Varian: Field Service Application
Varian was making a significant shift in the work tools used by their Field Service workforce as they moved from Service Max software to Salesforce.
Deliverables
Journey Map
Field Service Application
Dispatcher Console
Timing
8 Weeks
My Role
Due to the small, I had a hand in most activities during this project. My main task was creating any visual components for workshops, helping with stakeholder and performing interviews, and creating Field Service Lightning screens.
Team
• Cheryn Flanagan, Project Lead
• Pearl Koppenhaver, User Researcher
• Erin Gillespie, UI/UX Designer
Situation
Through this 8 week project, Varian sought to better understand:
the experience Dispatchers and Field Service Engineers would have with Salesforce Dispatch Console and Field Service Lightning Mobile
how today’s pain points could be improved
how to address global field service operations that have different needs, requirements, and processes
How might we..
develop a Work Order process for Dispatchers and Field Service Engineers that is fast, streamlined, and performed consistently across global geos?
Process
User research and co-creation workshops help us connect the dots between user roles, their dependencies on each other, and work tools that link everything together.
Targeted Users
Field Service Dispatcher
“My goal is to get the customer’s problem solved with the right Engineer for the job.”
Primary Tasks
Assign /schedule engineers
Handle emergencies
Handle escalations and reassignments
Support engineers in the field
Plan maintenance service
Field Service Technician
“My focus is taking care of the customer and making sure the issue is resolved.”
Primary Tasks
Engineering machines: Fixing, PMI, STB, installs less than 20 hours
Administrative work: updating work orders, ordering parts, Field Service Reports
Managing the customer relationship
Staying educated and current on role and duties
Field Service Manager
“My goal is to always improve the experience for engineers and customers. We’re continuously looking for ways to do that.”
Primary Tasks
Billing review
Employee development and supporting other teams
Reporting: annual reports, analytics
Customer visits
Creating quotes and contracts
Ticket escalation
Targeted Users
Field Service Dispatcher
“My goal is to get the customer’s problem solved with the right Engineer for the job.”
Primary Tasks
Assign /schedule engineers
Handle emergencies
Handle escalations and reassignments
Support engineers in the field
Plan maintenance service
Field Service Technician
“My focus is taking care of the customer and making sure the issue is resolved.”
Primary Tasks
Engineering machines: Fixing, PMI, STB, installs less than 20 hours
Administrative work: updating work orders, ordering parts, Field Service Reports
Managing the customer relationship
Staying educated and current on role and duties
Field Service Manager
“My goal is to always improve the experience for engineers and customers. We’re continuously looking for ways to do that.”
Primary Tasks
Billing review
Employee development and supporting other teams
Reporting: annual reports, analytics
Customer visits
Creating quotes and contracts
Ticket escalation
New Insights
Current Cumbersome User Experience. Disparities in the processes and work tools related to how Work Orders and service appointments are created, assigned, and completed make maintaining a great user experience cumbersome, if not impossible.
Barriers between Dispatchers and Field Service Engineers. Results in a lack of visibility and subsequent escalations, can be dismantled with tools and processes that work seamlessly together, by design.
Work tools for Field Service Engineers must support the conditions of being on the road (e.g. UIs that promote safety while driving); work well in remote locations with limited Wifi; and enable Engineers to quickly complete the Work Order on site.
Field Service work tools should be as high-performing as the workforce.
A COMMON WORK ORDER PROCESS
A common Work Order process ensures that field service is performed consistently across geos and business units.
A global, unified process eliminates the complexity in maintaining and managing work tools and creates consistent data and metrics that inform business decisions.
Field Service Lightning | Dispatcher Console
CONCEPT PROTOTYPE
Streamline the process of finding and scheduling the best Field Service Engineer for the job.
Dispatchers have all the tools and information needed to quickly address customer requests at their fingertips, including Engineer availability, location, and skills. Coupled with system generated recommendations, dispatching service appointments in a timely manner is a breeze.
CONCEPT PROTOTYPE
Provide Field Service Engineers with a mobile tool that supports the dynamics of their work. It’s fluid, on-the-go, and immediate.
Field Service work is not predictable, so worktools need to offer flexibility. Engineers are continually adapting to changing conditions, are on-the-go, remote, and juggling a few things at once. Provide mobile and laptop apps, address connectivity issues, and offer some degree of flexibility in process requirements.
Field Service Lightning | Mobile Application
Field Service Lightning | Mobile Application
CONCEPT PROTOTYPE
Simplify the process and number of inputs required to complete a Work Order once the job is finished.
Saving on effort saves time. Getting users through tasks with the least amount of effort also reduces headache and promotes adherence to documenting desired information. Reduce clicks and taps, remove irrelevant input fields and other visual noise, and simplify process flows to free valuable time.
CONCEPT PROTOTYPE
Leave customers with a signed Field Service Report at the end of the appointment.
The ability to capture a digital customer signature and generate a Field Service Report with information already input to the Work Order— while on site — not only allows Engineers to close the Work Order expediently, but meets legal requirements (in some geos) and provides the customer with the documentation they expect. It’s a win for everyone: the business, the Engineer, and the customer.
Field Service Lightning | Mobile Application
Best Steps Forward
To demonstrate the new, improved experience with Salesforce Dispatch Console and Field Service Lightning Mobile, the Envision team focused on the end-to-end Work Order process, which involves multiple user roles and tools, and must work seamlessly together.
Today, there are disparate global processes involved in field service; aligning to a common Work Order process requires business process change that affects everyone in different ways. The Experience Design team provided the detail required for business operations to align on the path forward.
The Experience Design team demonstrated a vision for Dispatchers and Field Service Engineers that better connects them to each other, provides field insight, and increases the efficiency of servicing customers. This vision sets Varian up to successfully design, build, and launch a new experience with Salesforce that’s already validated by the end users.
