manually.