How can we get a Vendor Instance with CSM, or add CSM to a PDI, prior to Partner Program Admission?

[BarrettW3156489]

Our company plans to develop and distribute a service now app on the ServiceNow public store geared towards the Customer Service Management (CSM/FSM) product. We’ve submitted our application to join the Build Technology Partner program (as of last Friday), which is in review, but we’re realizing now apparently CSM is only supported in a Vendor Instance and receiving a Vendor Instance is tied to admission into the Partner Program upon review completion. First off, is that understanding correct? And if it is, does anyone know alternative means of procuring a Vendor Instance, or an alternative way to get simulated incident/ticket data like would be in CSM, in a PDI, so that development is not blocked on this?

Also, does anyone know how long it typically takes the partner operations team to review and approve applications?

[Bhuvan]

@BarrettW3156489 

You can check with your ServiceNow Account Representative if processing can be fast tracked to get vendor instance. In the mean time, you can activate CSM plugins in PDI and start with your development activities.

Go to System Definition -> Plugins and activate Customer Service Management plugin

You can activate additional CSM plugins based on your requirements

You can activate CSM demo data by activating below plugin

If this helped to answer your query, please mark it helpful & accept the solution.

Thanks,

Bhuvan

[Simon Hendery]

Hi @Bhuvan  - not quite correct: prospective partners don't have account reps; they're not customers. If they were, they'd have a sub-prod instance. 

[StephenR0086629]

From my experience with ServiceNow, getting a vendor instance tied to CSM usually requires going through your ServiceNow account rep or partner manager. They’ll determine eligibility and provision access. For testing or demos, the Developer Instance program is the easiest option, but it doesn’t include full CSM capabilities. Aligning with your account team ensures you get the right environment without running into licensing issues.

[BarrettW3156489]

Excellent. And is there a way to move the app which we've developed up until now on the PDI, into the newly provisioned Vendor Instance?

[Simon Hendery]

Hey @BarrettW3156489 

I hope you're already backing up your PDI work using source control and Update Sets? If not please, please, please make that a top priority.

Firstly, it will enable the migration to the vendor instance.

Secondly, PDIs are notoriously unstable and are unsupported. There are endless stories of people losing their instances out of the blue, which means irretrievably losing all their data. Because there's no support for PDIs, there's no chance of getting your work back if you lose it.