Inspections are digital forms that technicians use to quickly and easily answer a list of questions
typically for safety protocols, equipment maintenance or other audits and assessments.
Inspections are included with Dynamics 365 Field Service and fit perfectly into the work order process.
Administrators can quickly create inspections with a simple drag and drop interface using different question formats.
Then after the inspection is assigned to a technician
he or she can view and fill out the inspection on their mobile phone, tablet or windows device.
Inspections can also be downloaded offline and filled out even when there is no internet access
and when data is synced to the server it is stored in microsoft's common data service
Let's take a look at creating and filling out inspections.
The first step is to create an inspection.
Log into Dynamics 365 Field Service then go to settings, then inspections.
From here, create a new inspection.
First name your inspection and enter a description if desired.
In this example we'll create an inspection for heating and cooling assets.
Using the toolbox to the right, click and drag a question type to add it to the inspection.
Regardless of question type, enter the name of the question as you want it to appear for technicians.
You have the option to make a question required meaning a technician must answer it to save.
And other options are to copy the question add more details and delete the question.
For this first question, we will make it an entity lookup to Dynamics 365.
Next we'll add a date and time question to the survey.
From here we'll add more question types like drop downs, checklists and radio groups.
All of these are similar but checklists allow the technician to select multiple answers.
In addition we'll add a number question to record refrigerant levels.
Using the advanced option we can set a number range.
Next we'll add a question to upload files or take pictures.
And then finally we'll add a generic text field for the technician to enter more details if needed.
Then save your inspection.
The preview tab will allow you to see and interact with the inspection form
from the end user's point of view but the answers will not be saved here in the preview tab.
If everything looks okay then select publish in the top.
In order to add this inspection into the work order process
we'll need to create a service task type.
In settings, go to service task types
and create a new one.
The service task can have the same name or a different name than the inspection.
Add an estimated duration if you want the service task to affect the work order duration later on.
Toggle the has inspection field to true.
Then find the inspection you just published in the lookup.
Then save and close.
Next let's add the inspection service task to a work order.
Here is a work order that has already been created.
We can see the account and the specific building location of the job as well as more details below.
Go to the service tasks section and add the service task that
you just created that has the inspection.
You'll see the inspection form appear below.
If applicable, add the customer asset the inspection is related to
by going to the service task relates to section.
This helps build service history.
Then save and close.
Next we will want to go to the schedule board and assign this work order to a technician who can complete it.
Now let's complete the inspection from the technician's perspective.
Log into the Dynamics 365 Field Service mobile app as a technician user
Go to the bookings tab to see your scheduled work orders.
You should see the work order that you just scheduled.
Select the work order and then go to the service tasks.
Here the technician will answer the inspection questions.
The interface is very easy for technicians to enter information.
Most of the time it is simple taps and swipes as options appear.
For files and pictures the technician can take a picture with the device's camera
or select a photo that's already been taken in the device's photo library.
When everything is finished the technician will mark the status as complete.
Enter a result either pass or fail though this is optional and then save the inspection.
Back in Dynamics 365 managers can see the completed work order.
In the service task, they will see the finished inspection with the technicians answers for review.
It's important to note that inspection answers are stored in microsoft's common data service.
In this example the inspection related to a customer asset that our organization tracks.
If you go to the asset record you will see the completed work order is shown.
And this helps us manage service history.
Heading back to the original inspection,
there are more features that help organizations like the ability to revise the inspection, export it as a pdf.
As well as the ability to add logic and version management