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Geo scheduler solution with Dynamics 365 Field Service

Applies to: Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, Dynamics 365 Field Service, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, Dataverse

This solution combines Dynamics 365 Field Service, Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys, Power Automate, Power Apps, Power Pages, and Dataverse to support community engagement programs at a large organization. It originates from a solution for an accounting and auditing organization. The team used spreadsheets to manage scheduling. Now, the solution lets them plan and track resource availability, workshops, audits, and campaigns in a robust, efficient, and accurate way.

Introduction

This solution digitizes workshop and audit scheduling and tracking for the team. It lets external users track schedules by using Field Service capabilities, like scheduling, and Power Pages that users can view anonymously. Use this reference architecture in healthcare and hospitals, education, travel, facilities, public sector, and government agencies. It also applies to consulting firms, where it can help handle client engagement and financial services. And it can help in banking by giving internal users extensive access for scheduling management and external users minimal access to schedule details. Users can manage work orders, bookings, resources, demands, and marketing campaigns. The solution also helps them schedule resources by availability.

Include this reference architecture at a high level in the planning phase. Apply it in detail during the design phase.

Key stakeholders include:

  • Product owner
  • Project sponsor
  • Solution architect
  • Enterprise architect
  • Technical architect
  • Environment admin

Architecture

These diagrams show the solution architecture.

Diagram that shows the tier-based architecture for the solution.

Diagram that shows the high-level architecture for the solution.

Diagram that shows the detailed architecture for the geoscheduler solution.

Dataflow

  1. The scheduler sets up the availability for facilitators and assessors, workshops, and other master data.
  2. The booking coordinator goes to the program website and opens the embedded Power Page to see available dates filtered by facilitator calendars, then makes a booking request for one or more listed workshops.
  3. The booking coordinator receives an autogenerated link to view the booking request.
  4. The scheduler reviews the booking request and applies different factors, including the availability of facilitators and assessors, proximity to the appointment location, and other bookings on that day. Then, they allocate facilitators and assessors to the workshop sessions individually or in bulk.
  5. The system sends a proposal email to the booking coordinator with the booking details.
  6. The proposal is accepted, and the system sends an Outlook invite to the coordinator and the facilitator or assessor. The system then pushes the appointment to the pharmacy assessment system.
  7. The scheduler helps reschedule the appointment if any invitee declines or tentatively accepts the appointment.
  8. A facilitator or assessor views the allocation and booking details from the system.
  9. A facilitator or assessor starts the session, updates the session status, and adds comments for future reference. The system autocompletes the booking when all related workshop sessions are finished.
  10. The booking coordinator can view and rebook past bookings using the Power Pages link.
  11. Super users generate reports for monitoring purposes.
  12. Marketing campaigns are launched for new services or workshops.
  13. The system sends emails to booking coordinators or auditees when they didn't made bookings for a set period, or when their license expiration is near.

Components

The following components are used in the reference architecture.

  1. Field Service is used to set up resource availability, search, and schedule. Facilitators and assessors are allocated for appointments.
  2. Power Pages provides an interface for external users. It lets them access scheduling information and create or view their requests.
  3. Customer Insights is used to launch and run campaigns.
  4. Power Automate cloud flows automate tasks when events like booking creation or updates happen. They send emails, create Outlook events, and sync information with the pharmacy assessment system by invoking Logic Apps.
  5. Logic Apps automate receiving requests from the geo-scheduler to sync appointments.
  6. Power Apps model-driven app provides a personalized experience with resources for reporting and administration.
  7. Security roles must be part of your setup of business units and teams. Security roles ensure that schedulers and facilitators or assessors map to specific programs, and that they can view and update only the information they're authorized to access.
  8. Dataverse stores master data and transactional data.
  9. Power Platform Admin Center is a unified portal for admins to manage environments and settings for Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, and Microsoft Copilot Studio.

Scenario details

To help the team manage diverse client engagement programs, we replace fragmented and manual processes with a unified, scalable enterprise solution. This approach addresses challenges with visibility, integration, and operational inefficiencies.

The organization had the following goals for the implementation project:

  • Reduce human intervention in booking.
  • Reduce back-and-forth communication during scheduling requests.
  • Streamline launching new services through automation and standardization.

The team faced the following challenges:

  • Program management relies heavily on spreadsheets and multiple bespoke legacy CRM tools.
  • Fragmented systems are tailored to individual client needs, leading to inconsistent workflows.
  • Lack of a centralized platform reduces collaboration and cross-program visibility.
  • Manual data transfers introduce errors and inefficiencies.
  • Integration with other business systems (like email or reporting tools) is cumbersome.
  • Reporting is inconsistent and resource intensive.

Solution approach

To address these challenges, we implemented a centralized system using Field Service, Power Pages, Customer Insight - Journeys, and cloud flows. This solution uses Microsoft technologies to support a common requirement: Only internal, authenticated employees have elevated access, while external users have limited, secure access to raise and track requests.

The solution delivers the following key benefits:

  • Single, scalable, and extensible enterprise solution that replaces multiple CRM tools.
  • Seamless integration with commonly used tools like Outlook, Excel, and Word.
  • Interoperability with external systems for better data flow and automation.
  • Less manual intervention and fewer human errors in data handling.
  • Better collaboration, visibility, and standardization across all programs.
  • Enhanced reporting capabilities and operational productivity.
  • Lower ongoing maintenance and operational costs.

As mentioned in the introduction, this reference architecture works for healthcare and hospitals, education, travel, facilities, public sector, and government agencies. Use it in consulting firms to handle client engagement scheduling. It also works for financial services or banking, where internal parties have extensive access for scheduling management, and external parties have minimal access to schedule details.

Suggested use cases include the following list:

  • Facilitate trainings from scheduling to delivery to reporting
  • Provide facility inspection services on request
  • Request, schedule, and track consultation services
  • Run campaigns on new services

You can extend the solution with other Dynamics 365 apps, such as Dynamics 365 Sales or Dynamics 365 Customer Service.

Considerations

These considerations help implement a solution that includes Dynamics 365. Learn more at Dynamics 365 guidance documentation.

Cost optimization

Cost optimization means finding ways to reduce unnecessary expenses and improve operational efficiency. Learn more at Overview of the cost optimization pillar.

Operational costs in this implementation include license costs for Field Service, Customer Insights, Power Apps cloud flows, and Power Pages. Volume licensing can reduce licensing costs. Learn more at the following websites:

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Contributors

This article is maintained by Microsoft. It was originally written by the following contributors.

Principal author:

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