Front-line case page

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 12 minutes to read
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    Summary of Front-line case page

    The Front-line case page, included in the CSM Configurable Workspace application, offers a streamlined case interface tailored for front-line or tier 1 agents. It enables agents to quickly access essential case information, verify customer details, categorize cases, and respond promptly. This page variant is specifically designed to simplify the case handling process by focusing on key functionalities such as contact lookup, activity stream viewing, related information access, and knowledge article searching.

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    Front-line case page variant settings and access

    • Activation and Order: The page variant must be activated and set with the lowest order number to become the default page for case records.
    • Conditions: It applies exclusively to records from the Case [sncustomerservicecase] table and its extensions.
    • Audience and Roles: Visible to users with the CSM - Front-line Agent audience, which includes the sncwfwrkspc.frontlineagent role.
    • Configuration: Page variant settings are managed via UI Builder within the CSM/FSM Configurable Workspace experience.

    Key components and their functions

    • Form Heading: Displays the case short description, action bar, and record tags for organizing records.
    • Action Bar: Provides role- and state-dependent actions including managing cases, composing communications, creating related records, and saving updates. It supports plugins extending functionality.
    • Contact Lookup: Allows searching, linking/unlinking, editing contacts, and quick actions such as opening emails or making calls directly from contact cards.
    • Case Details: Contains collapsible sections for notes, closure info, and related records, along with form actions like personalization and data export.
    • Case Summarization: Requires Now Assist for CSM; agents can generate, share, and refresh case summaries to understand context and document case progress efficiently.
    • Activity Stream: Displays a collapsible list of case activities with detailed views including comments, emails, attachments, and chats, helping agents follow case history and interactions.
    • Contextual Side Panel: Provides tabs for record information, AI-powered recommended actions, attachments, templates (form, response, email), and related lists—all designed to support research and resolution activities.
    • Related Lists Component: Uses an accordion format to view and manage case-related records, with options to create new records or view more items.

    Requesting information from customers

    Agents with the front-line role can use the Request Info action to move a case to Awaiting Info state without mandatory commenting, streamlining information requests. Agents are encouraged to send comments to request information, which can be composed and posted via the modeless compose dialogs.

    Practical benefits for ServiceNow customers

    • Enables front-line agents to efficiently manage cases with a simplified and focused interface.
    • Improves agent productivity by consolidating key tools and information in one page.
    • Supports quick customer verification and communication directly from the case page.
    • Incorporates AI-powered recommendations and summarization to enhance case resolution quality.
    • Facilitates seamless collaboration through activity streams and related record management.
    • Customizable through UI Builder to fit organizational needs and workflows.

    The front-line case page provides a simplified case view that enables front-line agents to quickly gather context, categorize cases, and provide prompt responses to customers.

    The Front-line case page focuses on the essential functionality that front-line or tier 1 agents need:
    • Looking up and verifying customer information
    • Scanning the activity stream
    • Viewing related information
    • Searching for knowledge articles

    The Front-line case page is included with the CSM Configurable Workspace application.

    Figure 1. Front-line case page
    The Front-line case page enables agents to focus on four main areas, including contact information, case details, the activity stream, and the contextual side panel.

    Front-line case page variant

    The Front-line case page variant is included with the CSM Configurable Workspace application. This variant includes the following settings.

    Table 1. Front-line case page variant settings
    Setting Description
    Active Enabling the Active check box makes the page variant available to the selected audience. The Front-line case page variant is active for new and upgrade customers.

    The active setting combined with the page order determines the page that CSM Configurable Workspace uses to display record information. For more information, see Set record page order.
    Order Each record page has an order which indicates the page priority. The lower the number, the higher the priority.

    The default order for the Front-line case page variant is 1000.
    Conditions Conditions determine when a page variant is displayed. The Front-line case page has the following condition: table=sn_customerservice_case

    This condition limits the use of the Front-line case page variant to records from the Case [sn_customerservice_case] table and tables that extend the Case table.
    Audience The audience determines who can see the page variant. The Front-line case page has the following audience: CSM - Front-line Agent

    This audience includes the sn_cwf_wrkspc.frontline_agent role.

    For more information, see Learn about audiences.
    To access the settings for this page variant:
    1. Navigate to All > Now Experience Framework > UI Builder.
    2. Select the CSM/FSM Configurable Workspace experience.
    3. In the Record section of the Pages and variants list, select Front-line case page.
    4. Select Settings at the top of the page.

    Roles

    The CSM Configurable Workspace application includes the following role: Front-line agent role (sn_cwf_wrkspc.frontline_agent)

    Agents with this role have access to the Front-line case page in CSM Configurable Workspace.

    The Front-line case page variant includes the CSM - Front-line Agent audience, which includes the sn_cwf_wrkspc.frontline_agent role.
    Note:
    The system administrator should ensure that the page is active and has the lowest order to make it the default page.

    Front-line case page components

    The Front-line case page includes the following components.
    Component Description
    Form heading The form heading displays the case short description and also includes the action bar and record tags.
    Record tags Agents can create multiple tags for a record and then use the tags to group and organize records.

    For more information, see Group and find records using tags in workspace.
    Action bar The action bar contains the actions available to users while working on case records. The specific actions are determined by factors such as the user role, case state, and other attributes.
    • In-progress Actions: Provides a list of minimized modeless dialogs and includes a badge that displays the number of items in the list. From this list, an agent can select an item to open the minimized comment, work note, or email.
    • Create: Create records such as work orders, incidents, and requests.
    • Compose: Compose comments, work notes, and emails in modeless dialogs.
    • Manage case: Perform case management actions such as accepting a case or requesting information.
    • Save: Save changes to the case record.
    • More Actions: Perform additional actions such as proposing a major case or reporting a knowledge gap.
    Contact lookup Agents can use the contact lookup component to do the following:
    • Search for a contact.
    • Link or unlink a contact.
    • Edit and save a linked contact record.
    • Select a reference field on a lookup card, such as a contact name, to open the reference in a sub-tab.
    • Select an email address on a lookup card to open a draft email in the email composer in a sub-tab.
    • Select a phone number on a lookup card to make a call.

    The contact lookup component displays information in record cards. These cards display contact information and provide quick access to customer details such name, email, and phone.

    For more information, see the Contact lookup component section below.
    Case details The case details component includes collapsible sections for:
    • Case
    • Notes
    • Closure Information
    • Related Records

    This component also includes a menu with additional form actions, such as personalizing the form, exporting data, and copying the URL.
    Case summarization The case summarization component appears above the activity stream. When an agent opens a case record, the component is collapsed and in the default state.
    Agents can use this component to do the following:
    • Summarize case details.
    • Post the summary to the activity stream.
    • Refresh the summary.

    The case summarization component requires the Now Assist for Customer Service Management (CSM) application to be activated and configured. For more information, see the Case summarization component section below.
    Activity stream The activity stream component displays a list of activities occurring on a case record. This list can be collapsed to provide a quick view of case activities or expanded to provide more detail about individual activities.
    For more information, see the Activity stream component section below.
    Note:
    The Front-line case page uses modeless dialogs for composing comments, work notes, and emails.
    Contextual side panel The contextual side panel component includes different tools that agents can use to research and resolve customer issues. The contextual side panel in the Front-line case page includes the following tabs.
    • Record information
    • Recommended Actions search
    • Attachments
    • Form Templates
    • Response Templates
    • Email Templates
    • Related Lists
    For more information, see the following sections:

    Action bar component

    The Front-line case page supports actions from the following Customer Service Management and CSM Configurable workspace plugins:
    • Customer Service (com.sn_customerservice)
    • CSM/FSM Configurable WS Foundation (com.snc.uib.cwf_workspace)
    • CSM Configurable Workspace (com.snc.uib.csm_agent_workspace)
    • CSM Workspace (com.snc.agent_workspace.csm
    • Major Issue Management (com.sn_majorissue_mgt)
    • Customer Service with Service Management (com.sn_cs_sm)
    • Customer Service with Request Management plugin (com.sn_cs_sm_request)
    • Time Recording for Customer Service (com.snc.csm_time_recording)
    • Omni-Experience Standard Feature Set

    If you are using any additional plugins, you need to add the actions from those plugins to the Front-line case page action bar. For more information, see Configure the Front-line case page action bar.

    Contact lookup component

    The contact lookup component enables agents to do the following:
    • Look up a contact by name, phone number, or email address. As the agent types characters in the search box, matching information appears in record cards below the search box.
    • Select a contact after searching by selecting the desired record card. The selected record card replaces the lookup component.
    Agents can perform the following actions from a record card:
    • Remove a linked contact from a case record by selecting the more actions icon and then selecting Unlink.
    • Edit and save a linked contact record by selecting the pencil icon, editing the information for the contact, and selecting Save.
    • Select a reference field on a lookup card to open the referenced record in a subtab.
    • Select an email address on a lookup card to open to open the email composer in a subtab.
    • Select a phone number on a lookup card to make a phone call.
    Note:
    The Front-line case page also includes an account lookup component. To display this component, turn off the Hide component setting for this component in UI Builder. This setting is located in the Component visibility section of the Configure tab.

    Case summarization component

    The case summarization component provides agents with a summary of a customer service case, including the issue and the actions taken. Agents can generate summaries to understand case context and post summaries to the case work notes.

    The case summarization component appears above the activity stream on the Front-line case page variant. Upon first opening a case, the component is collapsed and in the default state.

    Using this component, agents can:
    • Select Summarize to create a summary of the case details.
    • Select Share to work notes to copy the summary text to the activity stream.
      • Review the summary text in the Share to work notes popup window and modify the text as needed.
      • Select Save to work notes on the popup window to add the text to the activity stream.
    • Select the refresh icon in the component footer to refresh the text and get the latest summary.
    Note:
    If the case does not contain enough text to summarize, the system displays the following message: "This case doesn't have the minimum number of words required for summarization yet."
    To use the case summarization component with the Front-line case page, activate the Now Assist for Customer Service Management (CSM) application and configure the case summarization skill in the Now Assist Admin console. For more information, see:

    Activity stream component

    The activity stream component displays a list of the activities occurring on a case record. The activities in the list can be collapsed or expanded. When collapsed, the agent can quickly scan the list to get an overview of case activities. When expanded, the agent can see detailed information individual activities.

    Figure 2. Front-line case page activity stream component
    The front-line case page activity stream component lists record activities in a collapsed or expanded format and uses tiles to represent the activity types.
    The activities in the activity stream are represented by tiles that use icons and colors to indicate the activity type.
    • Comment
    • Work note
    • Attachment
    • Field change
    • Email sent or email received
    • Chat discussion
    • Custom icon
    When collapsed, each activity in the list includes:
    • A tile that represents the activity type.
    • The name of the user responsible for the activity.
    • A brief one-line summary of the activity.
    • A badge that indicates if an activity is internal or external.
    • A relative timestamp.
    • An expand button that the agent can use to see a detailed summary of the activity.
    When expanded, each activity also includes:
    • A full date and time stamp.
    • An action label that describes the type of activity.
    • For comments and work notes, the full text of the comment or work note.
    • For field updates, the field name and the updated field value.
    • For emails, detailed message information.
    • For attachments, a small preview of the attached file.
    • For chats, a sidebar chat card.

    The activity stream uses Modeless dialogs for composing comments, work notes, and emails.

    Contextual side panel component

    The Front-line case page includes the contextual side panel component, which provides agents with the following functionality.

    Table 2. Front-line case page tabs in the contextual side panel
    Tab Description
    Record Information The Record Information tab includes the following cards:
    • Overview: Displays relevant information about the case including the account and contact, the case priority, and the state.
    • Contact: Displays customer information including the name, title, phone numbers, and email address.
    • Timeline: Displays a chronological summary of case activities, including case state changes and interactions between the agent and the requester.
    • Active SLA: Displays active SLAs for the case, including time remaining, the SLA state, and any breaches.
    Recommended Actions The Recommended Actions tab includes AI search functionality. Agents can use AI search to find relevant resources or resolutions for customer issues.

    The search feature displays an initial set of search results based on the text in the case short description. This initial set of results includes knowledge articles. Agents can also enter different search keywords and repeat the search.

    From the list of search results, agents can do the following:
    • Select a source to see search results of that type.
    • Filter the list of search results.
    • Sort the list of search results.
    • Open the search results in full view in a record sub-tab.
    • Take the following actions:
      • View and attach article
      • Perform other actions such as reading articles in full view, flagging articles, or marking articles as helpful or unhelpful.
    • View successful actions by selecting the Actions history icon.
    For more information, see Use AI search in Recommended Actions to resolve cases.
    Note:
    Using Recommended Actions in the contextual side panel requires the Recommended Actions application (sn_cs_nb_action) which is included with the CSM Configurable Workspace application.
    Attachments The Attachments tab provides access to case-related attachments. From this tab, agents can view and download attachments.
    Templates The Templates tab provides access to available form templates which enable agents to automatically populate fields on new records. Agents can manually apply a template when creating a new record such as an incident or change.
    Response Templates The Response Templates tab provides access to available response templates. These templates contain reusable messages that agents can copy to provide quick and consistent messages to customers.
    Email Templates The Email Templates tab provides access to available email templates. These templates contain default values for fields that agents can add to email messages. These default values can include the recipients (email addresses in the To, Cc, and Bcc fields), the sender, the subject of the email, and text to include in the message body.
    Related Lists The Related Lists tab provides access the case related lists.

    The Front-line case page incorporates related list functionality into the contextual side panel. These lists appear in an accordion format that agents can expand and collapse as needed.

    An indicator displays the number of records available in a related list. When expanded, the records in a related list are displayed in card format.

    For more information, see the Related lists component section below.

    Related lists component

    The related lists component provides access to the case related lists. This component uses an expandable accordion format. Agents can expand the desired lists to see the related items. This component also displays an icon with the number of items in a list.

    Figure 3. Front-line case page related lists component
    The Front-line case page related lists component in the contextual side panel uses an accordion format to expand and display related list items
    Related lists include the following actions:
    • Create: opens a blank record in a sub tab that the agent can use to create a new item.
    • View all: opens a list of records in a sub tab.
    • Show more: is displayed for lists that have more than five items.
    The items in an expanded list are displayed as cards. An expanded list shows one card for each item in the list.
    • Agents can open an item in a sub-tab.
    • If a list has more than five items, it includes a Show more option.

    Requesting information from customers

    The Front-line case page includes a Request Info UI action that agents can use to request information from customers. This action provides agents with the option to send a comment to the customer when requesting information.
    Note:
    The Request Info UI action is available to users with the sn_cwf_wrkspc.frontline_agent role and for cases in the Open state.

    The Request Info UI action on the Front-line case page behaves differently than the same action on the CSM default record page. On the Front-line case page, this action moves a case to the Awaiting Info state but does not require the agent to add a comment.

    To request information:
    1. Select Manage Case in the action bar.
    2. Select Request Info.

    The system sets the case State field to Awaiting Info and displays the following message to the agent: Send a comment to request info if you haven’t already. The case is awaiting info.

    If the agent has not sent a comment, they can select Compose > Compose Comments and use the Compose Activity modeless dialog to create and post a comment.

    If the agent has already composed a comment and then selects Request Info, the system saves the record and automatically posts the comment to the activity stream.