---
sourceDocument: Zurich Customer Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/customer-service-management

 Release :

    - zurich

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Zurich Customer Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - csm

bundleId :

    - csm

workflow :

    - Customer and Industry


---

# Special handling notes

# Special handling notes {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Zurich  
Updated July 31, 2025  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 5 minutes to read
Summarize  
![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI  
This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.  

## Summary of Special Handling Notes

The Special Handling Notes application in ServiceNow Zurich release allows you to create important informational notes for individual records (such as cases or accounts) to alert users to special circumstances.
These notes can be tailored for specific records or groups of records based on defined conditions and can also include notes from related records (e.g., associated account or product).
Show full answer Show less  
This feature is designed to highlight exceptional situations rather than general workflow steps and should be used judiciously to avoid performance issues, especially by limiting the total number of notes and avoiding complex conditions.

## Configuration and Access

Administrators with the **snshn.admin** role can configure which entity tables support special handling notes and determine how these notes display---either as pop-up windows upon record access or as embedded/related lists within forms.

Users with the **snshn.admin** role can create, update, and delete notes; users with the **snshn.editor** role can view and update; and users with the **snshn.user** role have read-only access to notes.

## Note Components and States

* **Message:** The content of the note.
* **Status:** Notes can be *Active* (visible), *Inactive* (hidden but viewable in the list), or *Expired* (read-only and no longer active, set automatically by a scheduled job).
* **Priority:** Four priority levels (Critical, High, Moderate, Low) each with distinct colors that differ slightly between Core UI and CRM Workspace interfaces, helping users quickly assess urgency.
* **Effective and Expiration Dates:** Notes can be set to become effective immediately or at a future date and have expiration dates after which they become expired.

## Display and User Interaction

Special handling notes can appear automatically in a pop-up window on record access, showing the message and priority. Users can dismiss notes individually or close the window; dismissed notes no longer appear until reopened.

Alternatively, notes can be shown in an embedded or related list on the form, displaying message, expiration date, and priority.

Agents can reopen dismissed pop-up windows via the "Special handling notes" option in the More actions menu on supported record pages within CSM Configurable Workspace, including front-line cases, default record pages, and records from tables such as Account, Asset, Contact, Incident, Product Model, and Work Order Task.

## Maintenance and Performance Considerations

* A scheduled job runs daily to activate notes that reach their effective date and expire notes that have reached their expiration date.
* To maintain performance, it is recommended not to exceed 10,000 special handling notes per instance and to minimize complex conditions and dot-walking in note definitions.
* Domain separation is supported for special handling notes using process-separated tables, ensuring correct domain scope precedence.  
The Special Handling Notes application enables you to create notes that bring important information about individual records, such as a case or account record, to the user's attention.  
Figure 1. Special handling notes in CSM Configurable Workspace  
You can create special handling notes for specific records or for a set of records that meet one or more conditions. You can also configure this application to display any special handling notes from related records, such as the account or the product associated with a customer service case.  
Important:  
Use special handling notes for special circumstances and not for the general case processing workflow. It is not recommended to have more than 10k special handling notes on an instance. In addition, avoid complex conditions and use dot walking sparingly when creating special handling notes. Having a large number of notes with complex conditions can affect the load time.

## Configuring special handling notes {#c_OnScreenAlerts__section_e32_hrg_scc}

Users with the sn_shn.admin role can configure the desired entity tables, such as the Case table, to use special handling notes. Special handling notes can be configured to display in the following ways:

* [In a pop-up window that appears when a user accesses a form](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/P~btYNwd34~9pV8JUpmrVQ#c_OnScreenAlerts__section_why_gwg_scc).
* [In an embedded list or a related list on a record form](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/P~btYNwd34~9pV8JUpmrVQ#c_OnScreenAlerts__section_myw_fwg_scc).
{#c_OnScreenAlerts__ul_pg1_55g_scc}  
For more information, see the following configuration topics:

* [Configure special handling notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/8JbgIrvEIutIJwSsmXqHIA "Use special handling notes to bring important case information to an agent’s attention.")
* [Configure an entity table to use special handling notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/vb1fIwNuc_KeY0ehsABiWw "Configure an entity table to use special handling notes.")
* [Configure a form to show special handling notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/~RU3Cr34pcqw8Xcj5QaDUQ "Display special handling notes on a form, such as the case form, in either a form list or a pop-up window.")
{#c_OnScreenAlerts__ul_gwk_byk_1gc}

## Creating, updating, and deleting special handling notes {#c_OnScreenAlerts__section_asj_zsg_scc}

Users with the sn_shn.admin role can create, update, and delete special handling notes. Users with the sn_shn.editor role can view and update notes and users with the sn_shn.user role can view notes. For more information about creating special handling notes, see the following topics:

* [Create a special handling note](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/6rIplKjHRY~3fPlKcoLKeg "Create a special handling note for a record, such as a customer service case.")
* [Components installed with Special Handling Notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Qjl11mr8EkvwffkBp1AweA#r_InstalledWithSpecHandNotes "Several types of components are installed with Special Handling Notes.")
{#c_OnScreenAlerts__ul_rm3_hlk_1gc}

Special handling notes display important information to the user. In addition to a message, a special handling note also has a status, an assigned priority, and an expiration date.  
The status of a note can be one of the following:{#c_OnScreenAlerts__table_apb_1tt_jyb__entry__2}

| Status | Definition |
|-|-|
| Active | The note is active. Active notes appear on the Special Handling Notes list or pop-up window. Active notes remain on the list until they are set to Inactive or Expired. Active notes remain on the pop-up window until dismissed or until they are set to Inactive or Expired. |
| Inactive | The note is no longer active. Users with the sn_shn.admin or sn_shn.editor role can set a note to Inactive if the information in the note is no longer useful. When a note is set to Inactive, it is removed from the Special Handling Notes list or pop-up window. Inactive notes can be viewed by navigating to Special Handling NotesSpecial Handling Notes. |
| Expired | The note has reached it's expiration date or it has been expired manually. If a note is expired, the form becomes read-only for all user roles other than the system administrator. A note is expired automatically by a scheduled job when it reaches it's expiration date. The scheduled job also sets any inactive notes to expired if the inactive notes have reached their expiration date. |
[Table 1. Special handling note states]

{#c_OnScreenAlerts__table_apb_1tt_jyb}  
A note can be assigned one of the following priorities. Each priority has an associated color, which is displayed as a colored bar in the pop-up window and as a colored circle in the Priority field in a list. The Core UI and the CRM Workspace interface use different colors to represent priority.{#c_OnScreenAlerts__table_asv_xzg_14b__entry__3}

| Priority | Core UI | CRM Workspace |
|-|-|-|
| 1 - Critical | Red | Red |
| 2 - High | Orange | Orange |
| 3 - Moderate | Green | Purple |
| 4 - Low | Blue | Gray |
[Table 2. Special handling note priorities]

{#c_OnScreenAlerts__table_asv_xzg_14b}

When creating a special handling note, you can make it effective right away or you can select a date when it becomes effective. You can also select an expiration date.

## Special handling notes pop-up window {#c_OnScreenAlerts__section_why_gwg_scc}

Special handling notes can be displayed on a form in a pop-up window. Users with the sn_shn.admin role can configure a form to display the Special Handling Notes pop-up window. This window appears when you access a record that has one or more active notes. The pop-up window displays the following information for each note:

* Message
* Priority
{#c_OnScreenAlerts__ul_rkq_llk_w5}

To dismiss a note, click Dismiss. Once you dismiss a note, it no longer appears in the pop-up window. To close the Special Handling Notes pop-up window, click X.

## Special handling notes list {#c_OnScreenAlerts__section_myw_fwg_scc}

Special handling notes can be displayed on a form in an embedded or related list. Users with the sn_shn.admin role can configure a form to display the Special Handling Notes list. This list appears on a form when there are one or more active notes for a record. The Special Handling Notes list displays the following information for a note:

* Message
* Expiration date
* Priority
* Table
{#c_OnScreenAlerts__ul_q1c_gts_px}

## Resurfacing special handling notes {#c_OnScreenAlerts__section_atz_n43_3fc}

Special handling notes are typically displayed in a pop-up window when a record is opened. Agents can view the special handling notes, dismiss individual notes, and close the window. If an agent closes
the window, they can open it again and display the special handling notes without closing and reopening the record tab in CRM Workspace.

To open the special handling notes pop-up window after it has been closed, select Special handling notes from the More actions menu (![agent workspace more UI actions icon]()) on the action bar. If no special handling notes are available, the system displays an informational message: "No special handling notes are available."  
The Special handling notes action that agents can use to reopen the special handling notes window is currently available on the following record pages in CSM Configurable Workspace:

* Front-line case page
* CSM default record page
{#c_OnScreenAlerts__ul_tcg_wtr_tdc}  
In addition to these pages, the action is also available on records from the following tables:

* Account
* Asset
* Contact
* Incident
* Product model
* Work order task
{#c_OnScreenAlerts__ul_pbn_hh1_sfc}

## Expiring special handling notes {#c_OnScreenAlerts__section_p5w_bdw_5jb}

The Deactivate Special Handling Notes scheduled job, which runs daily at midnight, checks the dates in the Effective on and Expires on fields for each note.

* If a special handling note has reached its Effective on date, the scheduled job sets the status of the note to Active.
* If a special handling note has reached its Expires on date, the scheduled job sets the status of the note to Expired.
{#c_OnScreenAlerts__ul_srm_1kv_pgb}

## Domain separation for Special Handling Notes {#c_OnScreenAlerts__section_tjp_cwx_jbc}

The Special Handling Notes application supports domain separation as a process-separated table.

When inserting or updating a special handling note, the picker domain scope takes precedence by design with the Overrides \[sys_overrides\] field on process-separated tables. For more information, see [Process administration](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_DelegatedAdministration&version=zurich&pubname=zurich-platform-security&ft:locale=en-US).
**Related concepts**   

* [Manage special handling notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/hwEH~KT0pvHSddRg7bjhxw "Get critical information about specific customers and empower agents in delivering personalized and efficient service with special handling notes.")  
**Related tasks**   

* [Configure special handling notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/8JbgIrvEIutIJwSsmXqHIA "Use special handling notes to bring important case information to an agent’s attention.")

*[\>]: and then