4Service Activities
Service Activities
This chapter shows how to manage service activities. It includes the following topics:
About Service Activities
Field service engineers work on activities. Selecting an activity template automatically provides a set of activities to complete for a service request. For general information about activities, see Siebel Applications Administration Guide.
Siebel Field Service includes the following common activity types:
Service activities for the following categories:
Installation
Preventive maintenance
Repair activities, including shipping and receiving
You use activities to track the tasks to complete in response to a service request, a preventive maintenance request, a change request, and a request for a repair. The Activities screen shows the activities to assign to field service or service center personnel.
A field service or repair activity can include detailed information about the steps that field service engineers can perform to complete the activity, additional instructions about the activity, items (such as parts or tools) that field service engineers need to complete the activity, and the skills (such as language proficiency and product knowledge) that field service engineers must possess to complete the activity. An activity can also include information about its field part movements, expenses, and labor.
Including activities in a service request provides the following advantages:
The ownership of the problem remains with the call management, when required.
The field service engineer looking at assigned activities can easily identify the required information.
Reporting is simplified.
You can assign activities to multiple employees.
Activities in Siebel Field Service are an extension of the Activity object and have Siebel Field Service customizations that specifically meet the requirements of engineers who work on complex, standardized service activities. Activity objects can be associated with the following Siebel objects:
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After users create activities, they assign them to appropriate field service engineers. Assigned activities appear on the calendars for engineers, and the engineers can receive automatic notification about new activities through their laptop computers, mobile devices, cell phones, or pagers. Engineers can accept or decline an activity and, after accepted, use the Activities screen to provide information about its execution.
You can manually assign activities on the Activities, Service Requests, and Dispatch Board screens or use Assignment Manager (with Assign menu command) to automatically assign activities. Automatic assignment uses a variety of criteria for assignment, including skills, role priorities, availability, location, and cost.
You can manually schedule assigned engineers on the Activities screen or on the interface of the Dispatch Board screen. Also, Siebel Scheduler can automatically schedule assigned engineers. For more information about assigning and scheduling activities, see Scheduling Using Siebel Scheduler and Dispatch Board.
Service Activity Templates and Activity Plans
Users select activity templates to create activity plans. Activity templates contain a set of activities to complete a service request. Activity plans can include schedule requirements for completing these activities.
In the Activity Plans views on the Service Requests, Accounts, and Repairs screens, only the activity templates for specific types of activities are visible. For example, when you generate an activity plan for opportunities, only activity plans of the Opportunity type are visible. When you select a template, all of the activities in that template and the child records of those activities (for example, Service Details, Items, Skills, and so on) are also selected.
Fields Copied from Activity Templates
The following fields are copied from an activity template to an activity plan:
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Child records associated with the template are copied to the following views in the Activities screen:
Steps view
Instructions view
Items view
Skills view
Category Field
The Category field for an activity in the Service Details view in the Activity Templates view of the Administration - Data screen determines the following information for the activity that is generated from the activity template:
Whether the child records of the activity are generated
The user assigned to the activity
Child Records
If the value in the Category field is Field Engineer Activity, Repair Activity, Preventive Maintenance, or Other, then any child records for the activity in the activity template, such as records for activity steps or assignment skills, are created for the activity that is generated from the activity template.
If the Category field is blank or a value other than the values listed in the previous paragraph, then no child records for the activity in the activity template are created for the activity that is generated from the activity template.
Service Activity Assignment
The values in the Category field and Employees field of an activity record determine the user assigned to the activity. The following table describes the determination of this assignment.
Table Employees and Category Field Values for Activity Assignment
| Employees Field Value | Category Field Value | Activity Assignment |
|---|---|---|
NOT NULL |
Any value (NULL or NOT NULL) |
Assigned to the employee who is specified in the Employees field of the activity template. |
NULL |
Not Field Engineer Activity, Repair Activity, Preventive Maintenance, or Other |
Assigned to the employee who created the activity by applying the activity template. |
NULL |
Field Engineer Activity, Repair Activity, Preventive Maintenance, or Other |
Not assigned. The Employees field and Owner field are blank in the created activity.
Note: It is recommended that you use this assignment when you use Assignment Manager to assign the activity.
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Activity Charts
The following table lists the descriptions of the charts in the Chart view for activities.
Table Descriptions of Charts for Activities
| Chart | Description |
|---|---|
Account and Type Analysis |
This chart includes the following graphs:
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Contact Analysis |
The number of activities for each contact. |
New Activities Analysis |
The number of new activities as a function of a calendar period. |
Status Analysis by Owner |
The number of activities for each owner. |
Status and Priority Analysis |
This chart includes the following graphs:
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Symptom and Resolution Analysis |
This chart includes the following graphs:
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Trend Analysis by Activity Type |
The number of activities of each type as a function of calendar period. |
Trend Analysis by Product |
The number of activities for each product as a function of calendar period. |
About Using the Task UI Application to Perform Service Activities
Siebel Field Service includes the Execute Field Task Start to Finish task to streamline the process of starting and completing field repair activities. This repeatable task navigates through screens and views where you can enter multiple records easier and faster than manually navigating through individual screens. When you change status (En Route, In Process, Done, and so on), the task framework captures the time of the status change and records it as a variable that corresponds to a Time Tracker Type field LOV entry. When the status is updated, a Time Tracker entry is generated behind the scenes. For more information about using the Task UI application, see Siebel Fundamentals. For more information about customizing, activating, and assigning access privileges for tasks, see Siebel Business Process Framework: Task UI Guide.
To use the Execute Field Task Start to Finish task in the Task UI application, you must activate and assign access privileges for the following tasks:
Execute Field Task Start to Finish
Field Activity Execution
Field Activity En Route
Field Activity Invoicing
Field Activity Preparation
Replace Asset
Scenario for Performing Service Activities with the Task UI Application
This topic gives one example of how to perform service activities with the Task UI application. You might perform service activities with the Task UI application differently, depending on your business model.
A field service engineer must complete a Field Repair assignment. He uses the Task UI application for this activity by clicking Execute Field Task Start to Finish in the Task UI pane. He uses the Next button to move from screen to screen in the task.
He first reviews details for the activity, then checks his trunk inventory. He updates the status to Scheduled and views a map of the account service location. He updates the status to En Route and drives to the site. When he arrives, he sets the status to In Progress. Behind the scenes, the Task UI creates a Time Tracker record for the en-route time. For more information about the Time Tracker feature, see Recording Labor for Activities (End User).
On site, the field service engineer accesses the Review Instructions screen, reviews and records steps and takes readings. He records the asset transactions that he performed during the repair, and logs his time and expenses. Finally, he prints an invoice for the customer to sign.
Process of Administering Service Activities
The following list shows the tasks that administrators typically perform to administer service activities. Your company might follow a different process according to its business requirements.
To administer service activities, administrators perform the following tasks:
Creating Activity Templates
Administrators can create activity templates. These templates can contain any number of service activities. Users select activity templates to create activity plans. Activity plans contain the activities in the selected template. For more information, see Service Activity Templates and Activity Plans.
This task is a step in Process of Administering Service Activities.
To create an activity template
Navigate to the Administration - Data screen, then the Activity Templates view.
Create a new activity template record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Some fields are described in the following table.
Field Comments Public
Select this check box to indicate customer, partner, and employee applications can access the information.
Auto Trigger
Select this check box to move the activities from this template to a sales stage when a user selects the sales stage for an opportunity.
Click the Service Details view tab.
Create a new service details record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Some fields are described in the following table.
Field Comments Duration
Select the complete duration (in minutes) of the activity. The complete duration of the activity is the work time and the break time.
Lead Time
Type the amount of time for travel to, or other preparation for, the activity.
Lead Units
Select the unit of measurement for the Lead Time field.
Breakable
Select this check box to allow the Optimizer to insert a break into the activity. If you do not select this check box, then a break is not allowed during the activity. For more information, see Breaks. For more information about the Optimizer, see Scheduling Using Siebel Scheduler.
Work Time
Type the amount of work time (in minutes) for the activity.
Lock Assignment
Select this check box to indicate Assignment Manager cannot reassign the activity to an employee.
Category
Select the category for the activity. For more information about the effects of selections in this field, see Category Field.
Adding Information to Activities in Activity Templates
After administrators create activity templates, they can add information applicable to the activities in the template. This information includes the recommended steps that field service engineers can perform to complete the activity, additional instructions about the activity, items (such as parts and tools) that field service engineers need to complete the activity, and the skills (such as language proficiency and product knowledge) that field service engineers must possess to complete the activity.
Assignment Manager uses the skills for an activity to assign the activity to the appropriate employee. For more information about Assignment Manager and about setting up the skills that you can assign to an activity, see Siebel Assignment Manager Administration Guide.
This task is a step in Process of Administering Service Activities.
To add information to an activity in an activity template
Navigate to the Administration - Data screen, then the Activity Templates view.
Select an activity template, and click the Service Details view tab.
Select an activity record.
To add more information to the activity record, complete the following steps:
Click the Service Activity Steps view tab, create new step records, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Click the Service Activity Instructions view tab, create a new instructions record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Click the Service Activity Items view tab, create a new item record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Click the Assignment Skills view tab, create a new skill record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Process of Managing Service Activities
The following list shows the tasks that end users typically perform to manage service activities. Your company might follow a different process according to its business requirements.
To manage service activities, end users perform the following tasks:
Managing Alarms for Service Activities (End User)
Activities are attached to many Siebel business objects (for example, Service Requests and Opportunities). Siebel Business Applications can notify the user of the start time for a pending activity. You select the Alarm check box in each Activity record to set up this notification.
Alarm notification displays a dialog box in the user interface at a predetermined interval before the start of each activity. The Alarm dialog box appears only once for each activity, unless the activity is repeated. (The Repeat check box is selected in the activity record). If the activity is repeated, then the alarm appears at the specified time before the start of each instance of the activity.
Alarms work only through the user interface. They cannot initiate workflow processes.
This topic contains the following related information:
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
Setting the Alarm Lead Time for Service Activities
Alarms notify users of upcoming activities. A setting determines the time when the notification occurs.
To set the alarm lead time for service activities
From the application-level menu, select Tools, then User Preferences.
The User Preferences screen appears.
On the link bar, click Calendar.
The Calendar form appears.
In the Alarm Lead Time field, select a time from 5 to 120 minutes before the value in the Planned Start field for each activity.
Allowing Alarms for Service Activities
To set the alarm for an activity, select the Alarm check box in an activity record on any screen that includes the Activities view or in the Calendar screen. In the procedure in this topic, you set the alarm in the Calendar screen.
To allow an alarm for a service activity
Navigate to the Calendar screen.
Drill down on an activity name.
In the Calendar Detail view, select the Alarm check box.
Click Save This One.
Creating Service Activities (End User)
You can create activities that field service engineers must complete to respond to a service call. For information about creating an activity for a service request, see Associating Activities with Service Requests (End User).
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To create an activity
Navigate to the Activities screen, then the Activity List view.
Create a new activity record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Some fields are described in the following table.
Field Comments Due
Select the latest date and time for an activity. This field indicates contractual commitments or deadlines and is populated with the value from the Date Committed field for the service request. For more information, see Date Committed.
This field is the same as the Latest Start field in the Schedule view of the Activities screen.
Status
Select the state of an activity. Values include Approved, Unassigned, and Done. Drill down on an Unscheduled value in the Status field to navigate to the Dispatch Board screen.
Private
Select this check box to indicate this activity is visible only to its owner.
Repeat Frequency
Select the interval at which to repeat the activity. Values include Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly. A repeated activity appears multiple times in the calendar for the field service engineer. You cannot schedule repeated activities on the Dispatch Board.
Repeat Until
Select the ending date for repeating the activity.
Alarm
Select this check box to sound a warning if the activity does not begin by the planned start date.
Employees
Select the names of the employees assigned to complete the activity. You can identify an employee as the primary employee.
SR #
Select the service request associated with the activity.
Billable
Select this check box to indicate the activity is billable to the customer.
Duration
Type the amount of time (in minutes) required to complete an activity, including breaks and travel time. Duration is the time difference between the planned start date and the planned end date for the activity. This field appears in the form only.
Drill down on the Type field for a selected activity, and click the More Info view tab.
Complete the fields as appropriate.
Some fields are described in the following table.
Field Comments Private
Select this check box to indicate the activity is visible only to its owner.
CR #
Select the defect number for a product associated with the activity.
Lock Assignment
Select this check box to indicate Assignment Manager cannot reassign the activity to an employee.
Category
Select a category for the activity. This field determines the type of child records that are inherited from the activity template. For more information, see Service Activity Templates and Activity Plans.
Developers can use Siebel Tools to change the default values for the Category field. They set ASGN_USR_EXCLD_FLG to N.
Resolution
Select the solution code for an activity.
Defective Tag
Select the tag number (repair number) associated with the activity.
Adding Information to Activities (End User)
After you create activities, you can add information to them. This information includes the recommended steps that field service engineers can perform to complete the activity, additional instructions about the activity, items (such as parts and tools) that field service engineers need to complete the activity, and the skills (such as language proficiency and product knowledge) that field service engineers must possess to complete the activity.
Assignment Manager uses the skills for an activity to assign the activity to the appropriate employee. For more information about Assignment Manager and about setting up the skills that you can assign to an activity, see Siebel Assignment Manager Administration Guide.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To add information to an activity
Navigate to the Activities screen, then the Activity List view.
Drill down on the Type field for a selected activity.
To add more information to the activity record, complete the following steps:
Click the Steps view tab, create new step records, and complete the fields as appropriate.
You can select the Done check box for a step to indicate the step completion. This field is for information only, and does not affect other fields or functions.
Click the Instructions view tab, create a new instructions record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
In this view, you can enter instructions that are specific to a customer site.
Click the Items view tab, create a new item record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Click the Assignment Skills view tab, create a new skills record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
You can add more details about a skill in the Service Activity Skill Item list.
Recording Expenses for Activities (End User)
You can record the expenses that you incur while working on activities. These expenses include travel costs and meals.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To record an expense for an activity
Navigate to the Activities screen, then the Activity List view.
Drill down on the Type field for a selected activity, and click the Expense Tracker view tab.
Note: If you select Auto Expense Report in the application-level Tools menu, then new records are generated in the Expense Tracker view. For more information about setting up and using this Auto Gen feature, see Siebel Project and Resource Management Administration Guide.Create a new expense record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Some fields are described in the following table.
Field Comments Type
Select the category of expense for the activity.
Billable
Select this check box to indicate that the expense is billable to the customer. When you select this check box, the Charge Engine uses the record to create a charge, and the Charge Consolidation business service includes the expense for the activity in an invoice. This check box is automatically selected if the Billable check box is selected for the activity.
Recording Labor for Activities (End User)
You can record the amount of hours that you work on activities.
If an entitlement (with metrics and a schedule) is associated with the activity, then you can enter only 1 record for activity hours, even if the hours are associated with multiple rates (rates for regular, overtime, and extended overtime). The Auto Charge feature automatically determines the charges for each rate. If an entitlement (without metrics and a schedule) is associated with the activity, then you must enter a separate record for each rate. For more information about entitlements, see Process of Administering Entitlements.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To record labor for an activity
Navigate to the Activities screen, then the Activity List view.
Drill down on the Type field for a selected activity, and click the Time Tracker view tab.
Note: If you select Auto Timesheet in the application-level Tools menu, then new records are generated in the Time Tracker view. For more information about setting up and using this Auto Gen feature, see Siebel Project and Resource Management Administration Guide.If you already completed the activity, then create a new time record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Some fields are described in the following table.
Field Comments Type
Select the category of time for the activity. In the Work Types view of the Administration - Data screen, administrators set up the types that you can select.
Billable
Select this check box to indicate the labor for the activity is billable to the customer. When you select this check box, the Charge Engine uses the record to create a charge, and the Charge Consolidation business service includes the price of the labor for the activity in an invoice. This price is based on the rate list for the activity. You can define labor that is not billable (for example, a coffee break). This check box is automatically selected if the Billable check box is selected for the activity.
If you are starting the activity, then complete the following steps:
Click Start to populate the Start field with the current time and to populate the Date field with the current date.
When you finish the activity, click Stop to populate the Stop field with the time that you complete the activity and to populate the Elapsed field with the amount of time to complete the activity.
To resume an activity, Start again to create a new time record.
Viewing On-Hand Inventory (End User)
Frequently field service engineers need specific products to complete an activity, so you might have to determine the availability of these products at inventory locations. You can view the availability of products and substitute products at inventory locations. You use the Part Browser to view this on-hand inventory.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To view on-hand inventory using the Part Browser
Navigate to the Part Browser screen.
Select a record for a product at an inventory location.
Note: A product can exist at multiple locations.Review the Inventory Level list to see information about the selected product at that location.
Review the Substitutes list to see information about any alternatives for the selected product at that location.
You can also use the Check Trunk button to view on-hand inventory in your trunk.
To view on-hand inventory using Check Trunk
Navigate to the Activities screen, then the Activity List view.
Drill down on the Type field for a selected activity, and click the Items view tab.
Select an item record.
Click Check Trunk.
The Available Qty field is updated according to the trunk inventory of the current user.
Ordering Items for Activities (End User)
An field service engineer might need additional items to complete an activity. You can create an order to obtain these needed items from a vendor or to transfer the items between inventory locations so that they are conveniently available to the appropriate engineer.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To order an item for an activity
Navigate to the Activities screen, then the Activity List view.
Drill down on the Type field for a selected activity, and click the Items view tab.
Select an item record.
Note: If the check box in the Tool field is selected for the item, then the item is a service tool, and not a part that the customer buys. If this check box is selected, then the customer cannot order the item.Click one of the following buttons:
Service Order. The item is ordered. For the item, an order number appears in the Order number (#) field, a value of Service Order appears in the Order Type field, and value appears in the Line Status field.
Service Order All. All items not yet ordered are ordered. For each item, an order number appears in the Order number (#) field, a value of Service Order appears in the Order Type field, and value appears in the Line Status field.
To view order details for an item, drill down on the Order number (#) field.
Recording Part Movements for Activities (End User)
Field service engineers can move parts in the field so that the parts are available to complete activities. You can record these part movements between customer sites, service orders, and the truck inventories of field service engineers.
You record transactions between inventories as well as between inventories and customers in the Inventory Transactions screen. For more information, see Process of Managing Records with Barcode Readers.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To record a part movement for an activity
Navigate to the Activities screen, then the Activity List view.
Drill down on the Type field for a selected activity, and click the Part Tracker view tab.
Create a new part movement record, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Some fields are described in the following table.
Field Comments Asset #
Select an asset number if the part movement applies to an asset.
Source
Select the origin location for the part.
Destination
Select the destination location for the part.
Billable
Select this check box to indicate the part is billable to the customer. When you select this check box, the Charge Engine uses the record to create a charge, and the Charge Consolidation business service includes the part for the activity in an invoice. This check box is automatically selected if the Billable check box is selected for the activity.
Commit
Displays a check in the check box to indicate the transaction for the part movement is committed. If all validations for the part movement are complete, then this check box is automatically selected after you click a commit button. For more information about the validation checks for the commit buttons, see Mobile Inventory Transactions.
Write-In Asset
Select this check box to indicate the serial number for an asset is not in the local database. If you select this check box, then you enter a serial number in the Write-In Serial Number field. This field is for information only, and does not affect other fields or functions.
Write-In Serial #
Type a serial number for an asset that is not yet in the local database. An administrator generates the inventory transaction for the asset after you synchronize the mobile computer.
An inventory transaction, an asset transaction, or both (depending on the source or destination) is created for the part movement.
Recording Asset Swaps (End User)
You can record the swapping of an asset for another asset. You use the Swap Part Mvmt number (#) field in the Part Tracker view in the Activity List view of the Activities screen to create a one-to-one relationship between a removed asset and an installed asset. For more information, see Asset Swaps.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To record an asset swap
Navigate to the Activities screen, then the Activity List view.
Drill down on the Type field for a selected activity, and click the Part Tracker view tab.
Create a new part movement record for the removed asset, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Do not enter data in the Swap Part Mvmt number (#) field.
Add another part movement record for the installed asset, and complete the fields as appropriate.
Select the removed asset in the Swap Part Mvmt number (#) field.
Completing Activities (End User)
After all of the work relating to an activity is complete, and after you enter all the expenses, labor, and materials for an activity, you denote a completed status for the activity record. For more information about generating invoices for activities, see Creating Invoices Manually (End User) and Creating Invoices Automatically (End User).
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To complete an activity
Navigate to the Activities screen, then the Activity List view.
Drill down on the Type field for a selected activity, and click the Expense Tracker view tab.
In the form for the activity, click Complete.
The Cost and Price fields are updated for all of the records in the Expense Tracker view, Time Tracker view, and Part Tracker view for the activity. The % Complete field in the More Info view for the activity is populated with a value of 100, and the Status field for the activity changes to a value of Done.
Viewing Activities for Field Service Engineers (End User)
You can view all of the activities for a field service engineer. You might want to view these activities to determine the availability of the field service engineer.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To view the activities for a field service engineer
Navigate to the Calendar screen.
Click ... (Advanced Calendar Settings).
In the Owner field of the Settings dialog box, select the name of the field service engineer, and click OK.
Using the Task UI Application to Perform a Service Activity (End User)
This topic includes an example procedure with steps that you perform to use the Execute Field Task Start to Finish task. For more information, see About Using the Task UI Application to Perform Service Activities.
This task is a step in Process of Managing Service Activities.
To perform a service activity from Start to Finish
Navigate to the Activities screen, then the Activity List view.
Click Task.
In the Task UI pane, click Execute Field Task Start to Finish.
In the Review Address and Details screen, review and adjust any necessary fields, and click Next.
In the Check Trunk for Recommended Inventory screen, review the inventory information, and click Next.
The following options are available:
Check Trunk
Create Order for Selected Parts
Service Order All
In the Update Status screen, select an action for the activity, such as Mark as In Progress, and click Next.
In the Review and Submit screen, review the information for the activity, and click Submit.
In the Review and Record Steps screen, record the steps for the activity.
You can select from the options such as Automated Diagnostic Test, Customer Approval, Install New Parts, Customer Satisfaction Survey, or query for another step.
In the Choose Part Transaction screen, select a part transaction for the activity, or select Continue.
In the Parts Transaction Summary screen, click Commit or Commit All to commit the part transactions in inventory.
In the Update Time Sheet screen, enter or update the time records for the selected activity.
In the Activity Expenses screen, enter or update the expense records for the selected activity.
In the Select Invoice Option screen, generate an invoice, generate charges and review, or continue.
In the Review and Submit screen, review the activity, and click Submit.