Field Service License Types: Dispatcher vs Technician and More

Field Service License Types

Planning a Salesforce Field Service deployment starts with a clear grasp of its license types. Choosing the right licenses for each user role is step one in a successful (and cost-effective) implementation.

Why does this matter so much? Because misclassifying users can easily double your costs. If you give someone an expensive “full” license when they only needed a lighter one, your budget takes an unnecessary hit. Read our ultimate guide to Salesforce Field Service Licensing & Negotiation Guide.

The goal is to right-size licenses to roles so that every dispatcher, technician, or partner user has exactly what they need and nothing extraneous. This clarity not only saves money but also influences how you design your field service processes from day one.

Field Service License Types and Roles

Dispatcher Licenses (Full Field Service User)

Dispatchers (and admins who configure Field Service) require the full-featured Field Service user license. This is often referred to as a “Field Service Dispatcher” license or “Field Service Plus” user license. It gives back-office users complete access to all Field Service capabilities.

Dispatchers use the dispatcher console (the scheduling board) to create and assign work orders, optimize technician schedules, adjust appointments, and oversee all field operations.

In essence, they are the air-traffic controllers of your field service team, so they need a license that includes Service Cloud entitlements plus the Field Service add-on. (Field Service is an extension of Service Cloud, so a dispatcher generally must have a Service Cloud license as a foundation or use the bundled Field Service Plus license that includes it.)

These full licenses enable the use of advanced features, such as schedule optimization and real-time tracking of technicians.

Typically, only a small number of users in each organization need dispatcher licenses – think of your central coordinators, service managers, or system admins (often on the order of 5–10 users total, depending on business size).

Give these power users the full Field Service license so they can do everything necessary to keep your operations running smoothly.

Technician / Mobile Worker Licenses

Field technicians – the mobile workers out in the field – have their own license type tailored to their needs. Salesforce’s mobile worker license (often called the Field Service Technician license or mobile employee license) is designed for users who primarily execute work orders on-site using the Field Service mobile app.

This license enables technicians to view and manage their jobs on a mobile device, including features like checking assigned service appointments, updating work order status, logging time spent, recording parts or materials used, capturing customer signatures, and working offline when out of coverage.

Essentially, the technician license covers all the functionality a field tech needs to receive assignments and complete work efficiently.

However, it does not include dispatch capabilities – technicians cannot reassign work orders or see the entire company-wide schedule board.

Their view is typically limited to their own schedule and related information. This limitation is by design: mobile licenses are cheaper and meant strictly for execution, not planning.

It’s important to note that a technician license usually works as an add-on to an underlying Salesforce license.

In many cases, your field techs will still need a base license (for example, a Platform user or a Service Cloud user) plus the Field Service mobile permission set. Some Salesforce bundles (like Field Service Plus) combine everything, but if you’re licensing technicians separately, ensure they have whatever core Salesforce access is required for Field Service objects.

The key advantage is cost: these mobile licenses are priced lower than full dispatcher licenses, allowing you to economically support hundreds or thousands of technicians.

Most organizations will have the bulk of their Field Service users in this category, so optimizing this license count has a big impact. Ensure that only those truly performing field work receive the mobile worker license, while reserving the full licenses for the few who require additional capabilities.

Commercial insights, Negotiating Field Service for Large Teams: Volume Discounts and Contractor Licensing.

Other License Options (Contractors, Partners, and More)

Not everyone touching your Field Service system will be a direct employee with an internal license.

Many companies use third-party contractors or partner technicians to fulfill service calls, and Salesforce provides license options to accommodate them at a lower cost.

Instead of giving contractors full internal user licenses, you can leverage the Experience Cloud (community) licenses specifically meant for external field service workers.

Often termed “Contractor” licenses, these are available as login-based licenses (you pay per login or per user per month, which can be far more cost-effective if contractors only log in occasionally).

Using an Experience Cloud portal, contractors can log in to a dedicated site to see just their assigned work orders and appointments, update job status, and collaborate on cases or work orders relevant to them.

This portal access is more limited than what internal users see: the UI can be simplified or branded, and contractors won’t navigate the full Salesforce app. They get exactly what they need — nothing more — which is perfect for security and cost control.

For more involved partners or vendors, Salesforce also offers a “Contractor Plus” license. Contractor Plus extends the portal concept by even allowing some dispatcher console access for external users (for example, if you have a subcontractor company that manages its own team’s scheduling in your system).

Contractor Plus users can perform dispatch-like functions within their scope, and they might have extra features like the ability to upsell or create their own work orders.

Both contractor license types keep your third-party access separate and economical, since these licenses are significantly cheaper than internal licenses.

Keep in mind that using Experience Cloud for contractors may require some integration work or data exchange if those contractors use their own systems, but it’s still usually worth it given the cost savings.

Beyond contractors, consider if some of your internal back-office users truly need a full Service Cloud license. Salesforce Field Service is an add-on to Service Cloud, but in certain scenarios, you might license some users on a lower-cost Salesforce Platform license with the Field Service features.

For example, your inventory staff or analysts may only need to update custom objects or view dashboards related to field service, without needing to use cases or the console.

In some cases, these users may be given a platform user license (which is less expensive than Service Cloud) along with the necessary Field Service permission sets.

This isn’t the standard approach (and not all functionality may be available), but it’s a creative way to license internal users more cheaply when they don’t require the full spectrum of Service Cloud features.

The bottom line: Salesforce’s default stance might be to sell everyone a full license, but you should strategically map user roles to the appropriate license level, whether that’s dispatcher, technician, contractor community user, or a basic platform user, to avoid overspending.

Field Service License Type Comparison:

To recap the main options, here’s a comparison of license types by role:

License Planning Best Practices

Licensing is often the biggest cost driver in a Salesforce Field Service project, so careful planning pays off.

Keep these best practices in mind:

• Map roles to licenses before purchasing: List out every user role in your field service operation (dispatchers, in-house techs, contractor techs, supervisors, administrators, etc.). Determine which license category each role truly needs. This upfront mapping ensures you buy the right mix instead of defaulting to one-size-fits-all.
• Avoid giving dispatch rights to everyone: Salesforce might suggest that many users get the full FSL dispatcher license, but think critically. A technician in the field probably doesn’t need the dispatcher console. Only purchase full licenses for those who will actually use the advanced scheduling and management features. Many field service deployments succeed with just a handful of dispatcher licenses, while the majority are on technician licenses.
• Leverage partner/contractor licenses: If you use third parties, take advantage of the Experience Cloud (community) approach. It’s far more cost-effective to give an external contractor a portal login than an internal user seat. Use contractor licenses for any external workforce or even short-term seasonal workers. This also keeps your internal system cleaner, since contractors only see their relevant data.
• Plan for a seasonal or variable workforce: Field service often has seasonal demand. If you ramp up a contractor crew for the summer or holiday season, don’t buy permanent full licenses for those temporary users. Use login-based contractor licenses or flexible arrangements so you pay only during the months they’re active. For your own seasonal employees, you can rotate a pool of licenses rather than over-buying. The key is to align license count with actual usage – Salesforce will happily sell you more than you need, so it’s up to you to align with your true demand.
• Review and adjust periodically: License needs can change as your business evolves. Maybe some technicians become dispatch leads (needing a higher license) or vice versa. Periodically review if everyone’s license still fits their role. It’s possible to upgrade users as needed or identify if you have idle licenses that could be reassigned. Staying proactive here prevents waste.

FAQs

Do all Field Service users need a Service Cloud license?
Usually, yes. Salesforce Field Service is built as an add-on to Service Cloud, which means most users require the base Service Cloud license to access standard objects (cases, accounts, etc.) and then get Field Service capabilities layered on. Practically speaking, any internal user (dispatcher or technician) will either have a Service Cloud license + Field Service add-on, or you might purchase a bundle (like Field Service Plus) that includes Service Cloud entitlement for that user.

Be sure to confirm the exact license structure with Salesforce when planning your purchase. The main point is that Field Service doesn’t stand alone; it rides on top of core Salesforce CRM functionality.

An exception is external contractor users – they don’t get Service Cloud licenses, since they come in via the Experience Cloud portal with a different license type.

But for your employees using the Field Service app or console inside Salesforce, assume they’ll need the Service Cloud user license (or an equivalent bundle) to make Field Service work properly.

Can contractors or third-party techs share licenses?
No. Salesforce licensing is based on named users or individual logins, not concurrent usage. Each person who uses the system needs their own license (or their own login in the case of community licenses).

You cannot have two contractors sharing one user login without violating the agreement (and it would create data integrity issues as well). However, Salesforce’s login-based contractor licenses provide a clever workaround for cost: you can have, say, 100 contractor users set up in your portal but only pay for the ones who log in during a given month.

For example, if only 20 contractors actually log in this month, you pay for 20 logins instead of all 100. This model means you don’t have to buy a full license for every single possible contractor upfront. It’s a flexible, compliant way to let a large pool of external people access Field Service as needed.

Just remember, each person still has their own credentials – you’re simply paying based on usage. No sharing a single account among multiple individuals (that’s both against the rules and a security risk).

What if some users only occasionally need dispatch rights?
This is a common scenario – for instance, a field supervisor who is primarily a technician but occasionally steps in to dispatch or adjust schedules. You might be tempted to give them a full dispatcher license “just in case,” but that can be overkill if those duties are infrequent. A better approach is to limit full licenses to a core dispatch team and have occasional needs handled in other ways.

Perhaps that supervisor can coordinate with a dispatcher when they need something scheduled, or maybe you can rotate one of your dispatcher licenses to cover a team lead during special situations.

If a user truly wears two hats regularly (technician and dispatcher), consider the Field Service Plus license for them – it’s a bundle that provides both mobile and dispatch capabilities in one.

The key is not to convert every power user into a full licensed dispatcher unless their day-to-day job requires it. With thoughtful planning, you can cover edge cases with a small number of cross-trained dispatchers or combo licenses, rather than upgrading dozens of users unnecessarily. This keeps your license count lean and targeted to actual usage.

Conclusion – Right-Sizing Before Negotiating

Getting the license count and types correct from the start is one of the smartest moves you can make in a Salesforce Field Service deployment.

By understanding each license type – Dispatcher vs. Technician vs. Partner community user, etc. – and aligning them to your team’s roles, you set yourself up for success.

Proper license alignment ensures you’re not paying for unused functionality, and it prevents headaches later when you realize you’ve under- or over-provisioned.

In short, license clarity = cost clarity. This preparation also gives you leverage when you enter price negotiations with Salesforce: you’ll know exactly how many of each license you truly need, and you can push back on any attempt to sell you more.

The result is a Field Service solution that’s right-sized for your operation, with the right people having the right tools. Before you dive into negotiating discounts or contracts, make sure this license blueprint is solid. It will pave the way for a smoother implementation and a healthier ROI.

And when you’re ready to discuss pricing, you can do so confidently, knowing your user-license puzzle is already solved – no overspending, no surprises, just the optimal setup for your field service team.

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