VIDEO: Microsoft’s FSM – Dynamics 365 Field Service – Top features & Alternatives

Managing Field Service operations can be super tough. Between work orders, scheduling, dispatch, and more, having a solid FSM or field service management system can help significantly. Today we’ll be taking a look at an FSM created by Microsoft that is designed to address all those functions: Dynamics 365 Field Service. I dare you to say that 3 times fast! Here, I’ll try it first: <deep inhale> <kyle attempts to say it 3 times fast. Inevitably fails, then the price is right womp womp sound plays> Sigh.

Well, I tried. With that out of the way, hi! I’m Kyle. And today we’ll be doing an overview of Dynamics 365 Field Service. If you find this video helpful, or you just like my doodles, help me out with a like and subscription down below. Dynamics 365 Field Service from Microsoft includes capabilities such as work order management, resource scheduling, and asset management. Companies also use Dynamics 365 Field Service to capture asset information through inspections and get real-time remote support via Dynamics 365 Remote Assist.

Businesses can track service activity, including offline access to bookings, work orders, and assets — as well as responding to IoT, or internet of things, alerts and commands in the field. While many customers appreciate the ability to maximize utilization of field service productivity, there are complaints about the complexity of the user interface. Other users have also stated that the initial startup of the system can be cumbersome. With Dynamics 365 Field Service, work orders are generated from service cases, sales orders, emails, phone calls, service agreements, web portals, or IoT data.

The software typically groups work orders by geographical territory and lines of business. They provide details like a checklist of tasks, parts to use, billable labor, and skills required. Dynamics 365 Field Service work orders also include a location based on the related customer account and/or equipment that needs attention; this location data routes the field technician from job to job. Finally, incoming work orders marked as ready for assignment are passed along to a dispatcher for scheduling.

Scheduling and dispatch features allow organizations to manage the resources and equipment needed for customer service and visualize on-site appointments. These features also optimize service schedules with routing and resource-skill matching. Dynamics 365 Field Service provides an interactive schedule board that lets dispatchers assign work orders to resources based on location, availability, skill set, and priority. This can be done via manual drag-and-drop, a semi-automated scheduling assistant, or fully automated Resource Scheduling Optimization.

The schedule board displays each resource — which can be an employee, contractor, or equipment — and their scheduled work orders. It shows resources and their assigned jobs on a map with routes and real-time traffic patterns. The Dynamics 365 Field Service Customer Assets feature allows users to keep track of equipment they are responsible for inspecting, maintaining, and repairing. Customer assets note which products are at each customer location.

Users can also track the service history of all past and present work orders for each asset. Furthermore, companies can connect customer assets to sensors that monitor the asset's health and trigger IoT alerts and work orders as needed. The software's mobile app for iOS, Android, and Windows devices guides field technicians through the process of resolving assigned work orders. For each work order, the field technician can view critical information such as location, step-by-step instructions, customer assets, and service history.

Staff in the field can use mobile devices to take pictures and videos, take voice memos, upload or review maps, or record a digital customer signature. They can also automatically download important information to their devices for offline work when the internet is not available. Dynamics 365 Field Service is a solid option for your FSM needs, but it’s not the only one out there. Check out: Workmarket, Worksuite, Service Fusion, or Field Nation. Hey, you made it to the end of the video!

Thanks for watching. If you made it this far, we’d love it if you threw us a like and subscription down below. And for more info on FSMs, visit our website at technologyadvice.com for our free list of the top options available today. Click the button on the left to get started.