Exploring Incident Management
Summarize
Summary of Exploring Incident Management
ServiceNow Incident Management facilitates the complete incident management process, enabling users to identify, log, categorize, prioritize, assign, escalate, resolve, and report incidents. Any user can record and track incidents until the service is restored and the issue is resolved. Each incident is tracked as a task record containing essential details and can be closed manually or automatically based on specific criteria.
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Incident Management workflow
The incident management process follows these key steps:
- Incident identification: Incidents can be reported through multiple channels such as email, SMS, phone, chats, walk-ups, or applications. The service desk assesses whether the issue is an incident or a request.
- Incident logging: Once confirmed as an incident, it is logged with details including the caller, business service, configuration item, and contact type.
- Incident categorization: Assigning a category and subcategory to the incident to organize and streamline handling.
- Incident prioritization: Determining priority based on the incident’s impact and urgency to ensure SLA adherence.
- Incident response: This includes initial diagnosis, escalation if needed, investigation and diagnosis, application of solutions, resolution, and recovery within SLA target times.
- Incident closure: Final step where the incident is officially closed after confirming service restoration.
Key Features
- Multiple methods to log incidents directly or via email.
- Classification of incidents by impact and urgency to prioritize effectively.
- Assignment to appropriate service desk groups for faster resolution.
- Escalation capabilities for advanced support or specialist intervention.
- Resolution workflows with documented investigation and communication.
- Reporting tools to monitor and analyze service levels and identify improvement opportunities.
Key Outcomes
ServiceNow Incident Management empowers your organization to efficiently manage the entire incident life cycle from detection to closure. This ensures timely restoration of services, adherence to SLAs, clear assignment and escalation paths, and comprehensive reporting for continual service improvement.
ServiceNow Incident Management supports the incident management process with the ability to identify and log incidents, classify and prioritize incidents, assign incidents to appropriate users or groups, escalate, resolve, and report incidents.
Incident Management overview
Any user can record an incident and track it until service is restored and the issue is resolved. Each incident is generated as a task record that contains pertinent information. Incidents can be assigned to appropriate service desk members, who resolve the task and document the investigation. After the incident is resolved, you can manually close the incident. You can also close incidents automatically based on the last updated date or the resolution date of the incident. For more information about auto-closing incidents, see Configure incidents to close automatically.
Any user can log an incident within the system using the following methods.
Incident Management workflow
- Incident identification - The first step in the life of an incident is incident identification. You can report incidents through emails, sms, phone call, support chats, walk-ups, and applications. The service desk decides if the issue is truly an incident or if it is a request.
- Incident logging - Once identified as an incident, the service desk logs the incident. The incident should include information, such as the caller, business service, configuration item, and contact type. The logging
process includes:
- Incident categorization - Incident categorization is a vital step in the incident management process. Categorization involves assigning a category and at least one subcategory to the incident.
- Incident prioritization - Incident prioritization is important for SLA response adherence. The priority of an incident is determined by its impact on users or business and its urgency.
- Incident response - Once identified, categorized, prioritized, and logged, the service desk can handle and resolve the incident. Incident resolution involves the following steps:
- Initial diagnosis - Occurs when the user describes the problem and answers troubleshooting questions.
- Incident escalation - Happens when an incident requires advanced support, such as sending an on-site technician or assistance from certified support staff.
- Investigation and diagnosis - Takes place during troubleshooting when the initial incident hypothesis is confirmed as being correct. Once the incident is diagnosed, service desk can apply a solution, such as changing software settings, applying a software patch, or ordering new hardware.
- Resolution and recovery - Happens the service desk confirms that the service of the user is restored within the stipulated SLA time.
- Incident closure - At this point, the incident is considered closed and the incident process ends.
Incident Management benefits
- Log incidents in the instance or by sending email.
- Classify incidents by impact and urgency to prioritize work.
- Assign to appropriate groups for quick resolution.
- Escalate as necessary for further investigation.
- Resolve the incident and notify the user who logged it.
- Use reports to monitor, track, and analyze service levels and improvement.