Salesforce Unveils the Next Generation of Salesforce Field Service

Salesforce has announced the next generation of Salesforce Field Service, equipping teams across industries with AI-powered tools to deliver trusted, mission-critical field service.

Salesforce Field Service includes new appointment scheduling and optimisation capabilities, AI-driven guidance for dispatchers, asset performance insights and automated customer communications, all of which help ensure jobs are completed the first time, on time, every time.

Mark Cattini, Senior Vice President, Field Service Management, Salesforce, said, “When the pandemic first hit, many industries that send employees out to complete jobs in the field had to shut down entirely. But critical machinery still needs to be repaired—medical devices require servicing, air conditioning units need to be fixed and assembly line machines still malfunction. After getting over the initial shock of COVID-19, frontline workers got back to work and have been at it ever since.

“After an initial dip in March, Salesforce Field Service saw usage jump more than 50% between April and July 2020, and is actually now being used 20% more than at pre-COVID levels as companies and frontline workers scramble to clear the backlog of service requests created earlier this year.”

Salesforce Field Service innovations include:

• Dynamic Priority enables dispatchers to focus on the jobs that matter most, with scheduling and optimisation capabilities that automatically prioritise jobs based on the service level agreement or how critical the work is. For example, if maintenance is due or a warranty is about to expire, that job will automatically receive higher priority over others.
• Einstein Recommendation Builder enables organisations to rapidly deploy machine learning models to enhance service, including AI-powered recommendations to ensure mobile workers always have the right parts for the job. Einstein will scan past work orders for previous similar jobs to identify which parts will be needed for the current one.
• Asset 360 is a new set of asset management capabilities that ServiceMax is building in partnership with Salesforce. With Asset 360, companies will have complete visibility into their install base, service contracts and asset performance (e.g. machinery, medical equipment) to maximise the uptime of complex equipment and reduce operational costs.
• Appointment Assistant uses live status updates and GPS to automatically update customers on the technician’s arrival time. This keeps customers informed, and gives them a chance to vacate the premises and/or adequately prepare before the technician arrives—increasing safety for both technician and customer while social distancing is advised.

Dynamic Priority will be generally available in October 2020. Einstein Recommendation Builder will be in beta in October 2020. Asset 360 will be generally available in November 2020. Appointment Assistant will be in closed pilot in US in October 2020.