Case playbook: horizontal stages record page

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated June 26, 2026
  • 6 minutes to read
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    Summary of Case playbook: horizontal stages record page

    The Case playbook: horizontal stages record page is a configurable record page designed for Customer Service Management (CSM) Configurable Workspace in ServiceNow. It provides a structured playbook interface with a horizontal stage picker across the top and persistent information on the left panel, enabling agents to efficiently manage case records. This page is built from the Case playbook: horizontal stages template and is available through the Playbooks for Customer Service Management v6.0 store application.

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    Page Variant and Configuration

    • Activation: The page variant is not active by default and must be enabled to be available to users.
    • Priority: It has a default order of -1, which defines its display priority among record pages.
    • Conditions: It is restricted to records from the Case [sncustomerservicecase] table and its extensions, ensuring relevance to case management.
    • Audience: No specific audience is defined, so all users with access to the workspace can view this page variant.
    • Accessing Settings: Configuration is done via Now Experience Framework UI Builder within the CSM/FSM Configurable Workspace experience.

    Key Components and Their Functions

    • Page Header: Displays primary (short description) and secondary fields (priority, state, contact/consumer details), configurable to suit business needs.
    • Record Tags: Allows agents to create and use tags for organizing and grouping records efficiently.
    • Action Bar: Contains context-sensitive actions such as viewing record/playbook details, managing in-progress activities, creating related records, composing comments or emails, saving changes, and additional actions like proposing major cases or reporting knowledge gaps. These actions can be customized.
    • Playbook Name and Horizontal Stage Picker: Shows the playbook title and a horizontal picker with stages indicating status (complete, current, locked), helping agents visualize progress and navigate stages.
    • Activity Picker and Viewer: Lists activities within the current stage with status indicators; selecting an activity opens detailed activity cards where agents perform tasks such as filling forms or adding attachments.
    • Contact/Consumer Lookup: Enables searching, linking/unlinking, editing contact or consumer records, and quick interactions like email drafting or phone calls directly from the record card.
    • Case Summarization: Allows agents to summarize case details and post updates to the activity stream; requires Now Assist for CSM application activation.
    • Record Details Component: Displays collapsible sections for case notes, closure information, and related records, with additional options for form personalization, data export, and URL copying.
    • Contextual Side Panel: Provides tabs for tools including Activity Stream, Agent Assist, Recommended Actions, Related Items, Attachments, Response and Email Templates, and Record Information to support case resolution.
    • Activity Stream: Shows a timeline of case activities, which can be collapsed or expanded for detailed views.
    • Modeless Dialogs: Used for composing comments, work notes, and emails without interrupting workflow, enabling agents to communicate while progressing through playbook stages.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This playbook page enhances case management by providing a clear, stage-based workflow with persistent visibility into case details and customer information. Agents gain streamlined access to relevant actions, communications, and contextual tools, improving efficiency and customer service quality. The customizable nature of headers, actions, and components allows organizations to tailor the workspace to their operational needs.

    The Case playbook: horizontal stages page is a record page that you can use in CSM Configurable Workspace. This page includes a playbook with a horizontal stage picker that displays across the top of the user interface and persistent information in the left panel.

    The Case playbook: horizontal stages record page is created from the Case playbook: horizontal stages template.

    The Case playbook: horizontal stages record page is available with the Playbooks for Customer Service Management v6.0 store application. For more information, see Playbook plugins.

    Case playbook: horizontal stages page variant

    The Case playbook: horizontal stages page variant is included with the Playbooks for Customer Service Management v6.0 store application. This variant includes the following settings.
    Table 1. Case playbook: horizontal stages page variant settings
    Setting Description
    Active The Case playbook: horizontal stages page variant is not active by default. Enabling the Active check box makes the page variant available to the selected audience.

    The Active setting combined with the page order determines the page that CSM Configurable Workspace uses to display record information. For more information, see Set record page order.
    Order Each record page has an order which indicates the page priority. The lower the number, the higher the priority.

    The default order for the Case playbook: horizontal stages page variant is -1.
    Conditions Conditions determine when a page variant is displayed. The Case playbook: horizontal stages page variant has the following condition: table=sn_customerservice_case

    This condition limits the use of the Case playbook: horizontal stages page variant to records from the Case [sn_customerservice_case] table and tables that extend the Case table.
    Audience The audience determines who can see the page variant. The Case playbook: horizontal stages page variant does not have an audience. This means everyone with access to the experience can see this page variant.

    For more information, see Learn about audiences.
    To access the settings for this page variant:
    1. Navigate to All > Now Experience Framework > UI Builder.
    2. Select the CSM/FSM Configurable Workspace experience.
    3. In the Record section of the Pages and variants list, select Case playbook: horizontal stages.
    4. Select Settings at the top of the page.

    Case playbook: horizontal stages page components

    The Case playbook: horizontal stages page includes the following components.

    Component Description
    Page header The page header includes record information that is displayed in the primary and secondary fields:
    • The primary field displays the short description of the record.
    • The secondary fields display the additional record information such as the priority, state, and contact or consumer details.

    You can configure the fields that appear in the page header. For more information, see Customize the page header for a playbook page.
    Record tags Agents can create multiple tags for a record and then use the tags to group and organize records.

    For more information, see Group and find records using tags in workspace.
    Action bar The action bar contains the actions available to users while working on case records. The specific actions are determined by factors such as the user role, case state, and other attributes.
    • Record details: Displays the record details.
    • Playbook details: Displays the playbook details.
    • In-progress Actions: Provides a list of minimized modeless dialogs and includes a badge that displays the number of items in the list. From this list, an agent can select an item to open the minimized comment, work note, or email.
    • Create: Create records such as work orders, incidents, and requests.
    • Compose: Compose comments, work notes, and emails in modeless dialogs.
    • Save: Save changes to the case record.
    • More Actions: Perform additional actions such as proposing a major case or reporting a knowledge gap.

    You can configure the actions that are included in the action bar. For more information, see Customize UI actions for a playbook page.
    Playbook name In the Case playbook: horizontal stages page variant, the playbook name appears in the form header above the horizontal stage picker.
    Stage picker The Case playbook: horizontal stages page variant includes a horizontal stage picker, which gives the agent a complete view of the playbook and where they are within the playbook.

    The horizontal stage picker displays the playbook stages across the top of the record page below the page header. Select a stage to see the activities in the activity picker.

    The stages in the stage picker include icons that indicate the stage status:
    • A check mark indicates that the stage is complete.
    • A pen icon indicates the current stage.
    • A lock icon indicates that a stage is locked and can’t be started until the previous stage is complete.
    Activity picker The activity picker displays the activities for the current stage. Each activity has an indicator that shows the activity state:
    • Completed
    • In progress
    • Remaining

    With the horizontal stage picker, you can expand or collapse the list of activities for the current stage.

    Selecting an activity in a stage displays the details in the activity viewer.
    Activity viewer The activity viewer displays the selected activity. This is the main work area where an agent performs the work necessary to complete the current activity.

    Activity cards display the details about the current activity in the activity viewer. Depending on the type of activity, the activity cards can display information such as form data, task status, SLA timers, or attachments.

    Agents use the cards to complete the work for each activity, such as filling in forms, completing checklists, completing tasks, or adding attachments.
    Contact or consumer lookup The lookup component enables agents to look up contact or consumer information and display that information in a record card. These cards display customer information and provide quick access to details such name, email, and phone. The contact record card also includes account information.
    Agents can use the contact lookup component to do the following:
    • Search for a contact or consumer.
    • Link or unlink a contact or consumer record.
    • Edit and save the information in a linked contact or consumer record.
    • Select a reference field on a record card, such as a contact or consumer name, to open the reference in a sub-tab.
    • Select an email address on a lookup card to open a draft email in the email composer in a sub-tab.
    • Select a phone number on a lookup card to make a call.

    For more information, see Playbook lookup component.
    Case summarization The case summarization component appears below the lookup component. When an agent opens a case record, the component is collapsed and in the default state.
    Agents can use this component to do the following:
    • Summarize case details.
    • Post the summary to the activity stream.
    • Refresh the summary.

    The case summarization component requires the Now Assist for Customer Service Management (CSM) application to be activated and configured. For more information, see Playbook case summarization component.
    Record details The case details component includes collapsible sections for:
    • Case
    • Notes
    • Closure Information
    • Related Records

    This component also includes a menu with additional form actions, such as personalizing the form, exporting data, and copying the URL.

    Agents can view case details by selecting the Record Details button in the action bar.
    Contextual side panel The contextual side panel component includes different tools that agents can use to research and resolve customer issues. The contextual side panel in the Case playbook: horizontal stages page includes the following tabs.For more information about the tabs in the contextual side panel, see Playbook contextual side panel component.
    Activity stream The activity stream component displays a list of activities occurring on a case record. This list can be collapsed to provide a quick view of case activities or expanded to provide more detail about individual activities.
    For more information, see Playbook activity stream component.
    Note:
    The Case playbook: horizontal stages page uses modeless dialogs for composing comments, work notes, and emails.
    Compose email and Compose comments modeless dialogs A modeless dialog is a window that overlays the main window content. You can use modeless dialogs to create and post comments and work notes to the activity stream and to compose and send emails as you work through the stages and activities in a playbook. For more information, see Playbook modeless dialogs.