---
schema_version: "1"
id: 889b133ddcaf64990bf2a3ec4776b03ed816f6a679f22002fdb149c89fbd70e3
title: Guidelines for Creating Service Appointments for Field Service
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/service/264-0-0/fs_appointment_guidelines.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.fs_appointment_guidelines.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: f950304438a085485249c03e0af4cf3bc94afb7a8e47c9261f8bdb8e678d4504
description: A service appointment tracks field service work to be performed for a customer, and is typically associated with a work order or work order line item. Learn how to create and manage service appointments. A service appointment represents a visit with a timeframe for a specific type of work at a designated location. The service appointment is typically associated with a work order or work order line item, representing the broader job. Learn how to create and manage service appointments.
products:
  - Field Service
release: "264"
---
# Guidelines for Creating Service Appointments for Field Service

A service appointment tracks field service work to be performed for a customer, and is typically associated with a work order or work order line item. Learn how to create and manage service appointments. A service appointment represents a visit with a timeframe for a specific type of work at a designated location. The service appointment is typically associated with a work order or work order line item, representing the broader job. Learn how to create and manage service appointments.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: both Salesforce Classic (not available in all orgs) and Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">The Agentforce Field Service and Operations core features, managed package, and mobile app are available in <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions.</td></tr></tbody></table>

View Service Appointments

View service appointments in the following places:

- Service Appointments tab
- Service Appointments related list on work orders, work order line items, or service resources
- Classic Dispatch Console

Create Service Appointments

You can create service Appointments in several ways. We recommend creating service appointments by first [creating a work order](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.fs_create_wo.htm&type=5&language=en_US) with an associated [work type](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.fs_create_work_types.htm&type=5&language=en_US) and then creating and scheduling the appointment by using [Get Candidates or Book Appointments](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.pfs_booking.htm&type=5&language=en_US) on the Work Order page layout, or by associating a Work Type to the Work Order with Auto-Create Service Appointment selected.

Use Cases

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
              <colgroup>
                <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
                <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
                <col style="width:33.33333333333333%">
              </colgroup>
              <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
                <tr class="">
                  <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d98709e108">I WANT TO…</th>
                  <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d98709e110">HOW DO I DO THIS?</th>
                  <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d98709e112">PERSONA</th>
                </tr>
              </thead>
              <tbody>
                <tr class="">
                  <td data-label="I WANT TO…" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e108 ">Manually create service appointments, for example, create and schedule
                    a visit for a customer directly from an inbound phone call.</td>
                  <td data-label="HOW DO I DO THIS?" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e110 ">
                    <p><a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.fs_create_wo.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Create a Work Order record</a>
                      representing the job to be performed for the customer. Associate this
                      record with a <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.fs_create_work_types.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Work Type</a> and select Auto-Create
                      Service Appointment to create a child service appointment when a work
                      order or work order line item is created from the work type. </p>
                    <p style="margin-bottom:0;">You can then use <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.pfs_booking.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Get Candidates or Book
                        Appointments</a> Visualforce actions available on the Work Order page
                      layout to schedule the appointment.</p>
                  </td>
                  <td data-label="PERSONA" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e112 ">
                    <ul>
                      <li>Call center rep</li>
                      <li>Dispatcher </li>
                    </ul>
                  </td>
                </tr>
                <tr class="">
                  <td data-label="I WANT TO…" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e108 ">Create bulk Service Appointment records, for example, create
                    unscheduled maintenance work.</td>
                  <td data-label="HOW DO I DO THIS?" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e110 ">
                    <p>Use <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.fs_create_maintenance.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">maintenance plans</a> to create
                      service appointments based on given intervals and criteria.</p>
                    <p style="margin-bottom:0;">You can then use <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.pfs_scheduling_manually.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">mass (bulk) schedule </a>or <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.pfs_optimization.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">optimization</a> to schedule the
                      service appointments.</p>
                  </td>
                  <td data-label="PERSONA" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e112 ">
                    <ul>
                      <li>Admin</li>
                      <li>Dispatcher</li>
                    </ul>
                  </td>
                </tr>
                <tr class="">
                  <td data-label="I WANT TO…" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e108 ">Create pre-planned work, for example, work coming from an external
                    system that needs to be scheduled.</td>
                  <td data-label="HOW DO I DO THIS?" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e110 ">
                    <p>Use Data Loader to import records.</p>
                    <p>Create service appointments
                      using an Apex class that an external system can call through a web service
                      so that service appointments can be created through
                      integration.</p>
                    <p style="margin-bottom:0;">You can then use <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.pfs_scheduling_manually.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">mass (bulk) schedule </a>or <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.pfs_optimization.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">optimization</a> to schedule the
                      service appointments. Or use <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.pfs_booking.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Get Candidates or Book
                        Appointments</a> Visualforce actions available on the Work Order page
                      layout to schedule each appointment individually.</p>
                  </td>
                  <td data-label="PERSONA" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e112 ">
                    <ul>
                      <li>Admin</li>
                      <li>Dispatcher</li>
                    </ul>
                  </td>
                </tr>
                <tr class="">
                  <td data-label="I WANT TO…" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e108 ">Create Service Appointment records based on a certain scenario or
                    required criteria.</td>
                  <td data-label="HOW DO I DO THIS?" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e110 ">Use automation tools, such as Flow, or programmatic processes such as
                    an Apex trigger and Apex class to create records based on your business
                    logic.</td>
                  <td data-label="PERSONA" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d98709e112 ">
                    <ul>
                      <li>Admin</li>
                    </ul>
                  </td>
                </tr>
              </tbody>
            </table>

![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-service-support_field_service-264-0-0-production-enus/3f7dceb9-dd70-454a-b49e-bbb4526a158d/images/icon_note.png)

Note On the Service Appointments related list on a service resource record, you can’t create appointments, but you can assign the resource to existing appointments.

Delete Service Appointments

If an appointment is canceled, you can delete the appointment or change its status to Canceled. Deleting a parent record, like a work order, deletes its child service appointments.

Associate Service Appointments with Other Records

Service appointments always have a parent record, which can be a work order, work order line item, opportunity, account, or asset. The parent record tells you about the nature of the service appointment:

- Service appointments associated with work orders and work order line items offer a more detailed view of the work being performed. In addition, this association enables you to use more of the Field Service provided scheduling logic, such as skill requirements, resource preferences, and other entities that are available only when a work order or work order line item is used. We recommend you use the work order or work order line item as the parent record for a service appointment. If necessary, associate assets and accounts to the work order or work order line item through related fields and lists, instead of making assets and accounts the service appointment parent record. While work orders and work order line items let you enter general information about a task, service appointments track scheduling and ownership. If you select Auto-Create Service Appointment on a work type, a child service appointment is added to all work orders or work order line items that use the work type. In scheduling and optimization, service appointments are scheduled according to your settings.

#### See Also

- [Service Appointment Fields for Field Service](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.fs_appointment_fields.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Service appointments have the following fields. Some fields may not be visible or editable depending on your page layout and field-level security settings.")