---
sourceDocument: Yokohama Sales Customer Relationship Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/yokohama/order-management

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    - yokohama

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Yokohama Sales Customer Relationship Management

ft:clusterId :

    - omgmt

bundleId :

    - omgmt

workflow :

    - Customer and Industry


---

# Configuring needs analysis

# Configuring needs analysis {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Yokohama  
Updated January 30, 2025  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read
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## Summary of Configuring needs analysis

As a product catalog administrator in ServiceNow, you can configure needs analysis by creating needs templates---questionnaires that agents use to guide product selection for leads or opportunities.
When agents complete these questionnaires based on customer input, they receive tailored product recommendations that can be added to a lead or opportunity within the Lead Management or Opportunity Management applications.
The product selection guide displays one or more needs templates associated with the product catalog, helping agents efficiently identify suitable product offers.
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## Key Features

* **Needs Templates:** These are structured questionnaires containing guided questions designed to capture customer needs. Each template is linked to a needs decision tree.
* **Needs Decision Trees:** Created using the Decision Tree Builder tool, these represent a multi-step guided decision process with question nodes, expected answers, connection points, and decision logic. They direct the flow of the questionnaire to provide relevant product recommendations.
* **Product Recommendations:** Based on the answers in the needs questionnaire, specific product offerings are suggested for adding to leads or opportunities.
* **Decision Tree Builder:** A visual canvas where you configure decision trees by adding question nodes, defining decision paths, and linking guidances. It supports various answer types (e.g., Choice, Date, Integer) for flexibility in questionnaire design.
* **Default Guidance:** The Product Offering Recommendation guidance uses data from the Needs Based Offering Recommendation table to support decision logic and recommendations in the tree.

## Configuration Steps

* Create a needs-based product offering recommendation.
* Create and build a decision tree using Decision Tree Builder.
* Create a needs template and associate it with the product catalog.

Before creating decision trees, it is important to understand basic elements such as node types, linking inputs, decision paths, and example configurations. This foundational knowledge ensures effective setup of guided questionnaires that drive accurate product recommendations.  
As a product catalog administrator, you can create needs templates, which are questionnaires that agents use to find product offers to add to a lead or opportunity. Questionnaires function as product selection guides. When
agents complete a questionnaire based on customer input, they get product recommendations that they can add to a lead or opportunity.

## Overview of needs analysis {#configuring-needs-analysis__section_bnz_rbh_c1c}

When agents create a lead in the Lead Management application or an opportunity in the Opportunity Management application, a product selection guide is displayed in the product catalog. The product selection guide lists the needs templates that agents can choose to get product offer
recommendations.  
Figure 1. Elements of needs analysis  

Needs template
:   Product selection guides associated with the product catalog display one or more needs templates. Each needs template is a questionnaire that has a set of guided questions that agents answer to get product recommendations
    for a customer. Each template is associated with a needs decision tree.

Needs decision tree
:   A multi-step, guided decision process that presents a series of questions to the agent. You use Decision Tree Builder to create and build the decision tree.The decision tree defines the question nodes, expected answers,
    connection points, decision logic, and guidance for decision paths in the questionnaire.

Product recommendations
:   The product offerings suggested for an opportunity or lead, based on the results of the needs questionnaire.

## Working with decision trees {#configuring-needs-analysis__section_ifp_5cq_c1c}

You configure decision trees by adding nodes, defining paths, and attaching guidances in Decision Tree Builder. This tool is a canvas for diagramming the basic elements in a decision tree, such as the question nodes and decision paths. Needs analysis provides a default guidance, the Product Offering
Recommendation guidance, which references information from the Needs Based Offering Recommendation \[sn_prd_pm_product_offering_recommendation\] table as you create the question nodes and guidances in the decision tree.  
Before creating decision trees for needs templates, review how decision trees work:

* [Decision trees in Guided decision](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=decision-trees-in-guided-decisions&version=yokohama&pubname=yokohama-customer-service-management&ft:locale=en-US) - Learn the basic elements of a decision tree, such as node types, linking inputs in nodes, and decision tree paths.
* [Example configuration of a decision tree](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=example-decision-tree&version=yokohama&pubname=yokohama-customer-service-management&ft:locale=en-US) - Review an example decision tree, including preparations for creating a decision tree, to understand the end-to-end configuration of a decision tree.
* [Answer types for questions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=type-of-answer&version=yokohama&pubname=yokohama-customer-service-management&ft:locale=en-US) - Learn about the various types of answers to questions, such as Choice, Date, or Integers.
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## Setting up needs analysis {#configuring-needs-analysis__section_lbc_dbh_k1c}

Follow these steps to configure needs analysis:

1. [Create a needs-based product offering recommendation](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/8T~sNE3ouFaM_kF_ETUdGA "Set the product offering to be used as a product recommendation for a needs template.").
2. [Create a decision tree for a needs template](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/5ZXlqHT0Q7pqVAdw6CETOw "Create a decision tree that defines the questions that agents answer to determine customer needs and get product recommendations.").
3. [Build a needs decision tree](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/SscS8fux1zInUZY7qo~WHQ "Define the decision tree question nodes, decision paths, and guidance for each decision path using Decision Tree Builder.").
4. [Create a needs template and set the catalog relationship](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/J~oo1D3XYIEU_JiDoGBzwQ "Define a needs template for a decision tree and associate the template with the product catalog to which it belongs.").
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