TeleService is designed for tele-agents handling service calls - it contains
Service Request & Task Functionality, UWQ, Telephony & E-Mail Center Integration, Knowledge Base, etc. Most of these functionality form part of something Oracle used to call Service Core - common service components that used to come bundled with any service application. These include Service Requests, Installed Base, Knowledge Base, Counters, etc. Field Service, on the other side, is designed for handling scenario where technicians are dispatched to go and do the service in the field - at customer's site, installation site, failure site, etc. On top of service core functionality, this offers an advanced assignment and scheduling engine (dispatch center and advanced scheduler) and spares management - a submodule of field service that takes care of logistics movement across field technicians' truck stocks, central spares depot, etc. It also includes a field service technician's portal where the technician can report (debrief) on the time and material spent on a particular assignment. These functionality are not available in teleservice. I'm not sure if telephony integration and UWQ are available if you license field service alone - would advise you to check this bit with Oracle. Otherwise if you buy Field Service you get entire functionality of teleservice and additional functionality to handle field service scenario.
Thanks a lot for the excellent explanation. Somehow i didnt get this mail at all. I just saw your reply when i browse through this site. I have few more questions. 1.We are trying to have the minimal FS implementation 2.I think Advanced scheduler is optional. And our client is not very big. They know whom to assign.So they are fine with manual assignment. 3.Can we live without spares management also?
( We may use the debrief form just to enter the materials and charging. We may not create ISO from Debrief form. Rightnow the client is managing with phone calls and ISOs from OM. They can use the spares management at a later stage) Can you please let us know If we can avoid anything else? Because the client at first phase just want to introduce the minimal functionality of FS without disrupting the existing company procedures. Then they want to rollout the full functionality phase by phase.
A) First and foremost is to understand that FS is completely different from TS, depending on which industry your client is in. For e.g., in M&D, such as Copier, Hi-Tech industries where a lot of revenue is generated in service activities, FS/TS are clearly different departments with different processes. In Oracle Apps, SR can be thought of as Container which is used to logically group the work units(Tasks) required to provide service. Given that, you can thin kof dispatch and related field service visits to be driven at the task level, where as the billing inquiry, customer support etc kind of activities performed via TS on the SR level. Similarly you will typically have different contractual obligations for TS/FS including different charges, response and reaction times, etc. TS does not require any Sub-Inventory or trunk stock management(Spares Management) capabilities (correspondingly no Install Base updates, Dispatch - Resource Management, calendar management, trip management) activities, (for that matter if territories management for service). Most of the companies are outsourcing parts of their field operations which makes it even more distinct then TS. Hope this helps. Why do you want to implement Field Service? You can manage with TeleService alone. The power of Field Service comes from Dispatch Center, Advanced Scheduler and Spares Management. If your client knows whom to assign a task, it can be done straightaway from Service Request form. If required, they may use Assignment Manager. Debrief is available even if you dont license field service - Spares Management is part of field service for licensing, only Advanced Scheduler needs to be licensed separately. You can use debrief and the same information will flow to charges. If you dont want to do the billing for the same through charges and want to do the same directly from the OM sales order you mentioned in your mail below, then all you need to do is set up the Service Activity Codes with the 'Interface to OM' flag unchecked. Additionally, you can setup a small forms personalization to hide/disable the submit charges button. KISS (Keep it sweet and simple) - to me it seems like your customer at this stage just requires Service Requests, Tasks (manual assignment) and debrief/charges (to record material and time spent on a task).