Product Spotlight: Take Action from the Mobile Task List

Why Taking Action from the Field Matters

For service organizations with large field teams, a technician’s ability to take action, adapt to unforeseen circumstances, and keep their backoffice informed plays a key role in their success. It’s why we originally launched a feature we call Workflow Actions. Accessible from any mobile page within a task, Workflow Actions allow technicians to initiate actions related to a task without having to exit the task. 

Workflow Actions can be configured to allow a technician to request a spare part, log a new service request, or view the service history of a customer or asset being serviced. The possibilities are limitless, but the goal is the same: empower technicians with the right information and the ability to take the necessary actions required to deliver the possible service to end customers. 

While Workflow Actions have proven invaluable to many teams, what happens if a technician needs to take action related to the task before checking in? It’s a use case that’s come up with many clients and one that we are excited to be able to address with the introduction of Task List Actions. 

Pain Points / Needs

After speaking with users, we discovered a variety of use cases where it would be preferable for technicians to take task-related actions prior to checking in to a task:

1. Task Acceptance: Some field service organizations require their technicians to accept or reject a task after assignment. When SLA deadlines are tight, this extra level of validation lets the backoffice know the assignee has seen the task and is able to perform the job at hand.
2. Previewing Task Details and Information for the Day: Many technicians wanted the ability to browse through instructions, parts requirements, customer history, and other details for each task assigned to them before traveling to their first job of the day. 

Our Solution

To address these pain points and use cases, we are excited to introduce an enhancement to the Mobile Task List that allows technicians to take action without entering the task workflow.

Accept / Reject Tasks

Technicians can now accept or reject an assigned task directly from the task list. This capability is completely configurable and can be turned on or off based on the Task Type. If enabled, technicians will see an “Accept” or “Decline” button within the task card.

Task List Actions

Technicians can also take additional actions by tapping the Task List Actions button on a task card. Doing so brings up a list of actions similar in functionality to Workflow Actions, but accessible from the Task List. These actions are completely configurable and can be turned on/off for each task type. 

Some example use cases are listed below:

• Part Requirements / Requests: View a list of parts required for the task or request parts as needed.
• Task Details: Bring up the task details screen to see task instructions, the site address, the customer’s contact details, and more.
• Asset / Customer History: View customer service history or asset service history to better prepare for the job. 
• Re-assign / Cancel a Task: Request that the task be assigned to someone else should circumstances require it. 

The possibilities are endless and we are excited to see Task List Actions in action.

Want to see the Zinier platform in action? Schedule a demo today!