Configure Playbooks for Customer Service Management

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configure Playbooks for Customer Service Management

    This guide explains how ServiceNow customers can configure playbooks within Customer Service Management (CSM) to streamline case handling and improve agent productivity. Playbooks provide a structured approach to managing cases by organizing stages and activities, with options to customize views, visibility, and user interactions. Configuration is primarily done through UI Builder and playbook experience records.

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    Playbook Configuration Tasks

    • Create or customize playbook record pages: Choose from predefined layouts such as horizontal or vertical stage pages to define how cases are displayed in CSM Configurable Workspace.
    • Configure record page settings: Set page availability, priority order, display conditions, and audience targeting to control when and for whom playbook pages appear.
    • Select playbook activity views: Decide how stages and activities are shown using options like stacked or focused views, configurable by system administrators in UI Builder.
    • Control stage and activity visibility: Use settings to hide activities inaccessible to users based on permissions and decide whether to display pending (not yet triggered) activities.
    • Enable compact mode: Configure playbooks to appear in a side panel rather than a tab, allowing agents to complete activities while viewing other information on the record page.
    • Preview playbooks: Administrators with the playbook experience admin role can test playbook configurations in real-time within non-production environments.
    • Select playbook experiences: Choose from default or custom playbook experience records to tailor the playbook’s look, feel, and behavior per workspace or case type. Different playbooks for the same record type can use different experiences.
    • Set up record generators: Automatically create records as the first step in a playbook to streamline case initiation.
    • Configure optional activities: Allow agents to add optional steps during a playbook run, such as scheduling appointments, to provide flexibility in case management.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Enhanced control over how cases and related activities are presented and accessed in CSM workspaces.
    • Improved agent efficiency by enabling contextual playbook views and compact mode for multitasking.
    • Flexible customization of playbooks to match unique business processes and user roles.
    • Ability to preview and test configurations before deployment ensures quality and user acceptance.
    • Support for automating initial record creation and adding optional activities enhances case handling adaptability.

    Configure different playbook settings, such as selecting the activity view and determining activity visibility.

    Some of the configuration for a playbook is performed in UI Builder as part of the playbook component configuration. Additional settings can be configured in the playbook experience configuration record. These settings include selecting the playbook activity view and configuring playbook stage and activity visibility.

    Table 1. Playbook configuration tasks
    Configuration task Description
    Create or customize a playbook record page A record page provides the base structure for how a record is displayed in CSM Configurable Workspace. The following playbook record pages are available with the Playbooks for Customer Service Management application [com.sn_csm_playbook]:

    For more information, see Manage UI Builder pages and page variants.
    Configure the playbook record page settings Each UI Builder record page includes the following settings:
    • Active: Enabling this check box makes the page available to the selected audience.
    • Order: This value indicates the page priority. The page with the lowest order value is the default page.
    • Conditions: Determine when a page variant is displayed.
    • Audience: Determines who can see the page.
    For more information, see the following topics:
    Select a playbook activity view The activity view determines how the stages and activities are displayed in the playbook.
    • Stacked: <add description>
    • Focused: <add description>
    Users with the system administrator role can select a playbook activity view in the playbook component configuration in UI Builder.
    Configure playbook stage and activity visibility
    The following fields control the visibility of playbook stages and activities.
    • Hide Inaccessible Activity: Accessibility is determined by user permissions. When enabled, the user cannot see an activity if they do not have permissions to view the data associated with the activity. If all activities in a stage are inaccessible to the user, the stage is also hidden.
    • Control Activity Display: Pending activities are those activities that have not yet been triggered. Select one of the options in this field to show or hide pending activities.

    Users with the system administrator role can in the playbook experience configuration record.
    Configure a playbook to use compact mode Compact mode moves the playbook from a tab in the Workspace to the contextual side panel. Agents can complete playbook activities in the side panel while viewing other tabs in the record page.

    Users with the system administrator role can configure a playbook to use compact mode in the playbook component configuration in UI Builder. For more information about configuring this feature, see Integrate Playbook with Workspace.
    Preview a playbook Users with the playbook experience admin role [playbook_experience.admin] can preview a playbook in real time within a non-production environment. With this feature, playbook experience administrators can easily see and test different playbook settings.
    Select a playbook experience A playbook experience is a defined set of configurations that determines how the system renders a playbook in Workspace. You can use playbook experiences to customize the look and feel of a playbook, map user actions, and override activities.

    The Playbook Experience plugin (com.playbook_experience) includes the Global Playbook Experience record, which defines a default playbook configuration.

    The Playbooks for Customer Service Management plugin (com.sn_csm_playbook) includes the following additional playbook experience records:
    • CSM Configurable Workspace Playbook
    • CSM Agent Workspace Playbook

    Users with the system administrator role can select a playbook experience when adding a playbook to a page in UI Builder.

    Different playbooks for the same record type can use different playbook experiences. For example, if a complaint case uses two playbooks, each playbook can use a different playbook experience.

    For more information, see the following topics in the Workspace administrator documentation:
    • Create Playbook experience configurations
    • Preview a playbook
    Set up a record generator for a case type Create a record for a case type by using a playbook record generator. With a record generator, the system creates a record as the first step in the playbook.
    Confgure an optional activity for a playbook Configure optional playbook activities so that agents and fulfillers can insert activities during a playbook run. For example, a customer may want to schedule an optional activity such as making an appointment to visit a location.

    Playbook experiences

    Playbook experiences are used to customize the look and feel of a playbook. Settings in a playbook experience control how UI Builder renders a playbook in the CSM workspaces. System administrators can configure settings in the playbook experience record that determine the playbook stage and activity visibility.

    Within UI Builder, system administrators can configure playbook component settings such as:
    • Selecting a playbook experience
    • Selecting an activity view
    • Enabling compact mode

    For more information, see Configuring playbooks for Customer Service Management.