• by Ray Schultz , August 25, 2023

Salesforce has added several new features to its Field Service suite to help firms bring to their field staffs the same artificial intelligence (AI) technologies they have in their offices. 

The goal is to provide the mobile workforce with “the AI tools and real-time data needed to efficiently handle jobs and offload time-consuming administrative tasks, so they can focus on their craft, deliver great service, and generate revenue for their companies,” says Taksina Eammano, executive vice president and general manager of field service, Salesforce.

The company cites statistics showing that application rates for young people seeking work as skilled tradespeople dropped by almost 50% from 2020-2022 in the U.S. 

Among the tools is Appointment Assistant, which is now available with Salesforce products like Einstein Bots, and all messaging channels. This enables customers to book appointments and check if a technician is on the way. 

- In addition, Data Cloud provides a unified view of customers and their assets, — including customer purchase details, service history, and IoT signals on machine health.

- Meanwhile, Work Capacity Management enables companies to reserve the capacity for priority work.

- External Knowledge Search utilizes generative AI to provide frontline teams with access to the right customer, asset, along with their service history data prior to jobs.

Field service teams can also avail themselves from the Mobile quoting and document builder and Salesforce Pay Now, which provides payment capabilities within the app.

Field Service is used by such brands as AAA: The Auto Club Group, Pella, and Ryder System, Inc.