Description

ServiceNow CSM Development & configurations

ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM) is designed to connect customer service with other departments (like Engineering or Finance) to resolve issues at their root. Development and configuration in CSM range from “low-code” setup to advanced “pro-code” scripting.

Below is a breakdown of the core components and how they are developed.

1. Core Data Model & Foundation

Before building workflows, you must configure the organizational structure. CSM uses a unique data model compared to ITSM:

1. Accounts & Contacts: Represents the customer organizations (B2B) and the individuals within them.
2. Consumers: Used for B2C scenarios where individuals are supported directly.
3. Product Models & Assets: Tracks what the customer owns. Configuration involves mapping these to the Install Base, which tracks the specific instances of products deployed for a customer.
4. Entitlements & SLAs: Configured to define the level of support a customer is “entitled” to (e.g., 24/7 support, 4-hour response).

2. Case Management Configuration

The Case ($sn_customerservice_case$) is the primary record. Key configurations include:

1. Case Types: Developers can create extended case types (e.g., “Product Return” vs. “Technical Support”) to have different fields and workflows without cluttering the base table.
2. Special Handling Notes: Pop-up alerts that appear when an agent opens a specific account or case (e.g., “High-value customer – escalate immediately”).
3. Major Issue Management: Configuration that allows agents to link multiple individual cases to one “Major Case” when a widespread outage occurs.

3. Intelligent Routing (AWA)

Instead of simple assignment rules, CSM often uses Advanced Work Assignment (AWA):

1. Service Channels: Define how work (Chat, Case, Walk-up) is handled.
2. Queues: Route work based on specific criteria (e.g., “Gold” customers go to a priority queue).
3. Assignment Rules: Developers configure these to match work to agents based on Availability, Capacity, and Skills.

4. Portals & Self-Service Development

CSM provides dedicated portals: Customer Service Portal ($/csp$) and Consumer Service Portal ($/csm$).

1. Service Portal Development: Developers use AngularJS, HTML, and CSS to customize widgets, themes, and pages.
2. Virtual Agent: Creating conversational “Topics” using a drag-and-drop designer to deflect cases by answering common questions automatically.
3. Knowledge Management: Configuring multiple Knowledge Bases with specific user criteria so customers only see articles relevant to their products.

5. Agent Experience (Configurable Workspace)

The CSM Configurable Workspace is the modern UI for agents.

1. UI Builder (UIB): The primary tool for development. It allows you to drag and drop components, define data resources, and handle events.
2. Playbooks: Developers use Process Automation Designer (PAD) to create step-by-step visual guides that lead agents through complex processes (e.g., onboarding a new customer).

Summary Table: Configuration vs. Development