Work Type
A Salesforce Field Service template object that captures the standard attributes of a job - estimated duration, required skill set, and required materials - so work orders and work order line items can be created from it consistently.
Definition
A Salesforce Field Service template object that captures the standard attributes of a job - estimated duration, required skill set, and required materials - so work orders and work order line items can be created from it consistently.
In plain English
“A Work Type is a reusable template for a job in Field Service. Instead of filling in how long an "AC Maintenance" call usually takes, what skills the technician needs, and what parts to bring every single time, you set those defaults on a Work Type once and then any work order tagged with that type inherits them.”
Worked example
At Coastal Home Services, a dispatcher creates a "Refrigerator Repair" Work Type with a 90-minute estimated duration, the "HVAC Certified" skill requirement, and a default service appointment block. Each new work order tagged with that type pre-fills those values, so the scheduler can plan technician routes and the technician arrives with the right gear.
Why Work Type matters
A Work Type defines the standardized attributes of work that gets done repeatedly - estimated duration, default skills, required products, and a default service appointment template. When a work order or work order line item references a Work Type, those fields are populated automatically, reducing data-entry overhead and keeping job estimates consistent across the team.
The Field Service scheduling and dispatch engine relies heavily on Work Type to do its job: the optimizer uses estimated duration to plan time slots, skill requirements to match resources, and required products to ensure the technician's truck is stocked. Mature Field Service implementations curate a small, well-defined set of Work Types - one per common job pattern - rather than letting them proliferate, because every Work Type is effectively a piece of process documentation.
How organizations use Work Type
Maintains a Work Type catalog so every appointment carries an accurate duration estimate and skill requirement.
Uses Work Types to standardize how technicians prepare for recurring job categories.
Pulls Work Type defaults onto work orders to keep dispatch decisions repeatable across regions.
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