Collaborate on work orders with Microsoft Teams
Most organizations have a variety of subject matter experts whose knowledge assists frontline workers in the field. Many of these experts are not Dynamics 365 users. In such cases, organizations integrate Microsoft Teams to enable frontline workers to chat with team members about work orders. This integration allows frontline workers to find answers and resolve issues on their first attempt without leaving the Field Service app. Additionally, it provides a list of team members who have previously worked on the same work order.
Enable and configure collaboration settings in Field Service
Enabling Teams integration in Field Service is similar to enabling it in other applications. In the Field Service app, navigate to Settings > Integrations > Teams Collaboration. To enable or disable Microsoft Teams chat in other Dynamics 365 apps, refer to Work with Microsoft Teams chat in Dynamics 365.
On the Microsoft Teams Collaboration and Chat page, turn on the toggle for Turn on Microsoft Teams chats inside Dynamics 365. You can choose from the following options:
- Turn on for all Dynamics 365 apps: Enables Teams chat for all supported Dynamics 365 apps in your organization, including any apps added in the future.
- Turn on for selected Dynamics 365 apps: Enables Teams chat for the apps you select. If your organization already uses Teams, your previous selection remains unchanged. If Teams has not been set up yet, it is enabled by default.
When you enable Teams chats for individual records, such as Work Orders, various customization options are available, including the ability to modify the message that appears when a new chat is received.
To customize the Work Order settings, navigate to Settings > Integrations > Teams Collaboration in Field Service, and select Work Order. In the Work Order settings, select Message view. As you hover over the selected view, a preview of the message appears. Choose the message you want to use, and then select Save.
Create a new chat
After Teams integration is configured, you can initiate a new chat directly from a Work Order record. On the Work Order record, select the Teams Chat icon and choose New connected chat. Identify the participant(s) you want to chat with, enter a message, and select Start Chat.
Chats appear as pop-up screens within the application. Each chat opens in its own window, and you can have multiple chats open simultaneously. Chats can be minimized as needed. When a new message arrives, the chat window highlights to notify you of new activity.
To learn more about Team integration with Dynamics 365 Field Service, see Collaborate on work orders with Microsoft Teams.