Salesforce Field Service unleashes enhanced tools for modern mobile workforce

News Desk - 03/11/2021

Salesforce has added four new Field Service features to help businesses prepare their mobile workforce for the future. Businesses will be able to scale field service staff to handle more complex projects, tailor mobile workflows to better employee experiences, provide consumers self-service scheduling, and use video to diagnose issues in real time thanks to these features.

Customers nowadays expect firms to provide world-class service regardless of whether they’re dealing with a call centre agent, a bot, or a field agent. Field service organisations, on the other hand, frequently lack the equipment, expertise, and knowledge necessary to meet these demands. Indeed, 80% of field service professionals claim the skills needed for their job have changed in the last two years.

Field service is built for change

Salesforce Field Service was created to help companies manage their mobile workforces using the world’s most popular CRM. It provides a comprehensive service package that brings together client data and service professionals on a single platform. Salesforce Field Service also offers intelligent scheduling, virtual support, and visual assistance to help customers solve problems faster and save money. Furthermore, a Slack integration offers swarming capabilities and collaboration with the appropriate specialists based on availability and talents.

Today’s additions to Salesforce Field Service include:

Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization Engine will allow companies to undertake more complex field service projects requiring multiple processes and technicians. Digging a hole for a new electric pole, erecting the pole and wires, and attaching wiring to surrounding structures are all examples of utility jobs. Companies will be able to connect these processes so that dispatchers can see the full job and better manage labour capacity. The upgraded engine will run on Hyperforce, a reimagination of Salesforce’s platform architecture designed to deliver the Salesforce Customer 360, which includes Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Industries, and more, safely and reliably on key public clouds.
Lightning Web Components for Field Service Businesses and partners will be able to simply configure the Salesforce Field Service mobile app with additional features and workflows to improve technician experience. A water delivery firm, for example, may design a bespoke app that combines order information from Service Cloud with other information on one screen, automating the documentation process and saving the delivery person time and clicks. Depending on the countries in which they operate, an insurance company may require different adjustments for natural disaster claims such as hurricanes or earthquakes. Lightning Web Components also give partners and system integrators new ways to build industry-specific apps, such as streamlined workflows for home security companies or industrial manufacturers.
Appointment Assistant Self-Service Scheduling Customers can plan, cancel, confirm, or reschedule appointments without having to wait on hold. As clients modify their schedules, technician schedules and service resources adjust automatically to accommodate the new timetable.
Visual Remote Assistant Two-Way Video allows agents and customers to collaborate in real time via video to troubleshoot difficulties. To avoid unnecessary and costly truck rolls, this can be utilised as a triage phase that is automatically triggered based on the criteria of a support request. An representative, for example, can show a customer how to reset their own cable box step by step. Additionally, while technicians are on-site, they can receive real-time training or enlist the help of coworkers as needed.

Organizations are using Salesforce Field Service to respond faster and build trust

Organizations in dozens of industries around the world are using Salesforce Field Service to respond to the changing needs of their customers:

Hologic: “With Salesforce Field Service, Hologic is able to reduce time spent on-site by equipping field service engineers with AI-powered recommendations and ensure we can get the right person to the right job at the right time, with the right part,” Pierre Malboeuf, Senior Director, National Field Service, Breast & Skeletal Health, Hologic. “Field Service is a game changer and enables us to build a deep sense of trust with our customers.”
AAA: “Today’s consumer has zero tolerance for having to repeat themselves. Omnichannel servicing allows a customer to begin a request or service from one chosen channel and complete the request in a whole other service channel without losing a beat,” Shohreh Abedi, EVP, Chief Operations Technology Officer, Member Experience, The Auto Club Group – AAA. “Field Service has reduced over 25% of the volume that is being handled completely digitally without human interaction, through AI, chat or other digital self-service capabilities. The result of having a customer-centric approach is a happier, more delighted member, and Salesforce is a big part of our journey.”
SafeStreets: “We needed a smart tool that would allow us to schedule security installs quickly in a matter of minutes and bring our reschedule rate down, because rescheduling often results in the customer cancelling the job,” said Eddie Prignano, VP of Systems Architecture, SafeStreets. “Salesforce helped us create a great customer experience in a short amount of time that gives us confidence in our scheduling and gives the customer all the information they could want — from the name and photo of the technician, to where they are and their ETA, so the customer never feels like they’re in the dark. And as customers’ expectations require updates to these experiences, we have the flexibility to simply and easily make changes as necessary.”
MTI: “MTI provides security and tablet solutions to businesses like retailers, restaurants, hotels and hospitals, and the pandemic drove tremendous change in all of those businesses. By leveraging Salesforce Field Service, we’ve been able to reduce manual scheduling needs by 50% and run 70-80% of service trips through our optimization model,” Mary Jesse, CEO, MTI. “Not only that, but we’re able to drill down and see to the minute when somebody is on-site, what they’re doing and how it relates back up to a complete customer project. The average time to resolve a case has decreased as we’ve leveraged multiple applications within the Salesforce ecosystem — increasing the speed and efficiency of our business.”

DocuSign automates contract obligations in the field

DocuSign CLM for Field Service, which was just announced, allows companies to automate how they manage, enforce, and change contract conditions across departments and in the field. DocuSign data on warranties and service level agreements (SLAs) will be seamlessly imported into Service Cloud, allowing for better and more automated service experiences as well as more effective service contract execution.