Less than two years ago, we launched Field Service Lightning and the momentum has been amazing to see. A year later, we followed that up with the iOS release of the Field Service Lightning app and today, we continue the rapid pace of innovation with the launch of the Android Field Service Lightning app. Here is why we think it will be huge for our customers:

1. Customers Can Move Fast And Win

Now customers can empower mobile employees to deliver ‘best in breed’ on demand service on both iOS and Android platforms. While we all tend to drink the iOS Koolaid in the US, where iOS smartphone penetration hovers around 45%, over 80% of the global market is running an Android device #DroidLife. This is why delivering Field Service Lightning on Android is such a strategic milestone. Customers can now maintain a single console configuration, providing a seamless user experience on both iOS and Android platforms #TwoBirdsOneStone.

Mobile is eating the world and Android is taking the biggest bite!

2. Feedback from Customers Is Driving Mobile Innovation

We have partnered with some amazing customers that are helping to drive our roadmap forward. We have learned a ton from our mobile users and are now integrating those lessons learned back into the Android Field Service Lightning app. We prioritized our focus around:

• Infusing layout driven design and customization throughout UI
• Streamlining the user experience to protect against excessive taps and clicks
• Making ‘a snappy Material Design user experience’ a first class citizen to ensure users can move quickly through their day-to-day

These enhancements are another signal that we continue to value customer feedback and prioritize customer success to deeply influence our releases and roadmap.

3. Features That Drive The Most Business Value

For the past 5 years at Salesforce, I get to come to work everyday and work with innovative customers as they disrupt legacy industries and systems. Our combined vision for Field Service Lightning is BIG. This is more than just supporting the traditional break/fix use of:

‘Hardhats rolling around in trucks...’

Today customers are leveraging Field Service Lightning to personalize home health care and nursing, adding transparency to the insurance claims process and allowing retail associates to deeply engage with in-store customers. Amazing!

Here is a snapshot of the feature set we delivered that can support this diverse set of use cases:

Offline Priming & Sync

No connectivity? No problem.

The Field Service Lightning Android app automatically pulls down all the information a user needs to be successful for the job. Then when the user is offline, the app records all user updates/inputs and replays them back in an intelligent queue once the app goes back online.

Work Order Overview

Need an easy way for users to engage with all the mission critical aspects of the job in a single view? We got your back.

Users can easily see where they need to go, who they need to connect with, what work needs to be done, leverage knowledge articles to allow self service and collaborate in real-time with dispatchers and other users via chatter...all in a single dynamic, customizable and extensible  card view.

Inventory Management

Have a job that requires a user to manage and consume stock or parts? Leave the heavy lifting to us.

Easily add, edit and consume inventory to ensure users have everything they need to complete the job the first time. Have your users focus on delivering a delightful customer experience and let the Android Field Service Lightning app handle the back-office administrative tasks associated with inventory management.

Collaboration

Need to communicate with HQ or swarm an issue? Let the Android Field Service Lightning app do the talking :)

Users can leverage the power of Chatter to interface with admins, dispatchers and other mobile users to communicate in real time. Users are pushed notifications when @mentioned on the go- staying connected and up to date to drive efficiency and increase customer satisfaction.

4. Delivering On Our Field Service Lightning Vision

We are extremely excited about the launch and the demand for the Android platform. For the past 2 years, we have been laser focused on building out an intuitive dispatch experience with advanced scheduling & optimization. We followed that up with a B2C mobile user experience on both iOS and Android. We committed and delivered- this a huge milestone for our team as we continue to build out the Field Service Lightning product vision.

But What Is Next?

We are extending our vision to include the third leg of the Field Service stool...

The Customer Experience.

Customers will be able to embed Field Service functionality into any web or mobile app (think appointment booking and modification). This also includes a seamless day-of service experience with location updates triggered via geo-fences and two-way communication with your tech. We are excited about delivering even more features in the coming releases all aimed at improving the lives of field service dispatchers, mobile users and the end customers.

And One More Thing.

Our relentless focus on making our customers successful is beginning to payoff; last month we were honored to be named a Challenger in the Gartner MQ for Field Service. I want to take this moment to thank all of our customers and partners for helping make this honor possible, we are excited about the future of FSL!

Read the entire Gartner report for an in-depth look at the results. And see how Salesforce will position your company for what’s next for the global field service market.