1. Collaboration
  2. Group Messaging

Group Messaging

The Group Messaging feature in Oracle Fusion Field Service Collaboration enables users to collaborate with multiple people simultaneously through the Broadcast and Conference modes.

It allows supervisors, dispatchers, and field resources to share updates, coordinate responses, and engage specific groups of users within their visibility scope.

Business Benefits:
  • Scale with guardrails: Reach large audiences confidently - Conferences up to 1,000 and Broadcasts up to 25,000 - UI automatically enforces audience limits to prevent over send and performance issues.
  • Faster audience assembly: Select recipients by User Groups, Org Units, Buckets, or Location + Radius, with collapsible lists and Show All to accelerate large selections.
  • Traceable outcomes: Sender sees delivered/read/acknowledged metrics and can use Past Participants to re-engage the same cohort for follow-ups.
  • Proximity-driven response: Location + Radius lets you mobilize nearby, on-shift resources for incidents, outages, or urgent safety actions.
  • Governed flexibility: Visibility-based initiation plus the initiator-only add rule keep control, while org unit/bucket–linked groups reduce ongoing admin work.
Functional Description:
  • Conferences: Interactive threads that allows users collaborate in real time.
  • Broadcasts: One-way announcements for sharing information across a wide audience.
  • Participant management:
    • Collapsible list for quick scanning of large selections.
    • Show All provides full visibility when groups/org units/buckets are large.
    • View Past Participants helps you identify and re-engage prior attendees.
  • Initiator control : In ongoing group chats started using visible-resources selection, only the initiator can add further users based on visibility; other participants can add only from their Collaboration Groups.

Use Cases

Group Messaging in Collaboration supports a variety of operational scenarios across the field service landscape. Here are some examples:
  • Major incident or weather alert

    Operations sends a Broadcast to the impacted region (targeted by Org Unit/Bucket or Location + Radius) with a three-line message: what happened, who’s impacted, and what to do by when. The sender requires an acknowledgement, names a Directly Responsible Individual (DRI), and watches delivered/read/ack to confirm reach. Follow-up actions like staging points, or shift changes are posted as brief updates in the same thread.

  • Regional stand-up / shift change

    Before a busy window, a supervisor starts a Conference to align on priorities, risks, and coverage changes. The call-out includes a short agenda and a DRI for each decision. Key notes are captured in-thread so late joiners (or the next shift) have context without re-briefs.

  • SLA rescue near the job

    When a job risks breaching SLA, dispatch targets a Location + Radius cohort around the site. The message includes the activity link and the specific ask, such as “Who can take over within 30 minutes?” Nearby resources reply, or the dispatcher follows up 1:1. If a reassignment is confirmed, the activity is transferred and the result is visible in the thread.

  • Policy or SOP change to a defined cohort

    A new safety or warranty rule goes live for a specific territory. The owner sends a Broadcast to the relevant Org Unit/Bucket, linking to the updated SOP and stating the effective window. Ack required ensures the right teams confirm receipt; the sender monitors read/ack and follows up only with non-responders to minimize noise.

  • Cohort follow-up using Past Participants

    After an initial alert or stand-up, the team needs a quick status check from the same audience. Using Past Participants, the sender re-engages only that cohort with a short checklist that may include items such as site access obtained, parts staged, and backup on call. This avoids resending to a broader group and keeps the thread focused on completion signals.

Configure User Access

Before using Group Messaging, administrators must verify that the required collaboration privileges and visibility configurations are enabled. These settings control who can start broadcasts or conferences and determine which users can receive or participate in group messages.
  1. To create or modify collaboration groups, go to Configuration → Subsystems → Collaboration → Add (+).
  2. Assign or modify group membership in Resources → Set Collaboration Group.
  3. Configure the broadcast radius unit and parameters under Configuration → Business Rules → Map Parameters.
  4. To link collaboration groups with organizational units or buckets, map them in Collaboration Group Configuration to automatically inherit membership.
Note:
  • Administrators can trigger system-generated broadcasts using Message Scenarios → Delivery Channel: Collaboration.
  • Automation and extensions are supported through Collaboration REST APIs. For more information, see Integration with Collaboration.
  • The system automatically enforces audience limits and prevents over send beyond the defined thresholds. The system enforces participant limits (25,000 for broadcasts and 1,000 for conferences) and visibility-based governance.
Visibility and Permissions
  • Group Messaging feature depends on the visibility configuration and collaboration group membership.
  • Users can only message or add participants they have visibility to.

  • If permissions or visibility change, affected conversations become inoperative.

    When this occurs, users see the message: “You can no longer send or receive messages in this conference since permissions have been modified.”

  • The Allow chat between members of this group setting does not affect existing conversations, but prevents new ones with restricted users.

Start a Conference

A conference is a multi-user chat session that allows all participants to exchange messages in a shared thread. Use conferences for live discussions, such as outage triage or shift coordination:
  1. From the Collaboration window, click the New Conversation icon.
  2. Select a User Group and click Proceed.
  3. Select Conference, enter your message in the Conference Name field, and click Proceed.
Note:
  • All messages are visible to every participant, regardless of when they join or leave.
  • The conference continues until the last participant leaves.
  • Only the initiator can add new users by visibility; others can add from their Collaboration Groups.
  • Conferences expire after 12 days of inactivity.
  • Expired threads move automatically to History for archival.

Broadcast a Message

A broadcast is a one-way communication sent to multiple users simultaneously. It is useful for sharing operational updates, alerts, or notifications that do not require a two-way discussion.

  1. From the Collaboration window, click the New Conversation icon.
  2. Select a User Group and click Proceed.
  3. Select Broadcast.
  4. Select the required options and click Proceed.
  5. Compose your message and click Send.

    The message reaches all on-duty, visible users within the selected user groups and appears in all recipients' Collaboration windows.

Retrieve Closed Conversations

All closed or expired chats, broadcasts, and conferences are stored in the History tab for easy access. You can revisit these threads at any time to review prior discussions, confirm acknowledgments, or retrieve important shared information.
  1. Open the Collaboration window and click History.
  2. Search by keyword or participant name.
  3. Select the required thread to view its details.
Note:
  • If you are offline, Collaboration is unavailable, but History remains accessible in read-only mode.
  • History is available only for the number of days configured in the Retention period section on the Business Rules page.