Automated Send Email activity

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Automated Send Email activity

    The Automated Send Email activity allows ServiceNow customers to send emails automatically within a playbook without pausing for user input. Once triggered, the activity immediately sends the email and proceeds to the next step in the playbook, enabling streamlined and efficient communication based on previously gathered or generated data.

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    Key Features

    • Immediate Email Sending: Sends emails instantly when the activity runs, without manual intervention.
    • Flexible Input Configuration: Configure email details such as recipients, subject, and body using fixed values or dynamic data via the pill-picker to reference variable data from previous activities.
    • Recipient Management: Supports To, Cc, and Bcc fields, allowing specification of recipients through static email strings or dynamically from records.
    • Scheduling Control: Define start rules for when the activity or stage begins, including options to start with delays or after completion of other stages or activities.
    • Advanced Inputs: Additional options include attaching emails to target records and specifying tables related to the playbook data.
    • Role-based Access: Available as a common activity and can be added by users with admin, playbook.admin, or pdauthor roles.

    Inputs

    Key inputs allow customization of email sending behavior:

    • Label and Description: Identify the activity within the playbook.
    • Run Condition: Set conditions that determine when the activity runs, using data from prior activities.
    • Start Rule: Configure triggering of stages and activities based on process start or completion of specific stages or activities.
    • Recipient Fields: Configure To, Cc, and Bcc recipients either as fixed email addresses or dynamically using pill-picker references to data sources.
    • Email Content: Define the subject and HTML body of the email.
    • Start with Delay: Optionally delay the start of the activity or stage.

    Outputs

    The activity produces outputs that can be used by subsequent playbook activities:

    • Record Reference: Reference to the task record associated with the email.
    • Email Notification Reference: Reference to the newly created email notification record for tracking and further processing.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This activity enables customers to automate email communications effectively within playbooks, reducing manual overhead and ensuring timely notifications. It supports dynamic recipient management and flexible scheduling, making it ideal for scenarios like automatic applicant notifications or status updates tied to specific records.

    Create an email from previously gathered or generated data without pausing the playbook to ask for user input. When the activity runs, it immediately sends the email and continues to the next activity in the playbook.

    Roles and availability

    This activity is available as a common activity. Users with the admin, playbook.admin, or pd_author can add this activity to a playbook.

    Inputs

    Open the activity properties panel and configure your activity to add values for the following inputs. If the input value varies, use the pill-picker to show where to get the value. To learn more about the pill-picker, see Dot-walking examples.
    Input Type Description
    Label String Title to display as activity and playbook card.
    Description String Information to display about activity usage or outcome.
    Run condition Condition Builder Conditions that must be met to run an activity or stage. You can use data from prior activities to build conditions.
    Note:
    Show additional options to see this field.
    Start Rule Choice Under Schedule > Start Rule, select a start rule for when your stage should start running:
    • When process starts: Your stage starts running as soon as the playbook starts.
    • After specific stages: Your stage starts running after specified stage(s) have finished running.
    Under Schedule > Start Rule, select a start rule for when your activity should start running:
    • When stage starts: Your activity starts running as soon as its stage starts running. Your stage starts running when your playbook is triggered.
    • After specific activities: Your activity starts running after specified activities have finished running.
    Start with delay True/False Option to wait for a duration of time before running an activity or stage. When enabled, this input displays the Start with delay input properties.
    Note:
    Show additional options to see this field.
    To List of Users Recipient list for the email. There are 2 ways to configure this field:
    • Enter email addresses as strings if you want the emails to go to the same addresses every time.

    • When the email address value varies, use the pill picker to indicate where to find the recipient email address. For example, you would use the pill picker if you wanted to automatically notify credit card applicants of a rejection, because each applicant has a different email.

      You would select the customer record from the trigger (when the application was submitted), because that is where the applicant's email address is found.


      Using the pill picker to reference the email address.
    Cc List of Users Cc recipient list for the email.
    Subject String Subject of the email.
    Body HTML Body of the email.

    Advanced inputs

    After configuring the required inputs for your activity, you can also choose to configure additional inputs. In the side panel, select Show additional options to display these advanced inputs. For more information, see Activity experience.
    Input Type Description
    To Email Address String Comma-separated list of email addresses.
    Cc Email Address String Comma-separated list of copied email addresses.
    Bcc List of Users Bcc blind copy recipient list for the email.
    Bcc Email Address String Comma-separated list of blind copied email addresses.
    Target Record Reference.Task [task] Reference to the record that the system attaches the email to.
    Table Table Name Table containing activity or playbook data.

    Outputs

    These outputs can provide data to other activities in your playbook. You can access this data as activity inputs when you configure your activity:
    Output Type Description
    Record Reference.Task[task] Reference to record created.
    Email Reference.Notification[sysevent_email_action] Reference to the newly created email notification record