CSM integration with IT Service Management overview

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of CSM integration with IT Service Management overview

    Customer Service Management (CSM) integrates with Incident, Problem, Change, and Request Management applications to streamline handling of customer cases that require IT Service Management (ITSM) processes. This integration enhances case resolution by linking cases with relevant ITSM records and enabling coordinated updates.

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    Key Features

    • Required Plugins: Integration requires two plugins: Customer Service with Service Management (com.sncssm) and Customer Service with Request Management (com.sncssmrequest).
    • Roles: Assign CSM/ITSM integration roles from the Incident Management application to agents for enabling integration features; no new roles are added automatically.
    • Create and Associate Records: Agents can create or associate one incident, problem, or change record and multiple request records directly from the Case form’s Additional Actions menu. Once linked, menu options for creating those records are disabled to prevent duplicates.
    • Related Records Section: The Case form includes a Related Records section displaying linked incident, problem, change, request, and caused-by-change records, with read-only access once associated.
    • External Customer Visibility: External users on Customer or Consumer Service Portals can view related problems, changes, and requests via a Related Records list widget, enhancing transparency and self-service capabilities.
    • Case Resolution Codes: New resolution codes reflect outcomes tied to related ITSM records, such as “Solved – Fixed by closing related PRB” or “Solved – Fixed by closing related Incident,” providing clear resolution context.
    • Major Issue Management Integration: Major issue managers with the itil role can create ITSM records from major cases. When a case becomes a child of a major case, related record information is copied to the major case, and synchronization options ensure updates propagate between major and child cases as configured.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Enables seamless coordination between customer service agents and ITSM teams by linking cases with IT incidents, problems, changes, and requests.
    • Improves case resolution accuracy and transparency through integrated record management and standardized resolution codes.
    • Supports external customers by showing them related ITSM records, enhancing communication and reducing support effort.
    • Facilitates major issue management by synchronizing related records and updates across major and child cases, maintaining consistency and visibility.

    Customer Service Management provides an integration with the Incident, Problem, Change, and Request Management applications.

    Plugins

    Customer Service Management integration with Service Management requires the following plugins:
    • Customer Service with Service Management plugin (com.sn_cs_sm)
    • Customer Service with Request Management plugin (com.sn_cs_sm_request)
    For additional information, see Integrate with Service Management.

    Roles

    The Service Management integration plugins do not add any roles to the customer service agent (sn_customerservice_agent) role. To enable the Service Management integration features, you must assign the CSM/ITSM integration roles included with the Incident Management application to the agents who need this capability. For more information, see Assign CSM/ITSM integration roles.

    Creating records for a case

    The Service Management integration plugins add the following menu items to the Additional Actions menu on the Case form. Agents can use these menu items to create records for a case.
    • Create Incident
    • Create Problem
    • Create Request
    • Create Normal Change
    • Create Standard Change
    Note:
    Agents can create or associate one incident, problem, or change record with a case. After a record is created or associated with a case, the corresponding menu items are no longer available on the Additional Actions menu.
    For more information, see Creating incident, problem, change, and request records from Agent Workspace.

    Viewing incident, problem, and change records related to a case

    The Service Management integration plugins add the Related Records form section to the Case form. This section includes the following fields:
    • Incident
    • Problem
    • Change Request
    • Caused by Change
    When an incident, problem, or change record is created from a case, or an existing record is associated with a case, the record number is added to the corresponding field in the Related Records form section.

    Viewing requests related to a case

    When a request is created from a case, or an existing request is associated with a case, the request record number is added to the Requests related list on the Case form.
    Note:
    Agents can create multiple requests for a case.

    Related records list widget for external customers

    When viewing a case on the Customer or Consumer Service Portal, external users can see other records that are associated with the case in the Related Records list widget. These records can include problems, changes, and requests. Users can click a record in the Related Records widget to view additional details in a pop-up window.

    Note:
    If a case does not have any related records, the Related Records widget does not appear on the case view page.
    From the Customer and Consumer Service Portals, users can view lists of cases and requests by doing one of the following:
    • Clicking My Lists in the portal menu header.
    • Clicking Requests > All Requests in the portal menu header.
    For more information, see View case records from the Customer and Consumer Service Portals.

    Using case resolution codes

    The Service Management integration plugins provide the following case resolution codes.

    Agents can select these codes from the Resolution code field in the Resolution Information section on the Case form.
    • Solved – Fixed by closing related PRB
    • Solved – Workaround provided based on open PRB
    • Solved – Fixed by closing related Change Request
    • Solved – Fixed by closing related Incident
    • Solved – Related Request is Closed Complete

    IT Service Management integration and Major Issue Management

    The major issue management feature works with the CSM integration with IT Service Management as follows:
    • A major issue manager with the itil role can create incident, problem, change, and request records from a major case.
    • When a major case candidate with an associated record is accepted as a major case:
      • A new major case is created and the candidate becomes a child of the major case.
      • The related record information is copied from the child case to the major case.
      • For the child case, the options to create related records are removed from the Additional Actions menu.
      • For the child case, the fields in the Related Records form section are read-only.
      • Updates to the related records appear in the work notes of the major case. These updates are added to the child case when fields are synchronized from the major case to the child case.
    • A major case and child cases can have different types of related records. This can happen when an existing case with a related incident, problem, change, or request record is added as a child of a major case. When updates are made to the record related to the child case, information about the update is added to the child case work notes.
    • If a major case and child cases have the same related record, updates to that record are added to the major case work notes. These notes are copied from the major case to the child cases if:
      • The sn_customerservice.case_fields_to_sync property is enabled.
      • The field in the in the Related Records form section is added to the sn_customerservice.case_fields_to_sync property.
    • If a major case and child cases have different related records of the same type, updates to the records are copied only to the respective cases.