Table of Contents

Combining Custom Fields & Task Templates for Information Storage

Mitchell Paul-Soumis Updated by Mitchell Paul-Soumis

Read Time: 4 mins

Prerequisites

This article is written with the expectation that you've read the individual articles for these features.

  1. Custom Fields Overview & Use Cases
  2. Task Templates Overview & Use Cases

Before proceeding, ensure to familiarize yourself with the creation process for both features, and how their general usage can be applied.

How They Combine

When adding Tasks to a Task Template, one of the available completion requirements is Providing the configured field value completes the task, which is then tied to a Custom Field. Because of how Task Templates work, they can be applied to Jobs, or directly to a task list on an Account or Network Site.

This means that, whether you have agents receiving customer calls, or technicians working in the field, task templates can be leveraged to gather mandatory information, and store that information in dedicated Custom Fields.

Usage Examples

Equipment Installation Details

In this example, FTTH installations will have their hardware tracked by PON and ONT, inputted by field installers as they get the subscriber up and running. This Custom Field will be assigned to the Serviceable Address, and will be required before completion of the Install Job.

Creating the Custom Field(s)
  1. Click on Settings, expand Misc, click on Custom Fields, and finally click the Create Custom Field button
  2. Fill in the Custom Field information:
    1. Name will be set to FTTH Drop to reflect the intention of this field.
    2. The Unique field will be checked, enforcing the PON and ONT entered into the Custom Field as a unique valley.
    3. The Entity Type will be set to Serviceable Address, as the FTTH Drop information will be maintained whether the account details change or not.
    4. The data Type will be set to Text, as tracking deployment information requires both numerical and text data.
Creating the Task Template
  1. Click on Settings, expand Misc, click on Task Templates, then on Create Task Template
  2. Fill in the Task Template Name
  3. Create Task Template Items by clicking on Edit Task Template Items
  4. Start filling out the list of Task Template Items. At minimum, ensure one of the items enforces the completion of the previously created FTTH Drop Custom Field. Other Task Items should also be created based on your specific Installation Requirements and standards.
Assigning this Template to a Job

With the Task Template and Custom Field created, the last step is to make sure the information is filled out whenever a technician completes an FTTH Installation job. This is done by:

  1. Clicking on Settings, followed by Scheduling, then selecting Job Types
  2. Find the appropriate job and click the Edit button
  3. Add the Task Template to the “Edit Job” modal
Task Templates can also be assigned to a Job Type during initial Job Type creation.

Recording the Cancellation Reason

In this example, your front-line representatives will be expected to follow specific guidelines, set via a task template. These guidelines are used every time a subscriber calls in, looking to cancel their service subscription. Capturing cancellation data can be vital, as it represents a key metric that can help determine where your organization needs to improve to retain subscribers.

Compared to the previous example, this usage is a little bit simpler, but it relies more heavily on individual user training. While applying a Task Template to a job automatically enforces its completion requirements, this process relies on the Task Template being added manually.

Creating the Custom Field
  1. Click on Settings, expand Misc, click on Custom Fields, and finally click the Create Custom Field button
  2. Fill in the Custom Field information:
    1. The Name will be set to Cancellation Reason
    2. Entity Type will be set to “Account”, as we want to record the cancellation on the subscriber's account directly
    3. Type will be “Text”
Creating the Task Template
  1. Click on Settings, expand Misc, click on Task Templates, then on Create Task Template
  2. Fill in the Task Template Name
  3. Create Task Template Items by clicking on Edit Task Template Items
  4. Fill out the Task Template items based on your internal requirements. Ensure that at least one Task records the Cancellation Reason, and corresponds to the previously created Custom Field.
Applying the Task Template

With the template and Custom Field created, the next step is knowing where to apply the Task Template on an account when subscribers call in. When the call is received, your staff need to:

  1. Open the Account, either through Global Search or through the Account List
  2. In the Account Overview, locate the Tasks section, and from the dropdown next to “Create Task”, click on “Create from Template”
  3. In the modal that appears, select the Cancellation Task Template created in the previous step and click “Create”
  4. The tasks will be added to the list, and can be completed as your staff member handles the call

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Custom Fields Overview & Use Cases

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