Field service scheduling and asset history for a manufacturer

Client context

A manufacturer maintains installed equipment at customer sites. Work is scheduled by regional coordinators using spreadsheets and telephone calls. Engineers record work on paper forms that are keyed in later, sometimes days after the visit.

The challenge

Customer sites frequently have poor connectivity, so a purely online mobile experience will not work. Asset history is fragmented across paper records and several systems, making preventive maintenance planning impossible. Parts availability is not visible at the point of scheduling.

Objectives

• One scheduling view across regions with skills and parts visibility
• Mobile capture that works reliably without connectivity
• A consolidated service history per asset
• Preventive maintenance planning based on actual service records
• Reduced delay between visit and recorded work

The solution

Work orders, assets, skills and parts are modelled in Dynamics 365 Field Service, with scheduling visibility across regions. Engineers use the mobile experience with offline capability, capturing work, parts consumed, photographs and customer sign-off, synchronising when connectivity returns. Asset records consolidate service history, enabling preventive maintenance scheduling based on actual intervals. Reporting covers scheduling efficiency, first-time fix and parts consumption.

Architecture

• Dynamics 365 Field Service for work order, asset, resource and scheduling management
• Field Service mobile with offline profiles scoped to the engineer assigned work
• Dataverse as system of record for assets, work orders and service history
• Integration to the ERP for parts inventory and customer master data
• Power BI reporting on scheduling, first-time fix and consumption
• Azure integration services for scheduled and event-based ERP synchronisation