Netsuite: Configuring automated SMS for field service use cases

Overview

If your organisation uses Netsuite's Field Service modules to schedule and track field service operations, you can use the Sinch SMS integration to send relevant messages to your contacts.

Sample use cases

• Send an SMS reminder the day before a technician arrives on site to make sure that the customer is at home
• Send an SMS when a field service asset is due to be picked up the following day
• Send an SMS after a service job is complete to ask for feedback (or a five star review)

How to configure SMS in field service workflows

In general, field service record types are the same as any other record type in Netsuite. You can configure message templates for Field Service Assets, Field Service Tasks and any other record type. Our generic article on automated workflows explains the process but we'll provide a specific example below for field service to help make it concrete.

Our example uses Field Service Assets. If you don't use that record type, you can use the same overall principle with different field service record types.

Use case details: scaffolding equipment needs to be picked up

Our sample use case is for the scaffolding industry. We'll use the Field Service Asset record type to track scaffolding equipment and have added a custom field "Pick Up Date". 

Our goal is to send an SMS the day before the pick up date so the builder knows that the riggers will be on site to collect the scaffolding.

We set up a saved search with criteria: Pick Up Date within tomorrow.

Then we create a new workflow for Field Service Assets:

For the workflow trigger, we choose a scheduled workflow using that saved search. It will identify scaffolding that needs to be picked up the next day and send the SMS at 2pm.

As per the standard workflow approach, we will add a Create Record action.

The record type is Sinch SMS Workflow Job as usual.

When mapping the fields, we have two options.

Approach one: leveraging default supported record types

First we'll make an SMS template for the customer record type. We can only use merge fields from the customer module but that may be sufficient if the message is standard.

We then configure the create record parameters to reference that template and set the Entity ID and Record ID to the customer ID. 

This will work fine for a generic message but you can only reference fields from the customer record.

Approach two: add support for the field service asset record type

First we need to add a Sinch Metadata record for the Field Service Asset record type. Refer to the "Adding Custom Fields to your Templates" guide for the first few steps.

Setting up Sinch Metadata record

You will need to make a new Sinch Metadata record for the Field Service Asset record type as this won't be in the list already.

Add the required merge fields in the field list.

In this example, the field list is set to

{
  "custrecord1404": "pickup_date",
  "custrecord_nx_asset_serial": "serial",
  "records": { "Customer": { "firstname": "Customer Name" } },
  "recordsmap": { "Customer": "custrecord_nx_asset_customer" }
}

Quick explanation:

custrecord1404 is the ID for the Pickup Date field

custrecord_nx_asset_serial is the ID for the Serial field

Then we have records and recordsmap. These are needed so we can include fields from the Customer record which is linked to the Field Service Asset.

records:Customer is used to map fields in the Customer record type.

recordsmap:Customer is used to map the field for customer.

Creating a template

Now you can make a template for the Field Service Asset record type. The steps are the same as for approach one.

The example template is:

Hi {{{records.Customer.firstname}}}
we'll be on site tomorrow to pick up your equipment ({{{custrecord_nx_asset_serial}}}). 

Please call back on 1800 SCAFFOLD if you need to reschedule.

Mapping parameters for the create SMS workflow job record

In this case, we map the record type to custrecord_nx_asset and the record ID to {custrecord_nx_asset.id} so that we can reference merge fields from the Field Service Asset. The entity type and entity ID remain as customer so that the communication records appear on the customer record. We reference the new template.

With that, you're all done and your workflow should be sending correctly.

Using for other field service record types

The same approach can be used for any of the other field service record types. As long as you set up Sinch Metadata and Templates correctly, it will work like a charm.