Create a sample playbook

Create a sample playbook to standardize and automate how Service Desk agents handle chat interactions with VIP users.

Before you begin

• Role required: admin or playbook.admin

About this task

In the following procedure, you can step through an example of how to digitize a manual business process on the ServiceNow AI Platform using Playbooks in Workflow Studio to standardize and automate how Service Desk agents handle chat interactions with VIP users.

The manual business process for this example consists of the following stages:

1. Identify and Log: A Service Desk agent learns of an issue that a VIP user is facing while chatting with the user in a messaging application. The Service Desk agent creates an interaction record to track this issue.
2. Classify and Diagnose: The Service Desk agent associates an incident record with the interaction and sets the incident's priority to High. The agent then enters the Assigned To user for the incident.
3. Communicate Work in Progress: The assignee updates the incident record's state to Work in Progress and emails the VIP user when progress is made on the incident.
4. Resolve: When the incident is resolved, the assignee emails the resolution information to the VIP user.

Procedure

1. Create a playbook named Handle Interactions with VIPs.
   1. Navigate to All > Workflow Studio > Playbooks.
      The Workflow Studio landing page opens with the Playbooks list displayed by default.
   2. In the upper-right corner, select New > Playbook.
   3. Fill in the following fields.

      Table 1. Playbook fields

      Field	Inputs
      Playbook name	Handle Interactions with VIPs
      Application	Global
      Description	This process defines how Service Desk agents can handle interaction records that are created for VIP users.

   4. Select Build playbook.
      The builder displays in Diagram view by default, but you can select Board view to switch between views anytime as you build your playbook.
      
      
   The Playbooks design environment appears.
2. Specify the table.
   1. Select the Start node.
      The Playbook properties side panel opens.
   2. In the Parent table field, enter and select Interaction.
   3. Select Save and close.
3. Create the trigger.
   
   1. Open the trigger panel .
   2. Select Add trigger > When record is created.
      The trigger definition panel opens.
   3. Under Conditions, use the condition builder to add the following condition.
      [Opened for->VIP] [is] [True].
   4. Select Save and close.
4. Add a stage for each phase of your process.
   
   1. Select + > Add a stage.
      Repeat this step to add three stages.
   2. Enter the Label and Description for each stage.

      Table 2. Stages to add

      Stage	Label	Description
      1	Classify and Diagnose	Associate an incident with the interaction
      2	Communicate Work in Progress	Notify VIP of work in progress
      3	Resolve	Resolve incident and share resolution details

   3. Select Save and close.
5. Add the Create incident from interaction activity to the Classify and Diagnose stage.
   
   1. Under the Classify and Diagnose stage, select + > Add an activity.
   2. In the activity picker, select Common Activities > Non-Interactive > Create New Record.
   3. On the Automation tab, in the Table Name list, select Incident [incident].
   4. From the Fields list, select Assigned To.
   5. Next to the Assigned To field, select the data pill picker icon ().
   6. Dot-walk to Context > Parent Record - interaction > Assigned To.
   7. Select Add Field and add the following four fields.

      Table 3. Fields and values

      Field	Values to enter
      Impact	2 - Moderate
      Urgency	1 - High
      Short Description	Dot-walk to Context > Parent Record - interaction > Short Description
      Caller	Dot-walk to Context > Parent Record - interaction > Opened for

   8. Select Save and close.
   The Create incident from interaction activity automatically maps the Assigned To and Short Description fields from the interaction record to the incident record when your process runs.
6. Add the Wait for assignee to update activity to the Communicate Work in Progress stage.
   1. Under the Communicate Work in Progress stage, select + > Add an activity.
   2. In the activity picker, select Common Activities > Interactive > Wait For Condition.
   3. In the activity properties panel's Label field, enter Wait for assignee to update.
   4. On the Automation tab, in the Table list, select Incident.
   5. Next to the Record field, select the data pill picker icon ().
   6. Dot-walk to 1.1 Create incident from interaction > Incident records.
   7. Use the condition builder to add the following condition to your activity:
      [Updated by] [is] [Activities > 1.1 Create incident from interactions > Incident record > Assigned to].
   8. Select Save and close.
   The Wait for assignee to update activity pauses the process until the Assigned To user for the Incident record updates the record.
7. Add the Send update to VIP activity to the Communicate Work in Progress stage.
   1. Under the Communicate Work in Progress stage, select + > Add an activity.
   2. In the activity picker, select Common Activities > Interactive > Instruction.
   3. In the activity properties panel's Label field, enter Send update to VIP.
   4. In the When to start field, leave After Previous selected, and then select Save.
   5. Click the Send update to VIP activity card.
   6. Select the Automation tab.
   7. In the Message field, enter Notify the VIP user that work on their issue is in progress.
   8. Leave the Wait for user input field's value as Yes.
   9. Select Save and close.
   The Send update to VIP activity prompts the agent to send an email to the VIP user when the assignee for the incident record makes an update.
8. Add the Wait for incident resolution activity to the Resolve stage.
   1. Under the Resolve stage, select + > Add an activity.
   2. In the activity picker, select Common Activities > Interactive > Wait For Condition.
   3. In the activity properties panel's Label field, enter Wait for incident resolution.
   4. Select the Automation tab.
   5. In the Table field, select Incident.
   6. Next to the Record field, select the data pill picker icon ().
   7. Dot-walk to Activities > 1.1 Create incident from interaction > Incident record.
   8. Use the condition builder to add the following condition to your activity:
      [State] [is] [Resolved].
   9. Select Save and close.
   The Wait for incident resolution activity pauses the process until the Incident's state becomes [Resolved].
9. Add the Share resolution details with VIP activity to the Resolve stage.
   1. Under the Resolve stage, select + > Add an activity.
   2. In the activity picker, select Common Activities > Interactive > Instruction.
   3. In the activity properties panel's Label field, enter Share resolution details with VIP.
   4. Select the Automation tab.
   5. In the Message field, enter Provide the Resolution Notes from the Incident record in an email to the VIP user.
   6. Leave the Wait for user input field's value as Yes.
   7. Select Save and close.
   The Share resolution details with VIP activity prompts the agent to send the issue resolution details to the VIP user.
10. In the main header, select Activate so that your process runs when triggered.

Result

Your process appears in as a playbook. Here, agents and fulfillers can get a task-oriented view of the automated business process. Agents can step through the activities that you set up to see where the record is in the overall process.

What to do next

Customize the Playbook layout for deployment. To learn more, see Customizing the Playbook Experience