Bi-directional account relationships

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Bi-directional Account Relationships

    A bi-directional account relationship allows for connections between two accounts, which can be customer accounts or between a partner and a customer account. This relationship is defined by specific account relationship types and is created through a two-step process: defining the relationship types and then creating relationship records between the accounts.

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    Key Features

    • Account Relationship Types: Defined by system administrators, these types can include account-to-account or partner-to-account relationships.
    • Creation of Relationship Records: After defining relationship types, customer service managers can create records detailing the source and target accounts and the nature of their relationship.
    • Account Relationships Related List: Relationship records can be viewed on the Account form for either account, providing visibility into the connection.
    • Role-Based Management: Partner account contacts in specific roles can create and manage cases for their associated customer accounts.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing bi-directional account relationships, ServiceNow customers can effectively manage and monitor the connections between accounts, enhancing collaboration and service management. The ability to view and create relationship records ensures that all relevant stakeholders have access to necessary information, facilitating better communication and case management.

    A bi-directional account relationship is a relationship that exists between two accounts. You can create account relationships between two customer accounts or between a partner account and a customer account.

    A bi-directional account relationship is based on a defined account relationship type. Creating a bi-directional account relationship is a two-step process that involves:
    • Defining the types of relationships that exist between your partners and customers.
    • Using these relationship types to create relationship records between selected accounts.

    You can view relationship records on the Account form for either account in the relationship. These records are stored in the Account Relationships related list.

    For relationships between a partner account and a customer account, partner account contacts with the partner role or the partner administrator role can create and manage cases for their customer accounts.

    Account relationship types

    An account relationship type defines a relationship that can exist between accounts. Users with the system administrator role can define the following account relationship types:
    • Account to account
    • Partner to account
    When creating an account relationship type, you define the following information on the Account Relationship Type form:
    • The type of source account (account or partner).
    • The type of target account (account or partner).
    • The relationship between the source account and the target account.
    • The reverse relationship between the source account and the target account.
    Figure 1. Account Relationship Type form
    Account Relationship form displaying an instance of the relationship between two accounts.
    Note:
    One default account relationship type is provided for partner accounts.

    Account relationship records

    Once an account relationship type has been defined, users with the customer service manager role can use it to create relationship between specific accounts or partners. An account relationship record includes the following information:
    • A source account, selected in the Account From field.
    • A target account, selected in the Account To field.
    • The account relationship type that this relationship record is based on.
    • The relationship and the reverse relationship of the selected accounts.
    View a relationship record from either account:
    • The relationship (Account From > Account To) appears in the Account Relationships related list on the source account record.
    • The reverse relationship (Account To > Account From) appears in the Account Relationships related list on the target account record.
    Select the account relationship record from either account to see the Account Relationship form.
    Figure 2. Account Relationship form
    Account Relationship Type form displaying various fields related to customer and partner accounts.

    You can also view account relationship records that use a specific account relationship type. This information appears as a related list on the Account Relationship Type form. This list shows the source account (Account From field) and the target account (Account To field) for each account relationship record.