What role is required for contact users to approve a record from CSM portal

[RC8]

What role is required for contact users to approve a record from CSM portal, I was getting below error eventhough he is having approver_user role. could you please help me with this

[Maik Skoddow]

Hi @RC8 

While the approver_user role is necessary for the fundamental ability to approve records (it grants access to the sysapproval_approver table for records assigned to the user), it is not sufficient on its own for a Contact user operating through the CSM Portal.

Here's why and what's likely needed:

1. approver_user: Grants the basic rights to interact with approval records assigned to them. This is essential.

2. Portal Access & CSM Context: The user needs roles that allow them to:

   • Log in to the portal (snc_external is the base for this, usually added automatically).

   • Access the specific portal pages and widgets used for approvals within the CSM context.

   • Potentially view the underlying record being approved (e.g., the Case, Change, Request) via the portal.

3. Required CSM Roles for Contacts: The Contact user typically needs one of the primary CSM external roles, depending on your B2B/B2C model and relationship:

   • sn_customerservice.customer: The standard role for B2B customer contacts. This usually grants the necessary portal access, widget visibility, and ability to see associated records (like Cases for their Account).

   • sn_customerservice.consumer: The standard role for B2C consumers.

   • sn_customerservice.partner: For contacts belonging to Partner accounts.

Therefore, the Contact user typically needs a combination:

• approver_user (for the approval capability)

• sn_customerservice.customer (or .consumer or .partner - for portal access, CSM context, and visibility)

Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Verify User Type: Confirm the user is indeed a Contact (sn_customerservice_contact table) and not an internal fulfiller user (sys_user table with roles like itil).

2. Confirm CSM Role: Ensure the Contact has the appropriate CSM external role (sn_customerservice.customer, .consumer, or .partner). Add it if missing.

3. Check approver_user: Double-check the user definitely has the approver_user role assigned.

4. Check ACLs (Less Common): While the standard roles usually handle this, there's a small chance custom ACLs on sysapproval_approver or the record being approved (e.g., sn_customerservice_case) are interfering. Specifically, check the read ACLs required for the portal context.

5. Check Portal Page/Widget Security: Sometimes specific portal pages or widgets might have role restrictions applied. Check the properties/security settings for the "Approvals" page or widget in your CSM portal configuration. It should typically allow access for the relevant sn_customerservice.* role.

6. Impersonate: Impersonate the user and try to navigate to the approval via the CSM portal. Observe the exact error message or behaviour (e.g., can they see the approvals widget? Can they open the approval record? Does the error occur when clicking Approve/Reject?).

7. Licensing: Ensure the user is properly licensed as a customer contact if required by your ServiceNow subscription.

In summary, add the relevant sn_customerservice.customer (or equivalent) role to the contact user in addition to approver_user. That should resolve the error and allow them to approve via the CSM portal.

Maik

[RC8]

@Maik Skoddow  were he able to see any other approval records other case records

[Robbie]

Hi @RC8,

What type of records is the 'contact user' approving?

Eg: A contact can submit a 'self-registration request' from the customer portal with a registration code. A 'contact user' with the following roles can approve the request?

- sn_customerservice.customer_admin

- sn_customerservice.partner_admin

The type of record to approve will drive the roles required.

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Thanks, Robbie

[RC8]

@Robbie 

it is a quote record the approval is triggering to contact user through flow but to approve it from the portal i was getting above mentioned error