Salesforce unveils new field service innovations powered by Data Cloud and Einstein GPT

“Einstein GPT’s capabilities for Field Service Mobile will drive increased productivity for field service teams,” Taksina Eammano, EVP and GM of Salesforce Field Service, told VentureBeat. “It will act as a ‘virtual apprentice’ by providing field service operators with real-time, relevant information to interact in a rich, hands-free way for workers on the go.”

Other Field Service innovations include Asset Service Management powered by Data Cloud, which helps keep complex equipment running by using real-time data and predictive usage-based maintenance, and Contractor Management with Flex Worker Management, a feature that allows companies to easily scale and efficiently deploy their contract workforces.

The recently announced Einstein GPT is Salesforce’s generative AI assistant that delivers more than 200 billion AI-powered predictions per day across Customer 360.

The Data Cloud is the company’s data warehouse platform that gathers data points from different sources to host unified customer profiles in real time.

Turbocharging field service tasks through AI

Einstein GPT has been integrated into Field Service Mobile to help service teams plan, execute and debrief their work quickly and efficiently.

For instance, nurses who conduct in-home visits must maintain detailed patient medical records. After a nurse enters the necessary medical information, Einstein GPT will automatically draft the after-visit summaries, saving time and increasing accuracy.

“It will better empower customers with a faster self-service experience. Customers can be guided through actionable knowledge of their issues, like ordering the right replacement part, without having to schedule an in-person support visit,” Eammano told VentureBeat. “This doesn’t mean that highly important field service teams are going away — just that customers will be better able to solve their issues on their own via auto-generated articles by Einstein GPT.”

The AI-powered tool will provide customers with the most relevant step-by-step guides to address common tech issues, and find tailored how-to content, such as how to reschedule a service appointment.

Eammano said that by identifying common issues in real time and auto-generating content, the tool will give customers access to the latest guides and information, allowing them to forego in-person service visits.

It will enable frontline workers and support teams to connect and collaborate in real time. With a new update called “swarming,” team members can tap into their organization’s expertise to solve difficult problems in the field using their mobile devices.

The company claims that this streamlines operations and boosts first-time fix rates and customer satisfaction, allowing organizations to shift their focus to scaling their business. In addition, the feature is available directly from Slack, making it an efficient tool for field service teams.

By utilizing mobile device capabilities such as location services, optical character recognition (OCR), barcode scanning, voice commands and LiDAR, Field Service Mobile aims to make every field service visit more efficient.

Servicing equipment in the field

The Asset Service Management feature powered by Data Cloud uses real-time data and predictive usage-based maintenance to keep complex equipment running smoothly. This feature is especially beneficial for large-scale service organizations like electricity providers, enabling them to proactively schedule network maintenance and reduce preventable issues while prolonging the lifespan of costly infrastructure.

“With Asset Service Management powered by Data Cloud, users will benefit from real-time data, along with historical data, to forecast when equipment will need maintenance or that an older piece of equipment will need extensive retrofitting,” said Eammano. “Ultimately, this allows companies to save costs by keeping expensive equipment running longer and with less downtime.”

Image Source: Salesforce

Managing contractors

Contractor Management with Flex Worker Management allows companies to scale their contract workforces easily and efficiently, deploying them based on their skills, distance and available tools. This way, they can hire contractors during high demand and send them to specific maintenance calls based on experience and skill set.

“Using Contractor Management with Flex Workers, companies with seasonal workers have the option for logins-based licenses rather than monthly licenses, and can better manage the workforce in the same way as full-time employees, looping them into standard timesheet practices,” Eammano explained.

For example, municipalities can use Flex Worker Management to hire contractors to scale up their staff for seasonal work, and send contractors to specific maintenance calls based on experience and skill set.

The company said that beverage equipment manufacturer BUNN has been utilizing Salesforce Field Service’s capabilities along with Salesforce Flows. The new products have allowed BUNN to automate 90% of its repair visits, streamlining processes and increasing first-time fix rates.

Another example is CDR Maguire, a full-service infrastructure consulting firm. The company used Field Service and Salesforce Self-Service Portal to quickly dispatch resources and begin cleanup efforts immediately following Hurricane Ian. As a result, CDR Maguire optimized its scheduling efforts, analyzing data from the Salesforce Portal to expedite cleanup efforts. 

A future of opportunities with AI

Eammano said the company’s goal is to empower customers with a faster self-service experience through AI.

“We are in an exciting time when it comes to generative AI and field service, and I think we are only at the very early stages of realizing what’s possible,” she said. “Moving forward, we will continue to take a trust-first approach to all of our efforts while identifying new ways to empower our customers with AI and real-time data capabilities that make them more productive in the field.” 

She added that the company would lean more into self-service innovations in the near future to adjust to rapidly shifting business models in the space. This focus will result in improved multi-modal experiences for field service teams, allowing them to operate efficiently while continuing to improve customer satisfaction.