Create and define work orders

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In Dynamics 365 Field Service, you can create work orders in many ways. Choose the method that best fits how your organization gets service requests and how much information you have when you create the request.

Common methods for creating work orders include:

• As part of a defined sales or service process.
• As an escalation from a case that you can't resolve remotely.
• Automatically, based on a recurring service agreement.

Manual work order creation

In many organizations, dispatchers or service coordinators create work orders manually after they receive a customer request. They enter information such as the customer, service location, work order type, and pricing details.

When you create a work order manually, review these common areas:

• General contains the status, customer, work order type, and pricing details.
• Products and Services lists the products and services included in the work order.
• Tasks defines the work that the technician completes.
• Reference displays the knowledge articles, guides, or media associated with the work order.
• Timeline tracks calls, appointments, and other related activities.

Converting from an opportunity

Many organizations sell service-based offerings. For example, a retailer that sells appliances or furniture might also sell installation services. In these scenarios, Dynamics 365 can track the sales process and convert the final sale into a work order.

To convert an opportunity to a work order, on the opportunity record, select Convert to Work Order. Before you do so, define the following items.

• Work order type: On the Field Service tab of the opportunity, enter a work order type.
• Sales tax code: On the related account record, enter the default sales tax code. If the account is tax exempt, note that on the account record.

Converting from a case

There are times when contact center agents or help desk teams can't resolve a problem remotely. In those cases, they can convert the case into a work order and dispatch a technician.

Like opportunities, cases can be converted to work orders.

To ensure you can convert a case, define the following items first:

• Incident type: On the Field Service tab of the case, define the incident type so the work order includes the correct products, services, and tasks.
• Price list: Define a price list for the work order so the system can price the products and services correctly.

Recurring service scenarios often use agreements to generate work orders automatically.

• Agreements: Agreements can generate work orders on a defined schedule. They're common in preventive maintenance scenarios, such as inspecting equipment every three months. When you plan agreement-based work order creation, consider these questions:

  • What types of agreements do you need?
  • How often should work orders be generated?
  • Should the work orders also be scheduled automatically?
  • What products, services, tasks, or skills should be included?

Portal and IoT-driven work order creation are valid scenarios, but they usually require additional solution design beyond the core work order lifecycle.