ServiceNow Field Service Management: Transforms Field Operations for Success

The field service experience is the next big differentiator. Your customers rely on field service experts to get the service right the first time. According to a report by Aberdeen Group, organizations with a first-time fix rate above 70% enjoy an impressive 86% customer retention rate.

Unfortunately, achieving a first-time fix rate is a challenge for many organizations. This is due to factors such as; inadequate training for field service agents, lack of real-time information, or inefficient scheduling practices.

ServiceNow Field Service Management (FSM) can help organizations of all sizes overcome these challenges by providing a suite of tools.

Want to find out how ServiceNow FSM can help your organization? Let’s proceed to learn more about Field Service Management, its capabilities, pricing, organizations using it, and more.

What Is ServiceNow Field Service Management (FSM)?

Put simply, ServiceNow Field Service Management is a cloud-based solution that streamlines field service operations, optimizes scheduling and dispatching, ultimately empowering field agents to do their jobs better and faster.

It is a purpose-built solution that connects people, processes, and systems on a single platform. This enables all the stakeholders involved in the field service operations to get the information they need without switching between different platforms.

Technically speaking, Field Service Management in ServiceNow is a platform that operates on the Now Platform (an intelligent foundation behind all the ServiceNow products). Now Platform uses a single data model and architecture, which means FSM can be easily integrated with other ServiceNow products such as ITSM, ITOM, CSM, and more.

ServiceNow Field Service Management Benefits

Field Service Management ServiceNow has several benefits. Here we have categorized the benefits according to departments:

Benefits for Dispatchers

Dispatchers are the backbone of field service operations. They act as a bridge between the customers, technicians, and back office. Their responsibility is to receive customer requests and assign them to the most qualified technicians. Here is how ServiceNow FSM helps them in doing their job:

1. Proactive field service: FSM empowers you to prevent the issue from occurring by getting ahead. Built on one platform, and one architecture, it breaks down the silos and connects disparate systems to make field service operations more efficient. The easy availability of the information they need makes their service more impactful and proactive. Furthermore, by leveraging predictive intelligence, FSM can flag potential issues earlier, so they can be resolved to minimize service disruptions.
2. Real-time visibility: Dispatchers have real-time visibility into work orders, technicians’ availability, asset status, and more. This information enables them to ensure timely and efficient service delivery.
3. Improved productivity: With the help of automation and optimization features, FSM reduces manual efforts. It automates several time-consuming tasks such as work order assignments, dispatching, scheduling, and more. Freeing up from these resources will enable the dispatchers to focus on high-value tasks improving productivity.
4. Workload distribution and prioritization: Dispatchers can identify the areas with a high volume of service requests, and the technicians managing service in those areas. The dispatcher can assign or reassign technicians in those areas to ensure immediate attention.
5. Dynamic re-assignment: In the case of unexpected delays or urgency, the dispatcher can assign the job to other technicians available in close proximity to deliver timely field services.
6. Drag-and-drop work assignment: The dispatcher workspace in the field service management has drag-and-drop capabilities enabling dispatchers to assign tasks to technicians. Dispatchers have an overview of the technicians’ available time slots and the distance from the work location. The dispatcher can drag the unassigned task to the available technicians.
7. Route optimization: The dispatcher can also optimize the route for field service agents to reach the location in the minimal time possible.

Benefits for Technicians

Technicians are the backbone of any organization that offers field services. They are responsible for services such as installation, maintenance, repair, troubleshooting, or any other task that needs to be performed at a site. ServiceNow has the following benefits for technicians:

1. Reduced administrative work: ServiceNow FSM leverages AI to automate mundane tasks such as data entry, route planning, and more. Automation empowers them to perform the actual job of solving the problems of customers on-site.
2. Mobile agent: The accessibility of mobile applications makes it easy for the technicians to stay connected with dispatchers. Furthermore, this intuitive and native application enables them to view and record the information related to their job.
3. Managing inventory: Technicians have the information about the inventory, allowing them to find the parts they require quickly. Furthermore, they also have access to the complete service history.
4. Task management and location tracking: Field agents can manage the tasks and their location in real-time, so they stay aware of their responsibilities.
5. AI-driven insights: FSM with the help of artificial intelligence helps technicians with guidance, so they can resolve the issues more quickly.
6. Route optimization: FSM helps the technicians with the best route to reach their location. This makes it easier for them to quickly reach the site location.
7. Improves safety: Technicians are often involved in high-risk activities. Field Service Management ensures safety by offering them centralized access to documentation, safety protocols, FAQs, and more.

Benefits for Managers

Managers are responsible for recruiting & onboarding, training & development, performance management, and more. FSM in ServiceNow helps the managers in the following ways:

1. Improved customer satisfaction: By maximizing the first-time fix rate, FSM helps managers deliver the best experience to the customers.
2. Improves compliance: FSM helps managers to ensure that the appropriate processes are followed to deliver field services. Also, it documents the process to make sure that the compliance is met.
3. Upskill technicians: With the help of AI and automation, it speeds up the process for managers to train employees.
4. Proper technician utilization: By employing practices like scheduling, and route optimizations, managers can ensure that field technicians are making the most out of their working hours.

ServiceNow Field Service Management Applications

ServiceNow Field Service Management has the following applications to make field operations a breeze:

1. Access Hours Management

You can schedule the work order tasks based on the access hours defined. For example, an air conditioner is to be installed at the customer’s premises between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. only. Thus, the system will automatically assign this task to the appropriate technicians between these hours.

With dynamic scheduling, FSM can automatically assign tasks during access hours or can be assigned manually by dispatchers or managers.

2. Capacity And Reservations Management

It empowers managers to assign the appropriate amount of work to technicians that can be completed within a certain period and not overload them.

Capacity and reservation management applications also help prioritize work assignments according to demands. It has a reservation rule that enables managers to reserve a certain amount of time for various regular work orders.

3. Change Management

Change management application allows the creation of work orders from change requests. It continuously monitors the progress of the work orders to keep track of state change occurrences or work notes added.

This application works hand-to-hand with ITIL agents enabling them to create work orders in ServiceNow CSM.

4. Contractor Management

This application helps field service managers outsource the work order to third-party contractors and their staff.

Contract management helps in the following tasks;

• Onboarding third-party contractors
• Work order tasks assignment
• Reviewing and reassigning tasks
• Fallback assignment

5. Crew Operations

This application enables the dispatchers to set up a group of technicians to work together on recurring tasks. Depending on the job requirements, you can specify the hours, days, weeks, or months.

Here is how the FSM Crew Application can help:

• Create crews for scheduled and ad hoc work orders
• Highlights the tasks that require crews
• Availability of crews based on skill, location, covered radius, and availability

6. Emergency Exposure Management

This application helps field service management organizations keep their staff and customers safe. It identifies the agents and customers who visited a location where a person classified positive for a condition such as COVID-19.

Emergency Exposure Management in ServiceNow FSM helps organizations in the following ways to ensure the safety of their people:

• Trace affected agents and customers: It allows running a diagnostic based on the work order history of affected agents to find customers and agents who might be potentially affected.
• Block agent calendars: FSM allows blocking of the calendars of affected agents until they recover.
• Enforce compliance checks for agents: Compliance surveys can be created for agents to find out whether they are following the right precautions or not.

7. Field Service Territory Planning

This application helps you create and manage territories for better work scheduling. A territory could be anything: a geographical area, a type of account, a customer, or another.

Here is how Field Service Territory Planning in ServiceNow FSM can help:

• Create territories: You can create territories by drawing them on a map or matching specific attributes to create detailed service areas.
• Assign agents or crews: You can assign agents or teams directly to territories without creating assignment groups.
• Visualize resources: You can view your resources, like agents, teams, and assets, across different territories. You can also overlay custom data to visualize multiple points of information.
• Modify territories: You can change the boundaries of territories to include new data points.
• Improve efficiency: The tool helps improve scheduling efficiency, reducing travel time and cost.
• Minimize overlapping territories: You can use an interactive map to minimize overlapping territories for better scheduling and resource use.
• Manage resources: If you’re a territory manager, you can manage and allocate resources for your territories.
• Analyze performance: You can view and analyze performance data, like open tasks, agent utilization, and average travel time per territory, in the Field Service Territory Performance Analytics dashboard.

8. Intelligent Task Recommendation

This application helps dispatchers fill in the gaps in agents free time slots. If an agent is free or a task gets cancelled due to any reason, this feature suggests tasks that the agent can take upon.

Using the ServiceNow Agent mobile application, agents can see these tasks and take them upon without waiting for the system to allocate them to them. It ensures that agents are making the best of their time.

The tasks that are recommended have to meet certain criteria:

• The task is listed in the Work Order Task table.
• The task is in the Pending Dispatch state, which means it’s waiting to be assigned.
• The task is within the agent’s coverage area.
• The estimated task completion time fits into the free time slot in the agent’s calendar.

9. Predictive Intelligence

This application is powered by machine learning to recommend possible solutions for work orders.

It also helps in finding the right knowledge base article or similar word orders to assist in quickly resolving the issues.

10. Managing Appointments

This feature helps manage service appointments efficiently by allowing customers and employees to book appointments based on available time slots.

Customers can view time slots using the service portal and choose the one that is appropriate for them. On the other hand, the agents and dispatchers can also book appointments for their customers.

The process is as follows: when an appointment is booked, a work order is created, or more based on the type of service. Further, these appointments can be rescheduled or canceled within a specific time limit set in the system.

11. Mobile Application

ServiceNow Field Service Management offers a mobile application that allows you to manage your service tasks from anywhere, anytime, whether you are online or offline. It lets you organize and prioritize your work or tasks easily.

12. Planned Maintenance

This application is not a Service Management application but works along with it. It lets you manage and maintain your assets, including devices, vehicles, etc.

Work orders and requests can be made based on time or application usage. For example, a work order could be made every few months. Or, a work order could be made after a machine has been used a certain amount.

It uses Maintenance Plans, which are used to start making work orders or requests. These orders or requests are instructions on how to carry out maintenance on your assets.

13. Playbooks

This application provides a step-by-step guide for technicians on how to execute a task. In simpler terms, it helps your teams to know what to do and when to do it, making their work more efficient.

Playbooks can be used to create processes for managing different tasks. Also, they break down a workflow into several stages, and each stage depicts:

• A list of activities or steps that are needed to be done.
• Status indicators that show the current state of each step.
• Checkboxes and counters that show where an agent is in the workflow.

14. Service Locations

It allows you to add and verify the service location on demand. It makes it easier for the administrators to add locations for work orders that are not predefined.

15. Virtual Agent

A virtual agent is like a smart assistant who answers all your queries related to anything. It is an application that helps field service agents by providing quick answers to their work-related questions. It is available to the agents through their mobile app called Now Agent.

16. Virtual Conferencing Integration

This application enables the field service agents to initiate the video call from their everyday work app called Now Agent App, so they don’t need to switch between different applications.

ServiceNow Field Service Management Pricing

ServiceNow does not offer any specific pricing for Field service management. Instead, they offer custom-made quotes that depend on the needs and requirements of your business. They tend to offer flexible pricing and scalable packages that grow as your business grows.

If you are still facing any challenges or confusion, you can seek assistance from a ServiceNow consulting company. They have a team of experts who listen to your business requirements and, based on them, suggest the best solution or the right package that you should go for.

How To Get Started With ServiceNow Field Service Management?

ServiceNow field service management helps you manage all things related to field services, whether internal or on-field activities or in-house or external team operations. It helps in keeping track of all your field agents and the various tasks they have performed.

To start with Field service management, you must first assess your business challenges and goals. What are the issues or pain points you are facing in your field service business? How can this solution help you? And what do you want to achieve through implementing it in your business? All these questions must be clear at your end.

Further, you can review ServiceNow’s various resources, including reference videos, articles, and knowledge bases. Even after this, you can consult a ServiceNow consulting company if you face any challenges.

Cyntexa is a ServiceNow consulting company with over 400 tech experts. They focus on understanding your business needs to deliver top-notch services. You can connect with us for personalized consulting sessions to find ways to make your field service operations a breeze with ServiceNow.,