How to Create Notifications in ServiceNow: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

[Bill Martin]

Introduction

Ever felt like you’re missing updates in ServiceNow? Notifications are here to save the day! They’re the little nudges that keep everyone informed about what’s happening, whether it’s an incident update, a task assignment, or a major change request.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps to create notifications in ServiceNow, so you can set them up quickly and make life easier for yourself and your team. If you’re more of a visual learner, be sure to check out my YouTube video

for a quick demo.

What Are Notifications in ServiceNow?

Think of notifications as automated emails, SMS messages, or alerts that are triggered by specific events in the system. They help ensure that everyone stays in the loop without needing to manually track updates. Handy, right?

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up ServiceNow Notifications

1. Find the Notifications Module
Log in to your ServiceNow instance.
In the application navigator (that search bar on the left), type "Notifications" and click on it under System Notification.

2. Create a New Notification
Click the New button. This opens up a blank notification form.

Fill in the basics:

• Name: Give it a clear name like "Incident Resolved Notification."
• Table: Choose the table this notification applies to, such as Incident or Change Request.
• Active: Don’t forget to tick this checkbox to turn the notification on!

3. Set When the Notification Should Trigger
In the When to Send section:

• Send When: Pick if this is triggered by an event, a record being inserted or updated, or a specific condition.
• Condition: For example, if you’re working with incidents, you might set it to trigger when the state is set to Resolved.

Pro Tip: Keep conditions specific so you’re not flooding inboxes with unnecessary notifications.

4. Decide Who Gets the Notification
In the Who Will Receive section:

• Add specific users or groups (like the Assigned To user or an IT support group).
• Use dynamic fields, such as notifying the Caller for an incident.

5. Craft Your Notification Message
Write the message!

• In the Subject, keep it short and clear (e.g., "Your Incident INC0012345 Has Been Resolved").
• Use the Message HTML editor to add details and even some dynamic fields for personalization.

Example:

Hi ${assigned_to.name},

Good news! Incident ${number} has been resolved.

Here are the details: - Short Description: ${short_description} - Resolution Notes: ${close_notes}

Thanks,

The ServiceNow Team

6. Test It Out
Don’t just save and hope for the best—test it! Trigger the event or update a record to check if the notification works as expected.

A Few Tips for Better Notifications in Servicenow

• Don’t overdo it! Only send notifications when they’re genuinely helpful.
• Personalize messages with dynamic fields to make them relevant and engaging.
• Always preview your notification before saving to ensure it looks great.

Wrapping Up

Notifications in ServiceNow are like your personal assistant—they keep everyone informed without you having to lift a finger. By setting them up thoughtfully, you’ll streamline communication and make your ServiceNow workflows run more smoothly.

Got questions or need a hand? Drop a comment below, or let’s discuss on the ServiceNow Community. Don’t forget to check out the YouTube video if you’re stuck—it’s packed with practical tips to get you started!

Let’s keep building awesome solutions, one notification at a time! 🚀

[Bill Martin]

Hi, thank you for clarifying. You are referring to the Execution Order field displayed in the Notification list.

Based on the ServiceNow documentation, Weight is the documented mechanism for determining notification precedence when multiple notifications are triggered for the same record and recipient. ServiceNow processes email notifications after the record operation and related engines, then uses notification weight to determine which competing email should take precedence.

In simple terms, Weight is the setting to use when you need one notification to override another. If two notifications generate emails for the same record and recipient, the notification with the higher non-zero weight takes precedence over the lower non-zero weight.

The Execution Order field is available on the notification record, but I would not rely on it to control which email notification is sent first or which email wins in a duplicate-notification scenario.

For that use case, configure clear notification conditions and use Weight where precedence is required.

I would still recommend testing this in a sub-production instance. Create two notifications for the same record and recipient, assign different weights, trigger both conditions, and then review the email and skipped-email records to confirm the behavior in your instance.

ServiceNow’s execution-order documentation identifies notification weight as the control relevant to notification processing in this context.