--- sourceDocument: Xanadu Customer Service Management sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/xanadu/customer-service-management Release : - xanadu ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Xanadu Customer Service Management ft:clusterId : - csm bundleId : - csm workflow : - Customer and Industry --- # Self-service for Customer Service Management # Self-service for Customer Service Management {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Xanadu * * Updated January 30, 2025 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read With the Customer Service Management application, you can provide service for your customers through self-service portals that are integrated with knowledge articles, community forums, service catalogs, and chatbots. ## Customer and consumer self-service portals {#self-service-options-csm-customers__section_vsl_2ch_tvb} By using the Service Portal application, you can create portals that empower your customers to resolve issues and submit cases and requests for themselves. To help direct customers to the right portal resources, you can also activate the Virtual Agent application for Customer Service Management. ## Portal types {#self-service-options-csm-customers__section_lsr_nkg_2mb} You can configure three types of portals to support your customers and consumers: * [Customer Service Portal](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/9nyJ8D0gO2wRzth192Z7bg "Search for information about a question or an issue, or request assistance from a customer service agent."): Supports your business-to-business (B2B) customers * Business Portal: Supports your business-to-business (B2B) customers and is built using configurable widgets * [Consumer Service Portal](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/5lMYvGWdvC3aknJUxF4iYQ "The Consumer Service Portal is a web interface that your company can use to provide information and support to consumers."): Supports your business-to-consumer (B2C) customers {#self-service-options-csm-customers__ul_mfw_nkg_2mb} Both portals offer the same self-service and Virtual Agent assistance features. ## Self-service on portals {#self-service-options-csm-customers__section_lzy_rkg_2mb} You can configure your Customer Service Portal or Consumer Service Portal with the following self-service features:Figure 1. Self-service portal Service catalog : With the Service Catalog application, you can create service catalogs where customers can request items, such as service and product offerings. You can enable customers to request items from the portal by associating one or more service catalogs with the portal. Customers can also track the status of open requests from the portal. To learn more about Service catalog, see [Service catalog integration with the Customer and Consumer Service Portals](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/PxfFbxUbzerDpDKJBvCSAg "Users with the customer administrator role (sn_customerservice.customer_admin) can associate a portal with a service catalog."). Knowledge base : With the Knowledge Management application, you can create knowledge bases with articles to share information with customers on the portal. Customers can search the knowledge bases for information, such as troubleshooting or task resolutions, to resolve issues and answer questions. To learn more about searching the Knowledge base, see [Search the knowledge base](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/6sudMH4CbrTfIJ~jq_B4ww "Use the customer portal to search the knowledge base or view a list of popular knowledge base articles."). Community : With the Communities application, you can create forums for agents and customers to connect, engage, and collaborate with each other. On the portal, customers can search for community content that could provide the solutions and answers that they need. To learn more about communities, see [Communities](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/3urH6pBvaTolPgdRLHY6_Q "With the ServiceNow Communities application, connect, engage, and collaborate with your employees, customers, partners, and prospects. Your users get quick responses to their issues by posting questions, reviewing blogs or videos, and searching for previous discussions. It is an essential component of your self-service strategy along with Knowledge Base and Service Catalog."). Chat : With the Virtual Agent platform, you can design and build automated conversations that help your customers get the help that they need. As customers answer questions and select options presented by Virtual Agent, they're directed to a self-service resource. If customers want to chat with an agent, Virtual Agent hands them off to a live agent. To provide this resource, use the Connect Support feature. To learn more about chat, see [Configuring the chat channel](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/SZPd776LtLiU5Lt1r_T6Nw "Configure the chat channel with the ServiceNow Connect Support feature. You can also enable Virtual Agent to create or use predefined chatbot topics (conversations) for your users. You can also give users the option of switching to a live agent from a virtual agent."). Engagement Messenger : With the [Engagement Messenger](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/VxCE8iGnf7ddePjeh21FBQ "By using the ServiceNow Engagement Messenger application, your customers use self-service to find the information or service that they need from your third-party web applications that are outside of the ServiceNow environment."), your customers can easily access the information or services they need from your third-party web applications, even if they're located outside of the ServiceNow environment. To learn more about [Engagement Messenger](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/VxCE8iGnf7ddePjeh21FBQ "By using the ServiceNow Engagement Messenger application, your customers use self-service to find the information or service that they need from your third-party web applications that are outside of the ServiceNow environment."), see [Set up Engagement Messenger](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/tAHDLciY3GgGP_V9oHLzjg "Understand the stages involved in setting up Engagement Messenger before you add it to your customer service web portal."). To get started with the portals, see [Configure the Customer and Consumer Service Portals](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/Ubs0u~soKBkrIn5Y5oHRRQ "Configure the Customer and Consumer Service Portals to provide information and support for your customers.") and .