SFM Transactions
SFM Transaction Manager also known as SFM is the central engine in ServiceMax that helps you define the flow of information across various service delivery processes. SFM enables you to maintain the accuracy and consistency of such information throughout the service delivery cycle. It also helps reduce the time spent on each step.Following are some examples of ServiceMax standard flows, deployed using SFM:
• Create RMA/Shipment from Case
• Create Work Order from Installed Product
• Work Order T&M Lines
The following flow diagram demonstrates the typical use case and flow of SFM.
Business Context
Field Service consists of four major functions Entitlement, Service Delivery, Inventory, and Dispatch. Service Delivery is the most important function among the listed functions. Service Delivery refers to technicians fixing the issues of an installed product. The steps involved in the service delivery are the following:
• Customer reports an issue with an Installed Product
• Customer Support Representative (CSR) logs a case for the issue
• When processing the case, CSR decides to initiate an RMA to get the installed product returned for servicing
• Once the returned installed product is serviced, it has to be shipped back to the customer
• CSR needs to ship parts to the customer's location, based on the customer's request communicated in the case
• CSR needs to hand over the case to a technician for field service, by creating a work order
• A technician handling a work order needs to record estimates of parts & labor required
• Technician should raise a request for estimated parts
• Technician should generate a Service Quote based on the estimates, to get the customer's approval
• Technician services the installed product and then records T&M (Time & Material) details
• Technician should initiate an RMA if the installed product cannot be serviced on the customer's premises
• Technician should ship some parts to the customer's location, to service an installed product
• Technician closes the work order after recording details of the issue and work performed
• Technician generates a service report after completing the work and obtains the customer's signature
These flows have some common requirements as given below:
• Checking if a flow should be allowed or not
• CSR can create a work order only if the associated case is not closed
• Technician can request parts only if the work order is open
• Carry forward information from one stage of service delivery to the next, to improve productivity and avoid errors
• Copy information from RMA to Shipment, to return the serviced part to the correct customer location
• Copy information from estimates to quotes, allowing the technician to do minimal edits as needed
• Make updates to records from the previous stage, to indicate progress
• When a shipment order is created from a work order, update the work order with details about the quantity of parts planned to be shipped
• Present an intuitive and easy-to-use user interface, allowing the user to navigate, enter & select data, and save
• Enable the technician to add estimates for multiple parts in one go
• Allow the CSR to create a shipment order, select the Ship-To address, and add all the parts to be shipped
• Validate the integrity of data entered by the user based on business requirements
• When labor details are entered, the start date time of the activity cannot be greater than the end date time
These are common requirements applicable to most of the field service organizations. In addition to the common requirements, businesses might need some changes or enhancements to suit their specific business needs. For example, the information carried forward from RMA to Shipment might include some custom field values, and the UI might need to display some custom fields. It requires a unified and integrated configuration Interface to define all these aspects of service flow in one place and a delivery mechanism to interpret the configuration defined for the service flow. SFM Transactions & Docs Designer enables you to define the configuration of a service flow. A service flow configured using this designer is called an SFM transaction.
SFM Delivery is implemented using HTML5. By default, all typical field service flows are made available using standard SFM transactions. Once you install the ServiceMax package and run Configurator, these standard transactions are loaded. Using the designer, these standard SFM transactions can be cloned and customized, or new SFM transactions can be created to meet the business needs. The delivery engine is generic and can execute both standard and custom SFM transactions seamlessly.
You can use SFM transactions to realize service flows both in the online and mobile applications. It provides consistency and simplicity in the SFM configuration process. It helps you define service flow as an SFM transaction once and deliver it in multiple apps & devices.