Response templates
Summarize
Summary of Response templates
Response templates in ServiceNow (formerly templated snippets) are reusable message templates that enable users to quickly and consistently communicate through case or task forms and Agent Chat. These templates help resolve cases and support issues more efficiently by providing standard, pre-written responses tailored to specific scenarios.
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Response templates are applicable only to existing records and can include variables and conditional logic to customize the message based on context.
Assigning Roles for Response Templates
To manage and use response templates effectively, specific roles must be assigned:
- Response template administrator: Manages scoped administration of response templates; inherited by System Administrator by default.
- Response template writer: Can create, update, and delete response templates.
- Response template reader: Can read and use response templates.
These roles can be assigned to users, groups, or other roles depending on your organizational structure. For example, in HR Service Delivery, HR administrators might be administrators of response templates, HR managers writers, and HR case writers readers. In Customer Service Management, managers and agents inherit writer and reader roles respectively.
Using Response Templates
Users with the writer role create templates associated with Task or Interaction table extensions. Templates have short names used as slash command shortcuts in Agent Workspace chats and can include:
- Variables that dynamically pull data from records.
- Condition builders to restrict template availability to specific scenarios or services.
Readers can copy template content to respond consistently to cases, such as standardized messages for payroll discrepancy cases in HR.
Practical Example
In an HR context, a manager with the writer role creates a template for escalating payroll discrepancy cases. This template links to the HR Payroll Case table and applies only to cases matching the Payroll Discrepancy service. It includes variables like the employee’s name in the message. HR agents with the reader role use this template to respond quickly and consistently, improving resolution speed and communication quality.
Activation
To enable response templates, activate the Response Templates plugin in your ServiceNow instance. This installation includes necessary components and roles to manage and leverage the feature within your applications.
Resolve cases or support issues faster and more efficiently with response templates. Response templates (formerly known as templated snippets) are reusable messages that can be copied to case or task forms to provide quick and consistent messages to users, or to display standard chat response messages to requesters in Agent Chat.
Assign response template roles
The following roles are installed when you activate the response templates plugin.
| Response template role | Description |
|---|---|
| Response template
administrator [sn_templated_snip.template_snippet_admin] |
Grants access to scoped administration of the response templates feature. |
| Response template
writer [sn_templated_snip.template_snippet_writer] |
Grants access to create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) response template content. |
| Response template
reader [sn_templated_snip.template_snippet_reader] |
Grants access to read response template content. |
| System Administrator [admin] |
Response template administrator
[sn_templated_snip.template_snippet_admin] Note: Admin inherits this role by
default. When the Templated Responses [com.sn_templated_snip] plugin is
activated without activating related HR applications, you can still use response
templates.
|
Before you begin using response templates, you must assign these roles to the appropriate roles, groups, or users in your application.
- To assign a role to another role, see Add a role to an existing role.
- To assign a role to a group, see Assign a role to a group.
- To assign a role to a user, see Assign a role to a user.
- In the HR Service Delivery application, users with the HR administrator role are assigned the response template administrator role, users with the HR manager role are assigned the response template writer role, and users with the HR case writer role are assigned the response template reader role.
- In the Customer Service Management application, users with the customer service manager role (sn_customerservice_manager) inherit the response template writer role. Users with the customer service agent role (sn_customerservice_agent) inherit the response template reader role and can access response templates assigned to all groups to which they belong.
How to use response templates
- Include variables pulled from a table
- Specify a condition builder to specify the conditions that must be met for the template to be available for use, such as for a specific HR service
Users with the response template reader [sn_templated_snip.template_snippet_reader] role can then copy response template content and use it in their responses to users when working on case or task forms that meet the specified conditions. For example, a response template for payroll discrepancy cases enables HR agents to use a standardized message when responding to that case type. See Copy a response template to an HR case for an HR-specific example.
Response template to escalate payroll discrepancy cases
You are part of an enterprise HR organization using the HR Service Delivery application. You want your HR agents to respond to and, when necessary, escalate payroll discrepancy cases quickly and consistently. Create a response template so that HR agents have a reusable message to use when responding to employees about that case type.
One of your HR managers with the response template writer role is responsible for creating the template to escalate payroll discrepancy cases. The template is associated with the HR Payroll Case [sn_hr_core_case_payroll] table, and a condition filters on cases that match the appropriate HR service called Payroll Discrepancy. In the template body, the response text appears with variables, such as the subject person name in the salutation.
HR case writers with the response template reader role can copy the response template content and use it in their responses to employees when working on cases. Response templates provide a faster and efficient way to resolve cases.
Activation information
To use response templates in your application, you must activate response templates. For information on what components are installed with the feature, see Components installed with response templates.