An efficient field service management connects teams, optimizes operations, and astounds customers. Salesforce Field Service is rapidly gaining traction as a powerful tool for businesses that require mobile field services. If you want to learn how to create skills in Field Service, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we’ll guide you step-by-step on how to create skills in Salesforce Field Service. We’ll cover the basics of customizing field service to suit your business’s unique needs, from creating a skill set for your field technicians to assigning specific skills to work orders. By the end of this blog post, you’ll feel confident and ready to tackle any challenge thrown your way in Salesforce Field Service. So, let’s get started!
What is the Relationship Between Skill, Service Resource Skill, and Skill Requirement?
In the context of field service, skills refer to the knowledge, expertise, and abilities required to perform a particular job or task. A Resource Skill refers to the skills possessed by a particular service resource (such as a technician or engineer) that make them qualified to perform certain types of work. Skill requirements are the specific skills needed for a particular job or task, which may vary depending on factors such as the type of equipment being serviced, the complexity of the job, and customer requirements.
The relationship between these concepts is that skill requirements are used to determine which service resource is best suited for a particular job or task based on their Service Resource Skill. By matching service resources with appropriate skill requirements, businesses can ensure that they are providing customers with skilled technicians who can perform high-quality work. Additionally, by tracking and managing Service Resource Skills and skill requirements, businesses can optimize resource allocation and improve overall operational efficiency.
Skill Fields for Field Service
The skills in your field service workforce represent certifications and areas of expertise. The following fields are available for skills: service resource skills and skill requirements. Based on your page layout and field-level security settings, you may not be able to view or edit some fields.
Skill
Skills represent a certification or area of expertise. They are created in Setup.
| FIELD NAME | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Name | Name of the skill. |
| Description | Description of the skill. |
| Developer Name | Specific name that is given to the skill in the API. |
Service Resource Skill
These skills are assigned to service resources, and they appear on service resource detail pages in the skills related list.
| FIELD NAME | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| End Date | The expiration date of the skill. For instance, if a resource must be re-certified every month, the end date is the date their certification expires. |
| Service Resource | The resource that entails the skill. |
| Skill | The skill retained by the resource. |
| Skill Level | The skill level of the resource. The level of skill can range from 0 to 99.99. |
| Start Date | The date the resource acquires the skill; for example, if the skill is a certification, the start date is the date of certification. |
Skill Requirement
Skill requirements are skills that a service resource needs to complete a task. They appear in the Skill Requirements related list on work type, work order, and work order line-item detail pages.
| FIELD NAME | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Related Record | The work order, work order line item, or work type for which the skill is required |
| Skill | Required skill |
| Skill Level | The required level of skill and its level can range from 0 to 99.99 |
Work Types for Field Service
Work types have the following fields:
| FIELD NAME | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Auto-Create Service Appointment | Select to automatically create service appointments on work orders or work order line items that use the work type. |
| Description | The description of the work type. Try to include details about the task or tasks represented by this work type. |
| Duration Type | The unit of the Estimated Duration: Minutes or Hours. |
| Estimated Duration | The estimated duration of the work. Based on the value entered in the Duration Type field, the estimated duration is in minutes or hours. |
| Exact Appointments | If selected, service appointment time slots reflect the time required for the work rather than a time window in which the work occurs. This setting is useful for work types that have a specific start time, such as office visits. |
| Minimum Crew Size | The minimum crew size that can be assigned to records based on the work type. If you aren’t using the Field Service managed package, this field is more of a suggestion than a rule. If you’re using the managed package, the scheduling optimizer counts the number of service crew members on a service crew to see if it meets the minimum crew size requirement for a record. NOTE: By default, this field is hidden for all users. To use it, change the field-level security settings and include it in your work type page layouts. |
| Name | The name of the work type. Use a name that will help users quickly understand the types of work orders that can be generated from the work type like Valve replacement. |
| Recommended Crew Size | The recommended number of service crew members assigned to the record using this work type. NOTE: By default, this field is hidden for all users. To use it, change the field-level security settings and include it in your work type page layouts. |
| Service Report Template | The service report template associated with the work type. If you do not specify a service report template on a work order, the service report template listed on the work type is used. If no template is specified for the work type or no work type is specified, the work order uses the default service report template. The same can be said for work order line items. |
How to Create Skills in Salesforce Field Service?
When you create work types and service resources in Guided Setup, you can easily create and assign skills if the Field Service managed package is installed. Create skills in Setup first if you aren’t using Guided Setup. Then, assign them to service resources or define skill requirements for them.
USER PERMISSIONS NEEDED
| Create and update skills in Setup: | Customize Application |
| Assign skills to service resources: | Edit on service resources |
| View service resources’ skills: | Read on service resources |
| Add required skills to work orders or work order line items: | Edit on work orders |
| Add required skills to work types: | Edit on work types |
Determine Skill level
A skill level of 0 to 99.99 can be assigned to skills and skill requirements. Use the Skill Level field, for example, to indicate years of experience, or create a matrix that maps professional license classes to skill level numbers.
Configure Skill Settings
Customize page layouts and who can view and create skills to control how your field service team works with skills.
Create Skills
Create basic skills in your organization to get started with skills for field service. You can add details like skill level and time duration when assigning skills to service resources or marking them as required on work orders and work types.
- Enter Skills in the Quick Find box in Salesforce Classic Setup, then select Skills under Field Service.
- Enter a name, such as Technician Certification, as well as a description.
- Skip the Chat-specific sections Assign Users and Assign Profiles.
- Save your changes.
Assign Skills to Service Resources
Now, you can assign skills to service resources to keep track of their certifications and areas of expertise.
- Create a resource skill in the Skills related list from a service resource record.
- Select skill and enter a skill level between 0 and 99.99.
- Enter a start and end date, if necessary. For example, if a mobile worker must be recertified in a specific skill every six months, enter an end date that is six months later than the start date.
- Save your skill.
Add the Skill
You can add the skill to work types, work orders, or work order line items as a requirement. Work orders and work order line items inherit the skill requirements of their work type.
- Create a skill requirement in the Skill Requirements related list from a work type, work order, or work order line-item record.
- Select a specific skill and enter a skill level between 0 and 99.99.
- Save your skill requirement.
Group Service Crew Skills
Understand how the Field Service Lightning managed package considers the skills of a service crew when scheduling appointments.
Key Takeaways
Salesforce Field Service is an essential tool for businesses of all sizes. When you create skills in Salesforce Field Service, it gives you the capability to efficiently manage and track your field service activities. Additionally, by defining your own process and procedures, you can ensure that your field service operations are carried out in a consistent and efficient manner. If you’re interested in learning more about how to create skills in Salesforce Field Service, please contact us for more information. We as a would be happy to discuss the benefits of using this platform and help you get started with Salesforce Field Service implementation, integration and manage services.
Read More: What is Service Resources & Territories in Field Service?
