Field Service Lightning Licenses: Agents, Dispatchers, Technicians & What They Do

Field Service Lightning’s core benefit lies in its ability to coordinate multiple teams and efficiently divide work between them. But

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Field Service Lightning’s core benefit lies in its ability to coordinate multiple teams and efficiently divide work between them. But when translating that benefit into system requirements, things get hairier. Because multi-team collaboration requires different levels of access for different roles. So it’s difficult for some Field Service Lightning (FSL) admins to figure out which types of users need which permissions and settings to work effectively in the platform.

Well, wonder no more. This post highlights the 3 roles critical to field service organizations, their responsibilities and the Field Service Lightning licenses they need to get the job done. The below information will help you move past FSL confusion to build a well-functioning team, without overpaying for licenses you don’t need.

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3 Service Roles and the Field Service Lightning Licenses They Need

1. Agnes Agent

Agnes’ responsibilities: Agnes is your typical call center agent. She’d likely use Service Cloud even if her company didn’t have Field Service Lightning. So within Salesforce, her primary responsibilities are answering customer calls and creating Salesforce cases based on them. If any cases require an on-site service visit, she creates service appointments to let her co-workers (read below) know what needs to be done where. If your service team is a human body, Agnes represents the eyes — telling everyone else what’s happening out there and where to focus their attention.

Agnes’ permissions: As an agent, Agnes doesn’t necessarily need access to parts of the Salesforce platform specific to Field Service Lightning, like the Dispatcher Console or the FSL mobile app. Instead, she just needs access to Service Cloud objects like Cases, Work Orders, Assets and Entitlements. She also requires the ability to create service appointments to complete the handoff between teams.

The standard permissions for “FSL Agent License” and “FSL Agent Permission” give her the access she needs. But her admin could also grant her the required abilities through her profile instead of permissions sets. So you may not need completely separate Field Service Lightning licenses to grant “Agent”-type access to current Service Cloud users; you may just need to adjust their profile permissions.

2. Dez Dispatcher

Dez’s responsibilities: Once Agnes creates a service appointment, the ball is in Dez’s court. The appointment automatically appears in the FSL Dispatcher Console, unscheduled and unassigned. From there, Dez can compare the job needs to the skills and schedules of available technicians (read below) to assign the right person to the job and find an open time for them to get it done.

Field Service Lightning Dispatcher Console

Image: Salesforce

The dispatcher console also allows Dez to reschedule or cancel appointments as priorities change, communicate with his technicians and view any technician’s route details (distance between appointments, traffic, etc.). Dez is the metaphorical brain of your service team, making decisions about who goes where to do what — all in the name of providing efficient and effective service.

Dez’s permissions: Dez can’t do his job in Salesforce without the Dispatcher Console, and the permissions for “FSL Dispatcher License” and “FSL Dispatcher Permissions” give him access to everything he needs. But watch out! Anyone who needs access to this console needs these permissions. So even if someone says they “just want to see the Dispatcher Console,” you’ll need another license to fulfill that wish.

3. Terry Technician

Terry’s responsibilities: Terry is the hands of your service team, nimbly executing tasks out in the world. Once Dez assigns him a service appointment, Terry uses the Field Service Lightning mobile app to see all of his upcoming appointments, map them out and understand the details behind each one. Then, after he completes a service request for a customer on site, he can capture customer sign-off for the completed service on the app as well.

Field Service Lightning Mobile App

Image: Salesforce

Terry’s permissions: While you can ask Salesforce for a certain number of “FSL technician licenses,” these licenses actually appear as two distinct permissions: “Field Service Mobile” and “Field Service Scheduling.”

The “Mobile” permission grants Terry access to the FSL mobile app. Similar to the Dispatcher Console, the mobile app is only visible to those with this permission set, so even execs and admins who want to see the mobile app need these Field Service Lightning licenses.

Meanwhile, the name of the “Scheduling” permission is a bit confusing. Terry needs this permission because “Schedul-ing” must be assigned to any technician who needs to be schedul-ed in FSL. Without it, they don’t show up as an available technician in the Dispatcher Console.

So most technicians rely on these “Mobile” and “Scheduling” permissions, and both of these permissions require full Salesforce access. Some service teams don’t need their technicians to use desktop Salesforce, though, so they worry they’re overpaying for functionality and access their technicians don’t need. If your business is like that — your technicians only need FSL mobile access — talk to your Salesforce Account Executive. You two may be able to reach a compromise on licensing.

Keep in mind that these roles could look different on your team. Your organization may have multiple Agneses, Dezes and Terries working in unison. Or, in smaller businesses, the same person could be both an Agnes and a Dez. How you divide these responsibilities is up to you. But however you do it, each user will need the permissions their role requires.

More questions about Field Service Lighting licenses or any other aspect of the product? Let us know! We’re happy to help out.

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AUTHOR

Danielle Sutton