Why and How Oracle field service works

TeleService is designed for tele-agents handling service calls - it contains

Service Request & Task Functionality, UWQ, Telephony & E-Mail Center
Integration, Knowledge Base, etc. Most of these functionality form part of
something Oracle used to call Service Core - common service components that
used to come bundled with any service application. These include Service
Requests, Installed Base, Knowledge Base, Counters, etc.
Field Service, on the other side, is designed for handling scenario where
technicians are dispatched to go and do the service in the field - at
customer's site, installation site, failure site, etc. On top of service
core functionality, this offers an advanced assignment and scheduling engine
(dispatch center and advanced scheduler) and spares management - a submodule
of field service that takes care of logistics movement across field
technicians' truck stocks, central spares depot, etc. It also includes a
field service technician's portal where the technician can report (debrief)
on the time and material spent on a particular assignment. These
functionality are not available in teleservice.
I'm not sure if telephony integration and UWQ are available if you license
field service alone - would advise you to check this bit with Oracle.
Otherwise if you buy Field Service you get entire functionality of
teleservice and additional functionality to handle field service scenario.

Thanks a lot for the excellent explanation.
Somehow i didnt get this mail at all. I just saw your reply when i browse through this site.
I have few more questions.
1.We are trying to have the minimal FS implementation
2.I think Advanced scheduler is optional. And our client is not very big. They know whom to assign.So they are fine
with manual assignment.
3.Can we live without spares management also?

( We may use the debrief form just to enter the materials and charging. We may not create ISO from Debrief form.
Rightnow the client is managing with phone calls and ISOs from OM. They can use the spares management at a later
stage)
Can you please let us know If we can avoid anything else?
Because the client at first phase just want to introduce the minimal functionality of FS without disrupting the existing
company procedures. Then they want to rollout the full functionality phase by phase.

A) First and foremost is to understand that FS is completely different from TS, depending on which industry
your client is in. For e.g., in M&D, such as Copier, Hi-Tech industries where a lot of revenue is generated in
service activities, FS/TS are clearly different departments with different processes. In Oracle Apps, SR can
be thought of as Container which is used to logically group the work units(Tasks) required to provide service.
Given that, you can thin kof dispatch and related field service visits to be driven at the task level, where as
the billing inquiry, customer support etc kind of activities performed via TS on the SR level. Similarly you will
typically have different contractual obligations for TS/FS including different charges, response and reaction
times, etc.
TS does not require any Sub-Inventory or trunk stock management(Spares Management) capabilities
(correspondingly no Install Base updates, Dispatch - Resource Management, calendar management, trip
management) activities, (for that matter if territories management for service). Most of the companies are
outsourcing parts of their field operations which makes it even more distinct then TS.
Hope this helps.
Why do you want to implement Field Service? You can manage with TeleService
alone.
The power of Field Service comes from Dispatch Center, Advanced Scheduler
and Spares Management. If your client knows whom to assign a task, it can be
done straightaway from Service Request form. If required, they may use
Assignment Manager.
Debrief is available even if you dont license field service - Spares
Management is part of field service for licensing, only Advanced Scheduler
needs to be licensed separately.
You can use debrief and the same information will flow to charges. If you
dont want to do the billing for the same through charges and want to do the
same directly from the OM sales order you mentioned in your mail below, then
all you need to do is set up the Service Activity Codes with the 'Interface
to OM' flag unchecked. Additionally, you can setup a small forms
personalization to hide/disable the submit charges button.
KISS (Keep it sweet and simple) - to me it seems like your customer at this
stage just requires Service Requests, Tasks (manual assignment) and
debrief/charges (to record material and time spent on a task).