The Secret Sauce of ServiceNow HRSD: Assignment, Matching, and Escalation Rules

[Amit Gujarathi]

Have you ever submitted an HR request at work, only to feel like it vanished into a black hole? Or maybe you’re the HR pro juggling dozens of cases, wondering how to ensure every request lands on the right desk. In this article, we’ll break down the “secret sauce” behind ServiceNow HR Service Delivery (HRSD): assignment rules, matching rules, and escalation rules. If you want to transform your HR service delivery from chaos to clockwork, you’re in the right place!

Understanding the Foundation: HR Groups and Skills

Before diving into rules, it’s crucial to understand how HR groups and skills are structured in ServiceNow HRSD.

• HR Groups: These are teams or departments responsible for handling specific types of HR cases. Each group can have multiple members, subgroups, and associated skills.

• Skills Management: Skills are assigned to users and groups, ensuring that cases requiring specialized knowledge are routed to the right people. You can easily add or remove users from skills, and even create new skills as your organization evolves.

Practical Tip: Regularly review and update group memberships and skill assignments to keep your HR operations agile and effective.

Assignment Rules: The First Line of Order

Assignment rules are the backstage script that ensures every HR case is automatically routed to the right group based on predefined criteria.

• How It Works: Assignment rules use conditions (like case type or empty assignment group) to determine where a case should go. For example, all payroll-related cases with no assigned group can be routed directly to the Payroll team.

• Execution Order: Rules are prioritized by execution order—lower numbers run first.

• Advanced Logic: For complex scenarios, you can use scripting to fine-tune assignment logic.

Real-World Example: An employee submits a request for a benefits update. Instead of sitting in a general queue, the assignment rule ensures it goes straight to the benefits specialist.

Matching Rules: Ensuring the Right Fit

Not all cases are created equal—some require specific expertise or location-based knowledge. That’s where matching rules come in.

• Purpose: Matching rules assign cases to the most suitable individual within a group, based on skills, workload, or other attributes.

• How It Works: If a case is already assigned to a group but not to a specific person, the matching rule uses a script to find the best match—often using a round-robin or load-balancing approach.

• Use Case: If a payroll case requires a specialist with “payroll” skills, the system checks group members and assigns the case to someone with the right skill and the lightest workload.

Pro Tip: Keep your skills data up to date to maximize the effectiveness of matching rules.

Escalation Rules: The Safety Net

What happens when a case sits too long without action? Escalation rules are your safety net.

• How It Works: If a case isn’t addressed within a set timeframe, escalation rules automatically move it up the chain—from Tier 1 to Tier 2, and so on.

• Configuration: Escalation paths are straightforward—define which group or tier the case should move to if not resolved.

• Example: If a Tier 1 agent is unavailable or unresponsive, the case escalates to Tier 2, ensuring no request is ever forgotten.

Conclusion

ServiceNow HRSD’s assignment, matching, and escalation rules work together to create a seamless, efficient HR case management system. By automating case routing, ensuring the right expertise is applied, and providing a safety net for unresolved cases, these rules help HR teams deliver faster, smarter, and more professional service.

Call to Action

Have you tried configuring these rules in your own ServiceNow environment? What challenges or successes have you experienced? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and let us know if you found this article helpful. For more ServiceNow tips and best practices, stay tuned to our blog!

Key Takeaways:

• Assignment rules route cases to the right group.

• Matching rules ensure the right person gets the case.

• Escalation rules prevent cases from falling through the cracks.