Field Service Technician App - Overview

Overview

The Field Service app serves as a way for technicians to easily, quickly, and readily view their schedule and assigned work orders. In this guide, we’ll be going through how to download, log into, and navigate the app.

Logging into the app requires the Workforce > Technician platform permission on your gaiia account. Without it, sign-in fails with an error.

The app also needs two permissions on the device itself, location and camera. If a feature covered below does not behave as described, check Permissions first.

Accessing the application

Downloading the app

Our app can be downloaded directly from your phone's app store:

The app is listed as gaiia field service on both stores.

Logging in

If you have the Technician role assigned to your gaiia account, you’ll be able to log in following these steps:

1. Input your email address.
2. A confirmation link will be sent to your email address, and will be valid for the next hour.
3. Clicking on the Log In button in the confirmation email will redirect you back to the app. Please note that a confirmation pop-up might ask you to accept the redirection.
4. Once you're logged in, you will be taken to the dashboard section of the app!

Navigating the application

By default, you're taken to the Dashboard section. By pressing the Main menu in the top-left corner, you'll be able to access to the other sections of the application.

Within the Main menu, you're also able to view your profile, which has all of your technician-related information, and open Settings.

Dashboard

Work Orders

Overview

From this section, you’ll be able to view the work type, the priority, the work date, and the status of the work order. The status of the work order can be adjusted, at any point during the work order, to a variety of different statuses.

At the bottom, you’ll be able to see the Customer Details for the work order, in case you need to get in touch with them. Below that, you'll see the Work Location as well as a map to help you make sure you're at the right location.

If there are Additional Details associated with the work order, you'll see those below the Work Location section. This section can be used to capture any other relevant information for this work order.

Getting directions

Tapping the Service address on a work order opens driving directions to it. The app detects which map apps are installed on your device and opens the address in one of them, so you do not have to copy the address across by hand.

1. If you have one supported map app installed, directions open in it right away.
2. If you have several installed, you are asked once which one to use. That choice is saved as your default and reused for every work order afterwards.
3. If you have none installed, directions open in Google Maps in your device browser instead.

Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze are supported. To change which one is used, see Navigation below.

Work Type

This tab will show the steps that you need to take in order to complete the work order.

When you select the Start Service button on the Work Type, it’ll change the status of the Work Order to "In Progress", and lay out the steps for you to follow to ensure that you don’t forget anything, and that the customer is properly serviced. This also starts the "clock" that tracks the duration of the work order. This should be done at the start of every work order.

Once all of the steps are completed, you’ll be able to "Submit as Completed". This will automatically adjust the Work Order status to "Completed", and should be done at the end of every work order.

You will also see that on the Work Orders module, the Work Order block will now appear grey, showing you at a quick glance which ones are completed.

Alternatively, you’ll also be able to see this information from the Dashboard section by clicking on the Completed tab.

Workflows

From the app, you're also able to run Workflows. This can be very useful as you won't need a laptop to activate this customer, and completing this on-site means you can also confirm the customer is in good standing. Simply click on the Workflows tab, select + Launch Workflow and then choose the corresponding workflow.

Equipment

You're also able to assign CPE directly to a customers account from the app. This can be useful if the CPE isn't proactively assigned, and is dependant on the unit that's brought to the location. Open the Equipment tab, select + New item and then select the corresponding item type. You'll be able to then populate the fields with the information of the unit and assign that to the customer. You're also able to unassign CPE in the event one was incorrectly assigned, or if you're replacing the unit.

Scanning equipment barcodes

Rather than typing a serial number, you can scan the label on the unit. When you search for an inventory item on the Equipment tab, a barcode icon appears at the right of the search field. Tap it to open the scanner, line the label up inside the on-screen frame, and the scanned value drops into the search field and runs the search for you.

The scanner reads QR, Data Matrix, Code 128, Code 39, EAN-13, UPC-A and ITF-14 labels. Data Matrix is what most gaiia equipment labels use.

1. The app asks for camera permission the first time you open the scanner. If permission is denied, the scanner shows a "No camera access" message — grant camera access to gaiia in your device settings and try again, or from Permissions.
2. If a label is damaged or won't read, tap Enter manually to close the scanner and type the identifier instead.

Barcode scanning is rolled out per organization. If you don't see the barcode icon in the search field, it hasn't been enabled for your tenant yet — contact gaiia support to have it turned on.

Notes

Throughout the installation process, if there are any notes or attachments that you’d like to leave, you’ll be able to do so from this section! You're also able to view historical notes left by other technicians who have visited the account.

Shifts

Settings

Open the Main menu and select Settings to reach the app's own settings. Three sections are available: App information, Permissions, and Navigation.

Permissions

The app needs two permissions from your device. Each one is requested the first time you use the feature that depends on it, and both can be reviewed at any time from Settings > Permissions.

Scroll right to view the whole table on smaller screens.

Location has to be granted for all times, which is Always on iOS and Allow all the time on Android. Granting it only while the app is open is not enough for your dispatcher to see you once the app moves to the background.

To review or change a permission, open Settings > Permissions and use the toggle beside Location or Camera. Turning one on asks for it directly, unless you have already denied it at the device level, in which case the app sends you to your device settings. Turning one off shows a "Required Permission" confirmation first, and selecting Continue opens your device settings, where the change is actually made.

For the full detail on location, including what is tracked and when, see Managing your Location Tracking.

Navigation

From Settings > Navigation, you can choose which map app the Service address on a work order opens in. Select the app you want under Default app, and every work order afterwards will use it.

Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze are supported. Only the ones installed on your device appear in the list, and the screen shows "No map app installed" if none of them are.

You can also set this without going into Settings. The first time you tap a Service address with more than one map app installed, the app asks which one to use and saves your answer as the default.

App information

Settings > App information shows the App version you are currently running. Note this down before reporting a problem: an out-of-date build is one of the most common causes of screens that no longer load correctly, so it is the first thing checked.

Troubleshooting

Most issues reported in the app are resolved on the device itself, without any change on gaiia's side. Troubleshooting the Field Service Technician App walks a technician and an IT administrator through their checks in order, and lists the information gaiia support needs if the issue still has to be escalated.