Top 10 Features from Field Service Release Notes Summer 2022. JET BI’s expert review

We have reviewed pretty big Field Service Release Notes Summer 2022 and prepared for you the 10 most interesting and useful features in the release. The article will save time on studying the release while highlighting the most important points.

1. Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization

Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization gradually replace existing optimization features. The new architecture and services provide a more efficient platform with improved scalability, performance, and schedule quality. 

To enable Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization, open Field Service Settings using the Quick Find box. Select Field Service Integration and Field Service Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization and save.

Also, it is possible to switch territories that have simpler scheduling scenarios to Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization. As the functionality is filled with additional features, such a transition will expand the possibilities of optimization within the selected territory.

With Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization enabled in Field Service Settings, populate checkbox Use enhanced scheduling and optimization for particular Service Territory. That operation determines the selected optimization engine.

2. Scheduled Jobs with More Capabilities

Setting up scheduled jobs that run separately for defined groups of service territories allows to better manage the volume of optimization runs. It gives the ability to control when and how often the job is run. These enhancements are available only for scheduled jobs using Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization.

With Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization enabled in Field Service Settings, and with the Use enhanced scheduling and optimization checkbox populated for selected Service Territories, to create a new job, navigate to Field Service Admin| Field Service Settings, go to Scheduled Jobs under Optimization and click New Job. For Automator Type, select Enhanced Optimization.

3. Sliding Service Appointments

A Sliding Service Appointments allows to move the appointments on the Gannt chart to use the free space for additional Service Appointments. That provides greater availability of time slots, improved SLA, and allows you to schedule longer service appointments by reducing gaps. Service appointment sliding is available only with Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization.

With Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization enabled in Field Service Settings, select Scheduling | General Logic, and then select Enable service appointment sliding.

• Service appointments can move left and right within the shift without changing the order of the service appointments scheduled in the shift;
• Pinned service appointments can’t be moved;
• Sliding won’t reshuffle scheduled appointments or violate any scheduling rules.

4. Multiple Flexible Breaks with Enhanced Work Rules

It is possible to add up to three breaks to work rules for service resources. At the start of the day, the system calculates the break times relative to the worker's available hours. Work rule allows to set break duration and a time window to availability-based work rules. Then scheduling can optimize your appointments and break times.

With Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization enabled in Field Service Settings, open work rules of the Service Resource Availability type and add a work rule entry for each break.

5. Holiday Closures

The issue with holiday displaying on Dispatcher console is resolved. Now it is possible to update operating hours so that service appointments aren’t scheduled on holidays. But holidays can be overridden by creating holiday shifts.

With Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization enabled in Field Service Settings, create holidays in setup, then add them to operating hours. To add availability during holidays, select the Holiday field on a shift.

6. Exploring the Impact of Optimization with Optimization Hub (Beta)

There is another opportunity to more clearly see the improvements of past optimization in one unified hub. 

With Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization enabled in Field Service Settings, from Optimization Requests in the Object Manager, use Lightning App Builder to add the Optimization Hub Lightning web component to the optimization request record page.

7. Scheduling Recommendations with Appointment Insights (Beta)

It is valuable to understand why service appointments can't be scheduled, and what changes can be made to qualify more time slots and candidates for scheduling. 

With Enhanced Scheduling and Optimization enabled in Field Service Settings, from Service Appointments in the Object Manager, use Lightning App Builder to add the Appointment Insights Lightning web component to the service appointment record page.

8. Live Bundling

Service appointment bundling lets you collect multiple service appointments and define them as a single entity, called a bundle. Live Bundling feature updates bundles when service appointments are modified or added to the appointment list.

To enable Live Bundling, navigate to Field Service Admin| Field Service Settings, and go to Bundling under Scheduling.

9. Guest User Permission Set License

It is possible to assign the new Field Service Guest User permission set license to the guest user profile. Guest users can have limited access to field service records so that they can perform tasks such as scheduling their own appointments. That new license replaces the Field Service Standard permission set license for guest users.

Starting in Spring ’22, you can no longer assign guest users permission sets or permission set groups associated with permission set licenses that contain View All, Modify All, edit, and delete standard object permissions. In Winter ’23, Salesforce enforces this update and removes the affected permission set and permission set group assignments from guest users.

To get ready for the changes, you can clone existing permission sets assigned to guest users and remove the disallowed permissions. Then assign the cloned permission set.

10. Work and Absence Schedules in the Mobile App (Beta)

The whole  schedule is available in the FSL Mobile app with a unified view of resource absences, service appointments, and work orders. A new setting controls whether absences appear on the Schedule tab of the Field Service mobile app. Desktop users don’t see absences added to Service Appointment list views.

The feature  is available in Android and iOS versions.

To enable - turn on Display resource absences in Schedule view (Beta) on any Field Service mobile settings configuration.

These are the most significant innovations of the release, which open up new possibilities for using the product and which will be interesting for the customers.

Beyond these updates, there are other features and enhancements to look forward to in Experience Cloud. Want to know more? Visit Salesforce Field Service Summer ’22 Release Notes

If you need any help contact us, we’d be happy to discuss how we can help you maximize the value of Salesforce.