Use incident types

  • 8 minutes

An incident type defines a reusable job. Adding it to a work order creates a work order incident and adds the template's products, services, service tasks, and required characteristics to the work order. Review those details before scheduling the work so the technician receives the right tasks, parts, service details, and asset context.

Apply an incident type and review the work

For the annual HVAC inspection, start with a work order for the visit:

  1. Select the Annual HVAC inspection incident type in the work order's incident type lookup, and select Save.
  2. Allow the related products, services, service tasks, and characteristics to be added in the background.
  3. Review the work order type and price list. The incident type's default work order type supplies the category; the work order type can supply a price list.
  4. Associate the work order incident with the customer asset that needs service. This association identifies the equipment for the visit and supports its service history.
  5. Review the resulting records before scheduling.

Check the records against the actual visit:

  • Products: Confirm the planned items and quantities, such as one replacement filter, and check that the price list includes the relevant items.
  • Services: Confirm the planned labor or other service items.
  • Service tasks: Check the task sequence, estimates, and instructions. If a task uses an inspection, confirm that it references the intended template.
  • Characteristics: Check the skills or certifications on the related resource requirement. You can find them under Related > Characteristics.
  • Duration: Review the estimated work and the related resource requirement used for scheduling.

For example, the standard template includes one filter, but the selected asset can require a different filter product. Adjust the work order for that visit rather than changing the reusable template for every customer.

If expected records don't appear, check that the products are active, the price list includes the products and services, and your security role permits creation of the related work order records. Don't assume that selecting an incident type alone confirms that all related details are ready.

For current procedures, see Create work order templates with incident types.

Add another incident for additional work

A work order can contain multiple incidents. For example, an HVAC visit can include the annual inspection and a separate repair procedure. Keep each job associated with the appropriate customer asset, especially when one visit covers multiple pieces of equipment.

To add another incident:

  1. Open the work order and go to Related > Incidents.
  2. Select New Work Order Incident and choose the additional incident type.
  3. Select Save & Close, then review the added work.

The additional incident contributes its products, services, service tasks, characteristics, and duration. Check for overlapping tasks or parts, and review the total work before scheduling. Only one incident is the primary incident; that designation doesn't mean the other incidents are excluded from the work.

Note

Editing an incident type doesn't change the details already added to existing work orders. Review existing work separately when a procedure changes.

Connect inspections to the technician's tasks

An inspection reaches a work order through a service task type. The inspection template contains the questions, the service task type references the published template, and the work order service task connects it to the visit.

For the annual HVAC inspection, confirm that Complete HVAC inspection uses the intended published template. Including that task in the incident type adds it with the rest of the planned work. You can also add a service task directly to a work order when the visit requires a separate checklist.

The technician completes and saves the inspection responses, then records task completion and the result. Review the saved responses in the work order context; the presence of an inspection task isn't evidence that the inspection is complete. For details, see Use inspections in work orders.

Review inspection templates created with Copilot (preview)

Copilot can convert an existing PDF or image of a checklist into a draft inspection template. This feature assists template authoring; it doesn't diagnose equipment from a photograph or automatically revise incident types.

Important

Copilot inspection-template creation is a preview feature with environment, version, and regional requirements. An administrator must enable Create inspection templates (Preview) in the Copilot settings for Field Service. Preview access isn't required to complete the core workflows in this module; you can use a manually authored inspection template.

For example, an administrator can use an existing HVAC checklist as the source for a draft rather than entering every question manually. The administrator still reviews the generated template before making it available:

  1. Compare the draft with the source: Check that the questions, instructions, answer options, and any measurement units retain their intended meaning.
  2. Correct the question types and settings: Check how answers are collected and which questions require a response. An inaccurate conversion can change how a technician records findings.
  3. Preview the inspection: Confirm that the template captures the information needed for the service task. Correct omissions or discard an unsuitable draft.
  4. Publish and associate the template: Publish the reviewed inspection and associate it with the relevant service task type. Then include the task in the incident type or add it directly to the work order.

For example, a source question that asks for a numeric reading needs an appropriate response format and clear units. A generated question that collects unstructured text instead needs review before publication. Generation produces a draft, not proof that the questions are accurate or ready for technicians.

Complex forms and low-quality source images can reduce conversion quality. Keep the source checklist available during review and confirm the current supported file limits and prerequisites in Create inspections with Copilot (preview). For additional limitations, see FAQ about creating inspection templates with Copilot.