Overview of Visits in FieldKo
In FieldKo, a Visit represents a scheduled field activity – typically a trip to a customer site or store to perform tasks such as merchandising, inspections or surveys. Each visit is associated with an Account (e.g. a store or site) and has a planned date and time duration. FieldKo’s visit management ensures that for every scheduled visit, the field user (e.g. a sales rep or merchandiser) knows when and where to go and what tasks to complete there.
Visits in FieldKo come with built-in tracking and compliance features. Every visit has a planned start and end time, and field users check in at the start and check out at the end of the visit using the FieldKo mobile app. This captures the actual visit duration and location (via GPS), allowing managers to compare planned versus actual time on site. FieldKo automatically time-stamps check-ins/outs and geotags them, providing accurate timekeeping and location verification without manual effort.
While on a visit, a user may have a list of assigned Tasks and Surveys (for example, forms or scorecards to fill out) that need to be completed as part of that visit. Each visit record in Salesforce will show all related tasks, surveys, photos, and notes from that trip, giving a 360° view of the field activity.
Because FieldKo is 100% native to the Salesforce Platform, visits and their related data (tasks, survey responses, etc.) are stored securely in your Salesforce org. This means standard Salesforce features like list views, reports, dashboards, and Chatter feeds can be used to manage and monitor visits. For example, you can create a Salesforce report to track visits by date, by rep, by account, or to see completion rates and survey scores across visits. FieldKo leverages Salesforce’s robust sharing settings and security model – you can control which users can see or edit certain visits (for instance, reps typically see only their own visits or those for their territory) using Salesforce role hierarchies or sharing rules. In addition, because FieldKo visits are Salesforce records, you can use automation tools like Flow to act on visit events (e.g. send an email when a visit is completed, or create follow-up tasks automatically).
Mobile and Offline Access: Field users primarily interact with visits through FieldKo’s mobile app (available for iOS and Android). The mobile experience is fully offline-capable – users can view their visit schedule and complete visit tasks even with no internet, as the app will sync data when connectivity is available. When a connection is available, the app automatically syncs new data (such as completed tasks, notes or new visits) back to Salesforce in the cloud. Likewise, any visits that managers scheduled via the desktop will sync down to the mobile device. This seamless online-offline capability ensures field teams always have the latest visit plans and can continue working in areas with low connectivity.
In summary, visits are the cornerstone of FieldKo’s field execution management. Next, we’ll cover how to create and schedule visits as an administrator or manager on the desktop, and how field users can create or view their visits on the mobile app.
Creating a Visit on Desktop (Planner Role)
Most visit scheduling in FieldKo is done by sales managers or system administrators using the Visit Calendar in the Salesforce Lightning desktop interface. The Visit Calendar provides a convenient drag-and-drop scheduling tool to plan visits for your field team. Before creating visits, ensure that the relevant Accounts (stores or sites) exist in Salesforce and are assigned to the appropriate field users (for example, via account ownership or territory management). Also, verify that the users who will be assigned visits have FieldKo licenses and proper permission to access the Visit object.
To create a new Visit using the desktop Visit Calendar:
Open the Visit Calendar: In Salesforce Lightning, navigate to the FieldKo app or Visit Management tab. Locate and open the Visit Calendar (this may be a custom Lightning page provided by FieldKo). You’ll see a calendar view (day/week/month) showing scheduled visits. You may need to select the specific user or team for whom you are planning visits (e.g. filter the calendar to a particular field rep’s schedule). For example, you might select a rep like “John Smith” to view and manage that person’s visit schedule.
Choose a Date/Time Slot: Select the date and time for the visit. You can click an empty time slot on the calendar, or simply drag an account from the accounts list onto the desired slot. FieldKo’s calendar allows dragging an Account directly onto the calendar to create a visit for that account at that time. For instance, if you want to schedule a store visit at 4:00 PM, you can drag the store (account) “ABC Retail” onto the 4:00 PM slot on the chosen date.
Enter Visit Details: When you drop the account onto the calendar (or click to create a new visit), a form or dialog will appear to input visit details. Select or verify the Account (it should pre-fill from the drag-and-drop). Choose the planned start and end time for the visit (these may default based on where you dropped it on the calendar). Typically, visits have a set duration (e.g. 1 hour) but you can adjust the end time if needed.
Assign a Visit Template (Optional): If your organization uses Visit Templates for standard tasks (see the Visit Templates article for more details), you can select a template at this stage. The template will automatically add a predefined list of tasks and surveys to the visit. For example, if you have a “Monthly Store Audit” template (with tasks like “Check promotional display” and a survey form for shelf compliance), choose that template to attach those items to the new visit. (If no template is selected, you can still manually add individual tasks or surveys to the visit later.)
Save the Visit: Click Save (or Create) to finalise the visit. The visit will now appear on the calendar at the scheduled time, typically labeled with the account name and maybe a visit title or code. In our example, after saving, the calendar would show an entry at 4:00–5:00 PM for “ABC Retail – Monthly Store Audit”. This indicates the visit is planned, but not yet completed.
Once saved, the visit is immediately available in Salesforce. The assigned field user will see it in their mobile app (under “My Visits” or their mobile calendar) after the next sync. If the user’s device is online, FieldKo will push the new visit to them in near real-time; if offline, it will appear once they sync. On the desktop side, you can click on the newly created visit on the calendar to open the Visit record, where you can view or edit details like assigned tasks, notes, etc.
Tip: The Visit Calendar supports creating visits in bulk by repeating the drag-and-drop for multiple accounts or multiple time slots. This makes it easy to plan a whole week or month of visits for a rep by laying out all their store calls on the calendar. FieldKo also supports route optimisation – after scheduling visits for a day, you can use the built-in route suggestions (powered by Google Maps) to optimise the sequence of visits by travel time or distance. This helps in planning efficient daily routes for field reps.
Creating a Visit on the Mobile App (Field User Role)
FieldKo’s mobile app (FieldKo Mobile) allows field team members to view and manage their visits on the go. In many cases, managers schedule visits for reps, but sometimes a field user may need to create an ad-hoc visit themselves – for example, if they decide to drop into a store that wasn’t on the plan, or to log an out-of-schedule visit. The mobile app provides a “Visit Calendar” or “My Visits” section that mirrors much of the desktop functionality, optimised for touch.
To create a visit on mobile, the user must have permission (some organizations allow reps to create their own visits, others might restrict this). Assuming they can, here’s how it works on the FieldKo mobile app:
Open FieldKo Mobile and Sync: The user opens the FieldKo app on their phone or tablet and navigates to the menu option for Visit Calendar or Plan Visit. They should ensure their app is synced to get the latest account and template data. (The app usually syncs automatically in the background, but if offline, the user may need to come online to create a new visit so that it can upload to Salesforce.)
Select Date/Time: In the mobile Visit Calendar view (which might show a daily or weekly agenda), tap on the desired date and time to schedule the visit. On some devices, FieldKo even allows a drag-and-drop interaction similar to desktop: the user can tap an Account list, pick the account they plan to visit, and “drop” it onto the calendar schedule. For example, the user could select “XYZ Mart” from their accounts and assign it to today at 2:00 PM.
Enter Details and Template: The app will prompt for visit details – confirm the Account, adjust the time if needed, and optionally choose a Visit Template for tasks/surveys (or manually select tasks to add). The mobile interface for choosing a template is similar to desktop, giving the rep preset options for common visit types.
Save the Visit: The user confirms/creates the visit. The new visit will appear in their My Visits list and calendar on the device. If online, it will sync up immediately so that managers can also see it in Salesforce; if offline, it will be stored locally and marked to sync when connectivity is restored.
After creation, the field rep can immediately check in to start the visit if they are about to do it, or simply leave it scheduled for later. All the same tracking applies – when they do check in/out, those timestamps and GPS coords will log on the visit record. The ability for reps to create visits on mobile is useful for unplanned activities, but as an admin you may want to establish guidelines: e.g. instruct reps to only create visits for legitimate exceptions, since ad-hoc visits might not be part of their standard call cycle plan.
Note: Whether created on desktop or mobile, a visit record contains fields like Planned Start, Planned End, Actual Start, Actual End, Assigned User, Account, etc. Admins can configure page layouts or Lightning record pages for the Visit object to include any additional info needed (such as a field for visit type or objective). FieldKo uses the label “Visit” (or in some orgs “Appointment”) for this object – the terminology is configurable. In your org, you might see “Visit”, “Call”, or “Appointment” on the user interface, depending on how it was set up; but the functionality remains the same.
Editing or Canceling Scheduled Visits
Plans can change – users might need to reschedule or cancel visits. FieldKo allows authorised users to modify visit records:
Editing a Visit: On the desktop calendar, simply drag the visit entry to a new time or date to reschedule it, just as you would move an event in a calendar app. This updates the planned time. You can also click into the visit record and use the Edit button to change fields (e.g. assign it to a different rep, change the duration, or swap the account if it was scheduled incorrectly). When a visit is edited, those changes sync to the mobile app so the field user sees the updated plan (they may receive a notification if enabled).
Canceling a Visit: FieldKo doesn’t explicitly use a “canceled” status by default, but you have options. You can delete the visit record entirely (removing it from the calendar), or you can add a custom field for Status (Planned, Completed, Canceled) if you prefer to keep a record of cancellations. To cancel via deletion, find the visit record (on the calendar or in a list view) and delete it; it will be removed from the user’s mobile schedule upon the next sync. If using a Status field approach, you could mark it “Canceled” and perhaps remove it from the rep’s visible list via filtering or automation. Choose the method that fits your business process and reporting needs (some companies want to track which visits were canceled vs. completed).
If a field user cannot make a visit (e.g. store closed, or they fell ill), they themselves might not have delete rights. In that case, a manager or coordinator would handle the cancellation on the desktop. Alternatively, you can build a simple custom action like “Request Cancellation” that triggers a Flow or sends an alert to managers.
Important: If a visit is already In Progress (the user checked in) it typically shouldn’t be edited or deleted as that could cause data conflicts. In such cases, wait for the user to check out (or force check-out via an admin tool if absolutely needed) before adjusting the record. This ensures the actuals are logged properly. FieldKo’s design is robust – even if a scheduled visit is deleted while a user is offline, the app will handle it gracefully (either discarding the record upon sync or marking it canceled).
Tips for Successful Visit Planning
Ensure Account Assignment: When creating visits for a user, verify that the Account is one the user should service. FieldKo can enforce that users only see certain accounts (e.g. within their territory). If a user reports not seeing a visit on their app, check that they have access to that Account and visit record. Often, configuring Salesforce Territory Management or sharing rules helps automate this. For example, if John is responsible for Sydney stores, ensure those accounts are assigned to John or his territory; then any visit you create for John at a Sydney store will be visible to him.
Regular Syncs: Encourage field users to sync their mobile app at the start of the day and after making changes. The app does auto-sync, but a manual sync can be done as a safeguard (especially before going offline). This ensures new visits (or changes) scheduled by managers are received. Likewise, managers should refresh their calendar to see visits created from mobile.
Use Templates for Efficiency: If certain types of visits involve the same set of activities, set up a Visit Template (see Visit Templates guide) and use it when creating visits. This saves time and ensures consistency – e.g. every “Monthly Compliance Check” visit has the exact same checklist and survey to fill out. Templates reduce setup errors and make reporting easier, since each visit will have standardized tasks.
Double-Book Prevention: FieldKo will generally prevent scheduling two visits for the same user at overlapping times (since a rep can’t be in two places at once). Be mindful when dragging accounts onto the calendar; if a slot is already filled, either choose a different time or a different rep. The system may warn or block if conflicts occur.
Geolocation Considerations: When planning multiple visits in a day, note the travel time between locations. The route optimisation feature can help reorder visits, but you must still allow transit time between planned end of one visit and start of next. A best practice is to include buffer time for travel. FieldKo can optimise routes by time or distance – use this to your advantage to minimise drive time.
Verify Check-In Compliance: As an admin, you can run reports or use FieldKo’s dashboards to see if users are properly checking in and out of visits. This can highlight any training issues (e.g. reps forgetting to check-in, which affects actual duration tracking). Since check-in also captures location, you can spot if someone checked in far from the store (FieldKo can flag this with geofence alerts). These reports help in coaching the team and ensuring the data integrity of visits.
Advanced Use Cases: Automating Visit Creation and Integration
Once you have the basics of visit creation down, you might consider advanced Salesforce capabilities to streamline the process and integrate with other systems:
Automated Visit Scheduling with Flows: Salesforce Flow (particularly Scheduled Flows or Record-Triggered Flows) can automate the creation of Visit records based on criteria. For example, you could create a nightly scheduled Flow to automatically generate next week’s visits for each active customer, following a predefined pattern. Schedule-triggered flows allow you to run automation at set intervals (daily, weekly, etc.) without user input. Using this, an admin could, say, schedule a flow every Monday to create visits for any account that needs a monthly check and doesn’t yet have one this month. This reduces manual planning work. Similarly, a record-triggered flow could create a follow-up Visit automatically when an existing visit is completed – e.g. 30 days after a store visit is done, schedule a new one to ensure a continuous call cycle.
Integration with External Scheduling Systems: If your company uses an ERP or another system to manage schedules, you can integrate it with FieldKo since all data lives in Salesforce. Common integrations include syncing planned visits from an external planning tool into Salesforce (creating Visit records via API) or exporting completed visit data to an ERP for service verification. FieldKo’s open Salesforce data model means you can use tools like Salesforce APIs, MuleSoft, or other ETL processes to import/export visit information. For instance, an ERP might flag a list of stores that need a maintenance visit – a script could read that and create corresponding FieldKo visits in Salesforce automatically. Conversely, once visits are completed in FieldKo, you could push a summary (like “visited on X date, issues found Y/N”) back to an external database if needed.
Reporting & BI Integration: While Salesforce’s native reporting is powerful, FieldKo also “works seamlessly with Power BI” for analytics. Advanced users can connect Salesforce (FieldKo) data to BI tools like Tableau or Power BI to create custom dashboards, combining visit data with sales or inventory data. For example, you might integrate FieldKo visit records with sales figures from SAP to analyze the impact of visits on sales. Since FieldKo is on platform, any standard Salesforce connectivity (ODATA connectors, CSV exports, etc.) will work to feed other systems. This helps in building a comprehensive view of field operations.
Quality Control and Compliance Automation: You can leverage Apex or flows to enforce rules. For instance, using a Flow you could automatically email a manager if a visit’s actual duration is under 5 minutes (possible sign of a missed visit), or if a required survey question was answered negatively. This kind of automation ensures that the visit data is not only collected but also acted upon immediately for exceptions.
Leverage Salesforce Maps or Field Service (if available): FieldKo covers a lot of visit functionality out-of-the-box. If you also have Salesforce Field Service, you might integrate the two for advanced scheduling optimisation or to handle situations like work orders that require field visits. While Field Service and FieldKo are separate, an admin could write automation to create a FieldKo Visit whenever a Field Service Appointment is scheduled (or vice versa) to avoid double-booking and consolidate reporting. This is an advanced scenario that requires careful design but can unify different kinds of “visits” your organization performs.
By using these advanced techniques, Salesforce administrators can greatly enhance how visits are scheduled and used. You can achieve a high degree of automation – from automatically populating an entire quarter’s visit plan with one Flow, to ensuring no required visit is missed using triggers and alerts.
Integration ensures that FieldKo doesn’t sit in a silo but actively communicates with your other enterprise systems (CRM, ERP, BI). All of this contributes to a more efficient field operation where visits are created, executed, and analyzed with minimal manual effort.