What's the best Workflow- Cases or Work Orders?

[narnall]

Hi, We have just implemented ServiceMax and i was wondering what is the better option to use for Phone Support issues.

Cases for issues that can be fixed over the phone, but if a technician needs to be dispatched a Work Order should be created?

Any help/ ideas would be appreciated.

[desirae_szlobod]

Hi Nathan,

Thank you for posting your question in the community!  Generally speaking, the best solution is to use the Cases object for your incoming issues that can be fixed over the phone.  And yes, if the issue requires a technician to be dispatched, you can create the Work Order directly from the case.  To do this you would use an SFM.  You can use the standard Create Work Order From Case SFM or you can create a custom SFM if needed.  You can find additional information about SFMs in our Knowledge section at the following location:

SFM Processes Guide.pdf

Please let me know if this answers your question.

Have a great weekend!

Dez

crt_desiraes​

[narnall]

Thanks Desirae.

I'm unable to access the .pdf attached. It display and 'unauthorized access' message.

[lacycotton]

Hi Nathan,

I see you had some trouble accessing the linked document from Dez. It's a PDF of helpful content that can also be found in our ServiceMax User Docs Site HERE​. If that link isn't working for you, please try this instead, and you should see a clearly organized repository discussing uses for SFMs and Processes.

Regarding your question about "Best Practice" Workflows, I do concur that if your Salesforce.com org already supports access and use of the Cases object, that an ideal workflow for Phone Support would include Cases. This workflow would operate as such:

1. Customer Calls in with Issue
2. Phone Support User Receives call, looks up Account / Contact / Location / Installed Product in Question
3. User creates a Case Record via SFM from one of the records above and records issue information and other vital data from Customer
4. If possible, User recommends solution over the phone & records results
5. If the issue is resolved, user updates Case status and closes Call
6. If issue is not resolved, User creates a Work Order for Field Service from the Case. This work order will be associated to the Case and may autopopulate information from the case into the work order fields.
7. WO is ready for dispatching & completion

Some benefits of using the Case object as part of your workflow include:

• Multiple Work Orders can be associated to a single Case, for easy management of multiple necessary Field Services or Technicians
• Cases are supported by both entitlement and by Preventive Maintenance processes
• Cases allows for "Case Roles" which can be useful for a case with multiple contributors

Now, if your org does not have the licensing to grant access to the Case Object, this workflow is still entirely possible using only Work Orders. Some SVMX customer actually prefer this method because it keeps all types of Service housed in a single object! The workflow for a Work Order only process would proceed as such:

1. Customer Calls in with Issue
2. Phone Support User Receives call, looks up Account / Contact / Location / Installed Product in Question
3. From one of the records above, User creates a Work Order Record (via SFM) with Order Type of "Phone Support" and records issue information and other vital data from Customer
4. If possible, User recommends solution over the phone & records results; user may also record labor performed as Remote assistance
5. If the issue is resolved, user updates the Work Order status and closes Call
6. If issue is not resolved, User has some options for workflow:
   1. to Update the Work Order Type from "Phone Support" to "Field Service" and continue using this WO for dispatching,
   2. OR they may create a New Work Order (with order type of "Field Service") from the Existing Work Order. A newly created work order can be associated to the previous "Phone Support" Work Order and may autopopulate information from the record into the work order fields.
7. WO is ready for dispatching & completion

I hope you find this information useful for your determination of Workflow "Best Practice!" Let me know if you have any other questions!

Many Thanks,

Lacy Cotton

Lead Solution Architect

Servicemax, Inc

[sgs1965]

Lacy Cotton thanks for a great post. Can you expand on your comment about why some people prefer to WO object over the Case Object?  Originally you wrote "Some SVMX customer actually prefer this method because it keeps all types of Service housed in a single object."   While I understand this sentence additional commentary is needed to understand why having all services types in a single object is a good thing.   Thanks.

[lacycotton]

Hi Scott Stephens

Absolutely, I would be happy to expand on my comment above!

The reason why some of SVMX's customers prefer utilizing only the Work Order Object over both the Case Object and the Work Order Object is because they can contain multiple types of Service (Remote, Onsite Repair, Preventive Maintenance) within the Work Order object without any compromise to the integrity of the data (and with some additional benefits). I've listed some of these benefits below:

• Reporting: Keeping all Service managed within a single Object makes for straightforward reporting. Reports and Dashboards only need to reference one object and can present comparable data using the same master list of object fields.
• Data Management: The Work Order Object is flexible enough to manage multiple record types (Service Types) with their own page layouts and field dependencies. It is also possible to group multiple Work Orders under a "Parent" Work Order, in much the same way WOs would be grouped under a single "Case" Record. Any estimated work can be recorded on the Work Order prior to execution, and then converted from estimate to actual consumption upon completion of the WO record. All of this data remains housed in the single WO object, presented in a centralized format that makes the Work Order Record a "one stop hub" for relevant information.
• User Experience: Salesforce Profiles and SVMX Configuration Profiles both provide configurable functionality to ensure the use of the Work Order object is a smooth user experience both in the browser and on the mobile application. The localization of the data on the WO Object actually assists in making the user's experience more beneficial and efficient.

Hopefully these details help to further explain my point in the comment above. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!

Many Thanks,

Lacy Cotton
Lead Solution Architect

Servicemax, Inc

[narnall]

Thanks for that information.

Would you please be able to point me in the direction on how you configure multiple types of Service within the Work Order object and group multiple WO under a Parent?

Cheers

[desirae_szlobod]

Hi Nathan Arnall​,

I see that Lacy Cotton​ picked up on your last comment, thank you Lacy!  Please let us know if you have any additional questions or need any assistance.

Have a great day!

Dez Szloboda

crt_desiraes​

[siva_shankar]

Hi Nathan Arnall​,

Thank you for posting here in the community.   I see that Lacy Cotton  has provided the information about "Best Practice" Workflows.  Did you get a chance to check it out? If the thread that was provided answered your question, I encourage you to mark your question answered.  

Thanks!

crt_sivas​