Configuring Scheduling Policies and Automated Assignment in Field Service Lightning

 Welcome to Part 3 of our Field Service Lightning (FSL) blog series! In this post, you'll learn how to configure scheduling policies and set up automated work assignment to optimize your field operations.

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Step 1: What Are Scheduling Policies?

Scheduling policies define how FSL decides which resource (technician) is assigned to which job. They use rules and objectives, like minimizing travel time, matching skills, and prioritizing urgent work. FSL’s optimization engine relies on these policies to make decisions automatically.

Common Scheduling Policy Objectives

• Minimize Travel
• Match Skills
• Prioritize High-Priority Work
• Respect Operating Hours and Territory

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Step 2: Create a Scheduling Policy

1. Go to Field Service Settings

   • From Setup, type "Field Service Settings" and click it.

2. Open the Field Service App

   • Use the App Launcher to find and open the "Field Service" app.

3. Navigate to Scheduling Policies

   • In the Field Service app, click the "Scheduling Policies" tab.

4. Create New Scheduling Policy

   • Click New.
   • Give your policy a name, such as “Priority and Skill Match”.
   • Add objectives like “Match Skills”, “Minimize Travel”, and “Service Appointment ASAP”.

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Step 3: Add Work Rules and Objectives

• Work Rules filter out resources that don't meet job requirements (for example, required skills or territories).
• Objectives rank resources that pass the work rules, based on your business priorities.

Example:

• Work Rules: Resource Availability, Match Skills, Service Territory.
• Objectives: ASAP, Minimize Travel, Preferred Resource.

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Step 4: Assign Scheduling Policy to Service Appointments

When you create or edit a Service Appointment, you can assign a scheduling policy. The policy determines how FSL will search for and recommend resources for that appointment.

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Step 5: Automated Assignment with the Scheduling Optimizer

To automate the assignment process:

1. Use the Dispatcher Console

   • Open the Dispatcher Console from the Field Service App.
   • Select Service Appointments and click Optimize to let FSL assign resources based on your policies.

2. Set Up Optimization Runs

   • In Setup, search for "Field Service Settings".
   • Configure "Optimization Service" to run automatically on a schedule.

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Step 6: Test Your Scheduling Policy

• Create test Service Appointments with various requirements (skills, territories).
• Run the optimizer and review assigned resources.
• Adjust your policies and objectives as needed to achieve the best results.

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What's Next?

You now have a basic automated scheduling system in place! In the next post, we’ll explore the Dispatcher Console in detail and show how dispatchers can manage and monitor field operations in real time.

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Stay tuned for Post 4: “Dispatcher Console Deep Dive – Managing and Monitoring Field Operations”!