Service Areas - Shifton Service Help

Service areas are geographic regions where your employees are authorized to perform tasks.
They are a required part of company configuration.
Without service areas, tasks cannot be assigned.

What Service Areas Are Used For

Service areas allow you to:

Define exact boundaries of where your services are available on the map
Assign employees who can work within each service area
Control which users can create and approve task requests
Minimize assignment errors and optimize logistics

When a client’s address is entered into a task, the system automatically:

Detects which service area the address belongs to

Displays only technicians assigned to that specific area

This ensures tasks are assigned only to employees who operate in that location.

Roles in Service Areas

Each user can have one or multiple roles within a service area:

Role	Description	Capabilities
Technician	Responsible for task execution	Sees and performs tasks inside assigned areas
Task Requester	Creates task requests	Can initiate tasks within the area
Task Approver	Manages approval workflow	Approves or rejects requests for new tasks

Roles are assigned individually for each area and may differ between them.

Where to Manage Service Areas

Go to:
Task Settings → Service Areas

Here you can:

Create new service areas
Edit existing boundaries
Add or remove employees
Change user roles within the area
Delete areas no longer in use

Creating a Service Area

To create a new service area:

Open Service Areas

Click Create Service Area

Draw or select the territory on the map where your company operates

Add employees who can work within the area

Assign roles to the selected employees

Save changes

Once saved, the area is active and available for task assignment.

Assigning Employees to Service Areas

Employees can be assigned:

to a single service area — if they work in a specific locality
to multiple service areas — if they operate across several regions

We recommend reviewing and updating service area assignments when:

staff changes occur
your coverage area expands or shifts
responsibilities or departments change

How Service Areas Affect Task Assignment

Action	Result
Client address is inside a service area	Only assigned technicians are displayed for selection
Address does not belong to any area	Task assignment is not available
Technician is not added to the area	They do not see the task and cannot complete it

If an address doesn’t match any existing area, the system will notify you.

Examples of Effective Configuration

Scenario	Recommended Setup
Company operates in multiple cities or regions	Create separate service areas for each location
Company works in one city but manages by districts	Create areas by neighborhoods, postal zones, or admin boundaries
Technicians frequently relocate or travel	Assign employees to multiple service areas
Access to tasks must be restricted	Assign only authorized roles

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue	Possible Cause	Resolution
Technician cannot see assigned tasks	Employee not included in the service area	Add employee to the corresponding area
Task cannot be assigned by address	Address is outside mapped boundaries	Expand or adjust the map area
Task is stuck waiting for approval	No approver assigned	Add a user with the Approver role

Recommendations

Configure areas based on real operational territories
Confirm that all client addresses fall inside mapped boundaries
Keep employee lists and roles up to date
Limit access only to staff who require it

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are service areas in Shifton Field Service?

Service areas are geographic regions where your employees are authorized to perform tasks. They are a required part of company configuration, and without defined service areas, tasks cannot be assigned.

What are service areas used for?

Service areas allow you to:

define the exact boundaries of where services are available on the map;
assign employees who can work within each area;
control who can create and approve task requests;
minimize assignment errors and optimize field logistics.

How does task assignment work with service areas?

If the client address falls inside a service area, only technicians assigned to that area are shown for selection.
If an address is not inside any defined service area, task assignment is not available.
Technicians not assigned to an area will not see the task and cannot complete it.

What roles can users have within a service area?

Each user can have one or more roles in a service area:

Technician — responsible for task execution; sees and performs tasks inside the area.

Task Requester — creates task requests within the area.

Task Approver — approves or rejects new task requests.

Where do I manage service areas?

Go to Task Settings → Service Areas. There you can create, edit, manage employees and roles within areas, and delete areas no longer in use.

How do I create a new service area?

Open Service Areas.

Click Create Service Area.

Draw or select the territory on the map.

Add employees who can work within the area.

Assign roles to those employees.

Save changes.

Can an employee be assigned to multiple service areas?

Yes — an employee can be assigned to multiple service areas if they operate across several regions.

What should I do if a technician cannot see an assigned task?

If a technician can’t see a task, it may be because they are not included in the relevant service area. Add the employee to the correct area and assign the appropriate role.

What happens if a client address doesn’t match any service area?

The system will notify you that task assignment is not possible because the address is outside all mapped service area boundaries. Consider expanding or adjusting service areas.

How should I configure service areas effectively?

Good practices include:

setting areas based on actual operational territory;
ensuring client addresses fall within mapped boundaries;
regularly updating employee lists and roles;
limiting area access to authorized staff only.