Key Features

• Focused Activity View: Displays the entire product support workflow with expanded current stages and highlighted activities, improving agent navigation and focus.
• Contextual Side Panel: Shows the activity stream, case overview, customer details, timeline, SLAs, and dynamic related records. Available primarily in CSM Configurable Workspace.
• Activity Visibility Controls: Hides inaccessible or pending activities based on user permissions and activity status, streamlining the agent’s view.
• Compact Mode: Allows the playbook to be moved from a tab to the side panel, enabling agents to complete tasks while viewing other case information (admin configurable in CSM Configurable Workspace).
• Dynamic Related Records: Automatically displays relevant related records in the side panel that update based on the current case or activity context, allowing filtering, opening, and creating records.
• SLA Widget: Activity cards show an SLA progress widget with color-coded time remaining indicators to help agents prioritize tasks.
• Playbook Navigation: Agents use stage and activity pickers to expand/collapse workflow stages, filter activities by assigned user or state, and select activities for detailed work.
• Playbook Actions Menu: Provides playbook-level controls such as expanding/collapsing all stages, requesting and receiving customer info, and activity-specific actions like accepting cases or creating tasks.

Stages and Activities

The playbook organizes the product support process into three main stages, each with specific activities:

• Investigate: Gather customer and product information, review case details, add issue specifics, and research related knowledge articles or cases. Agents can assign cases to themselves and indicate acceptance.
• Work in Progress: Create and assign case tasks to address the issue. Agents manage tasks required to resolve the case.
• Resolve and Close: Propose solutions to customers, update resolution details, and close the case once the solution is accepted or the agent closes it. Closure details are automatically recorded.

Process Automation and Application

The playbook leverages a Process Automation Designer (PAD) process definition, productplaybookv1, which contains optimized stages and activities for product support workflows. Only one PAD process can be active per playbook at a time.

The Case Playbook for Product Support 3.0 application is available from the ServiceNow Store and can be configured to meet organizational needs.

Additional Features for CSM Configurable Workspace (v5.0)

• Process-based page variant with a horizontal stage picker providing an end-to-end process overview.
• Stacked activity viewer within each stage for streamlined activity management.
• Display of related lists and dynamic related records in the contextual side panel.
• Persistent display of account and contact information, email templates, and activity streams for enhanced agent context.
• Support for case summarization cards and flexible task creation and case update capabilities.

Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

By implementing the Case Playbook for Product Support, agents gain a structured, guided workflow that enhances productivity and consistency in handling product support cases. The playbook’s integration into CSM Workspaces improves agent experience by consolidating relevant information and task management tools. Features like SLA tracking, dynamic related records, and communication actions help ensure timely and effective case resolutions, which contributes to improved customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.