In many organizations, the standard ServiceNow approval model works well — an approver reviews a request and either approves or rejects it.
But in real-world scenarios, especially for service requests with a business impact, approvers often need a second opinion before taking action.
To address this gap, we built for our customer a new custom capability called “Endorsement Approvals” — a lightweight utility that lets approvers request input from other users before they finalize their decision.
Why We Needed It
Imagine an approver gets a service request for new software access or special provisioning.
They may not have the full business context — for instance, whether the requestor really needs it for a specific project or if budget is already allocated.
Instead of rejecting the request or sending back-and-forth emails, the approver can now formally request an endorsement from someone who understands the business need better.
This keeps the approval process auditable and transparent, without disrupting the standard RITM workflow.
How It Works
The flow (as shown in the diagram) introduces a parallel endorsement track alongside the normal approval process:
- When a Service Request (RITM) enters a Pending Approval state, the approver sees an option to “Request Endorsement” directly from the approval record in the ESC portal.
- The approver selects one or more endorsers — but only users with the business_stakeholder role can be chosen.
- Once the endorsement is requested, a new endorsement approval record is created, linked to the main RITM approval record.
- The endorsers receive a task to review and provide their input (approve or reject).
Importantly, this does not change the RITM state — it’s purely an advisory action to help the main approver make a better decision.
Design Highlights
Here’s what makes this feature practical and robust:
- Controlled Access: Only approvers can initiate an endorsement request, ensuring the process isn’t misused.
- Role-Based Selection: Endorsements can only be sent to users with the business_stakeholder role, reflecting real organizational accountability.
- No Process Disruption:
Endorsement approvals don’t change the RITM state or delay the standard approval flow. They’re advisory in nature. - Clean Closure:
If the main RITM approval record is approved or rejected, all related endorsements are automatically marked as “No longer required.” - Traceable and Linked:
Endorsement responses are visible on the RITM’s approval record for full visibility. - Easy Identification:
A custom field on the approval record differentiates endorsement records from standard approvals.
What Happens Behind the Scenes
When an approver requests an endorsement:
- The system creates a separate approval record with the custom fields filled in (we used Endorsement as the approval type)
- This record is routed to the selected business stakeholder(s).
- Their feedback (approve/reject) is logged and informed to the approver who initiated it but doesn’t affect the workflow state.
- Once the main RITM approval is completed, any pending endorsements are auto-closed.
In short, endorsements enhance decision quality without adding process overhead.
Why It’s Useful
This small addition fills a real-world gap in ServiceNow’s native approval framework.
It supports collaboration among business stakeholders and approvers without complicating workflows.
Typical use cases include:
- Financial or budget-related requests requiring business validation.
- Access requests where business unit consent is needed.
