Platform Academy - July 1st, 2025 - How (and why) to make your notifications subscribable

[Sharon_Barnes]

How to Make ServiceNow Notifications Subscribable

Notifications are one of the most useful—and most frustrating—features in any platform. Too few, and you miss critical updates. Too many, and you’re drowning in email. But what if you could give your users the power to subscribe (or unsubscribe) to just the alerts they care about?

That’s exactly what John Lind shows us in this Platform Academy session. With over a decade of ServiceNow experience, John demonstrates how easy it is to enable subscribable notifications—and why more people should be doing it.

System vs. Custom Notifications

By default, most notifications in ServiceNow are system-based, as they are directed to predefined users, such as those specified in the "Assigned to" or "Watch List" fields. These follow an "opt-out" model—good for coverage, bad for flexibility.

Custom notifications, on the other hand, are opt-in and allow end users to subscribe based on filters like assignment groups or business impact. They’re ideal for product managers, stakeholders, or anyone who wants visibility without being directly involved in the workflow.

Why Aren’t More Notifications Subscribable?
John shares a surprising stat: in his instance, only a dozen of 479 system notifications are subscribable. Enabling it is as simple as checking a box! It turns out that the feature is powerful but overlooked.

Live Demo and Practical Scenarios
From following HR project tasks to customizing SMS alerts after hours, John walks through real-world examples, showing how users can:

• Create custom subscriptions

• Choose delivery channels (email, SMS, Teams, Slack, even voice!)

• Filter notifications by group, impact, or keywords

Advanced Tips
John also explores:

• Scripting subscriptions (e.g., for onboarding stakeholders)

• Notification behavior under ACL restrictions

• Risks during upgrades (they become custom records)

Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever had to update a notification because “someone else” needed to see it—this session is for you. By making notifications subscribable, you empower users and reduce admin overhead.

It’s a small change with a big impact. So go ahead, flip that checkbox.