Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform benefit from twice yearly updates from Microsoft, known as Release Waves, these updates see a raft of new features and enhanced functionality delivered to the platform. These updates are mandatory for customers using the online platform and are automatically applied to environments in April & October of each year.
Following Microsoft publishing the release wave 1 notes, we look at the key features being released for Dynamics 365 Field Service and how these can benefit your organisation.
Get information quickly with Field Service Mobile app enhancements
Whilst these enhancements aren’t tied to the April release date, Microsoft have committed to applying incremental releases between April and September to improve the performance of the Field Service Mobile app. These improvements will see mobile users benefiting from fast load times when launching and navigating through the app, improved performance when working with inconsistent network connectivity and faster syncing of data for working offline. These improvements will deliver a smoother user experience for field workers, helping field based organisations to drive adoption of the mobile app and capitalise on the apps existing functionality to work collaboratively, anywhere.
Early access for these enhancements will be available from Feb 2023 with General Availability in September 2023.
Find Field Service information with enhanced search capabilities
Enhancements to the global search in Dynamics 365 Field Service will make it easier for users to find all types of Field Service records, including Work Orders, Bookings, Resources and Accounts. Users can use the global search to find Field Service records of all types using keywords such as account name, resource name and incident type, making it easier for users to track down important records. The enhanced search capabilities can also be configured to support searching custom tables and columns, meaning this improvement can benefit your organisation regardless of whether you’re using the standard Field Service product, or you’ve configured it to meet your organisation’s needs.
Early access for these enhanced search capabilities will be available from Feb 2023 with General Availability in April 2023.
Model location and asset hierarchies for large facilities
For organisations needing to track and service assets which are stored at customer sites, the asset and locations hierarchies assist in visualising these items and locations. With the upcoming Wave 1 release, this functionality is expanded to support assets which are stored in a location which is different to it’s parent asset. This allows field based organisations to better model these hierarchies for complex situations, providing on-screen information to the user that the parent asset is in a separate location.
Early access for this feature will be available from Feb 2023 with General Availability in April 2023.
Manage work order costs using the not-to-exceed function
For field service organisations charging customers per job, the new not-to-exceed function enables a maximum cost per work order value to be set against the custom, location, incident or at an individual work order level. This new feature helps field workers to stay within preapproved limits and notifying them as they are approaching the limits.
Public Preview for this feature is available from March 2023 with General Availability in April 2023.
Organise your service operations using trades
Many field based organisations have multiple functions, such as a building maintenance organisation which provides plumbing, gas and electrical services. Whilst many customers may only be contracted to certain services, using Trades allows you to associate those services with the customer. There are two key benefits of this, if a work order is raised for a trade which is not applicable for the customer then users are notified so you don’t deliver services outside of contract. The other key benefit is that it aids usability by prefiltering the list of available incident types to only those applicable to the selected trade.
Public Preview for this feature is available from March 2023 with General Availability in April 2023.
Simplify user experience by optionally removing work order costs
Admins will now be able to toggle ‘Calculate Cost’ in Field Service settings to show/hide the fields related to costs on work orders. This simplifies the user experience for organisations which don’t charge per work order.
Public Preview for this feature is available from March 2023 with General Availability in April 2023.
Remove user option to switch to legacy schedule board
Following the introduction of the next generation schedule board in Dynamics 365 Field Service, Wave 1 2023 sees the ‘Switch to legacy’ option removed from the schedule board.
Early Access for this change is available from Jan 2023 with General Availability in April 2023.
If your organisation is considering implementing Dynamics 365 Field Service, or need support to get the best out of an existing implementation, contact us to speak to our team of Field Service experts who can help you to maximise the business value achieved from the product.
