Bi-directional account relationships

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Bi-directional account relationships

    Bi-directional account relationships enable you to establish a defined connection between two accounts in ServiceNow, such as between customer accounts or between partner and customer accounts. This feature facilitates managing interactions and roles across related accounts effectively.

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    Creating these relationships involves two key steps: defining relationship types and then creating relationship records between selected accounts. Relationship records are accessible from either account involved, providing visibility into the connection.

    Account Relationship Types

    Account relationship types specify the nature of the relationship between two accounts. System administrators define these types by setting:

    • The source account type (account or partner)
    • The target account type (account or partner)
    • The relationship description from source to target
    • The reverse relationship description from target to source

    ServiceNow includes a default account relationship type for partner accounts to streamline setup.

    Account Relationship Records

    Customer service managers create actual account relationship records based on the defined types. Each record includes:

    • The source account (Account From)
    • The target account (Account To)
    • The account relationship type applied
    • The defined relationship and its reverse

    These records appear in the Account Relationships related list on both involved accounts, with the relationship direction reflected accordingly. Users can access detailed information about the relationship from either account.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Facilitates clear management of complex partner and customer account interactions.
    • Allows partner contacts with appropriate roles to manage cases for their customer accounts effectively.
    • Provides transparency and easy navigation between related accounts through relationship records.
    • Enables administrators to customize relationship types to reflect specific business scenarios.

    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.