Perth Panthers Blog 8: Leveraging the Power Platform with Dynamics 365 Field Service for Scheduling

What is the Power Platform in Dynamics 365 Field Service?

The Microsoft Power Platform consists of a suite of tools—Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Pages—that integrate seamlessly with Dynamics 365 Field Service. These tools empower organisations to customise their workflows, build tailored applications, and automate processes, all without needing extensive development experience. For businesses that manage complex operations, like sports venues or arenas, the Power Platform provides the flexibility needed to create efficient solutions that meet specific operational needs.

For the Perth Panthers, managing the scheduling of the ice at the Enclosure is a critical part of their daily operations. Whether it’s booking the ice for practice, scheduling public skating sessions, or coordinating ice resurfacing with the Zamboni, an efficient scheduling system is essential. By leveraging the Power Platform, the Panthers can create a custom Ice Bookings table, integrate it into their Schedule Board, and use Power Pages to develop an Ice Booking Portal, streamlining the process of scheduling ice time and resources.

The Problem: Inefficient Ice and Resource Scheduling

Managing ice time at the Enclosure is a complex task that requires careful coordination between the Panthers, external groups (such as youth leagues or public skaters), and the operations team responsible for maintaining the ice.

  1. Multiple Stakeholders: The ice is used by various groups, including the Perth Panthers, visiting teams, and public skating sessions. Managing the availability of the ice and ensuring that everyone has access to it when needed can become chaotic without a centralised system.
  2. Ice Resurfacing Coordination: After each session, the ice needs to be resurfaced with the Zamboni. Previously, this task was manually scheduled and often resulted in confusion over when the ice needed to be recut, causing delays or interruptions in the schedule.
  3. Lack of Real-Time Visibility: The operations team struggled with tracking the availability of other resources, such as the lighting and digital screens, which are often required alongside ice time bookings for games or events.
  4. No Self-Service Booking: External teams or groups that wanted to book the ice had to call or email the arena management team, resulting in manual and time-consuming back-and-forth communications to find available time slots.

To solve these challenges, the Panthers need an automated, easy-to-use system that not only helps them manage the ice schedule internally but also provides external users with a way to book the ice and related resources.

How the Power Platform Solves the Problem:

By leveraging the Power Platform, the Perth Panthers can create a fully integrated solution that streamlines ice bookings, Zamboni resurfacing, and resource management. Here’s how the Panthers can use the various Power Platform tools to create a customised scheduling system:

  1. Custom Ice Bookings Table in Power Apps: The Panthers can create a custom Ice Bookings table in Power Apps to track and manage all ice time reservations. This table will store critical information such as:
    • Date and time of the booking
    • Booking party (e.g., the Panthers, public skating, visiting teams)
    • Duration of the booking
    • Additional resources required (such as lighting or the digital screen)
    • Zamboni resurfacing times before and after each booking
  2. Integration with the Schedule Board: Using Dynamics 365 Field Service, the Panthers can integrate the Ice Bookings table with the Schedule Board. This ensures that all ice time bookings are displayed in a centralised calendar, visible to the operations team. The Schedule Board will include:
    • Ice bookings as Schedulable Items, allowing the team to see when the ice is in use and when it is available.
    • Automated Zamboni resurfacing schedules based on the duration of the ice time. For example, if the ice is booked for a two-hour game, the system will automatically schedule 15 minutes after the game ends for ice resurfacing.
    • Real-time visibility of resource availability, ensuring that the team knows when the lighting or digital screen is in use and when it’s available for the next event.

Real-World Example – Preparing the Enclosure for Game Day:

Perth Panthers Blog 8: Field service and the power platform

3. Automating Processes with Power Automate: The Panthers can use Power Automate to streamline workflows related to ice bookings. For example:

    • Automated notifications can be sent to the operations team when a booking is confirmed, ensuring that the Zamboni is prepared for resurfacing.
    • If any conflicts arise (such as double bookings or unavailable resources), Power Automate can trigger an alert, allowing the team to resolve the issue before it causes disruptions.
    • Integration with maintenance schedules for the ice or related equipment, such as the lighting system, can ensure that repairs or routine maintenance are scheduled during off-hours

4. Ice Booking Portal Using Power Pages: The Panthers can use Power Pages to build a self-service Ice Booking Portal. This portal will allow external users—such as visiting teams or youth leagues—to search for available ice time and book sessions without needing to contact the arena management team directly. Key features of the Ice Booking Portal will include:

      • Search for Available Ice Time: Users can view a calendar of available ice slots and filter based on their preferred dates and times.
      • Book Additional Resources: When booking the ice, users can also request additional resources such as the digital screen or arena lighting, ensuring that all needs are met in a single booking.
      • Automated Booking Confirmation: Once a booking is made, the system automatically confirms the reservation and sends notifications to both the user and the operations team, including the scheduled time for Zamboni resurfacing.
      • User Management and B2B Accounts: External teams can create B2B accounts to manage their bookings, view past reservations, and make changes to upcoming bookings.

Conclusion

By leveraging the Power Platform with Dynamics 365 Field Service, the Perth Panthers have created a customised ice booking and resource management system that integrates seamlessly with their existing operations. With the Ice Bookings table, the Schedule Board, and the Ice Booking Portal, the Panthers can manage their ice schedule, coordinate Zamboni resurfacing, and provide external users with a self-service platform for booking ice time. This streamlined approach ensures that the Enclosure remains a well-organised and efficient venue, ready for every practice, game, and event.

In the next blog, we’ll explore how the Perth Panthers can improve customer engagement by using Dynamics 365 Field Service to gather feedback from teams and fans, ensuring that their arena operations continue to meet the highest standards.