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

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Customer Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - csm

bundleId :

    - csm

workflow :

    - Customer and Industry


---

# Playbooks in Recommended Actions

# Playbooks in Recommended Actions {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated July 6, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read  
Playbooks are interactive, step-by-step guided workflows that help agents make decisions and resolve issues faster. Configure playbooks as recommended actions to deliver contextual guidance directly in the Recommended Actions
Contextual Side Panel.

For more information on playbooks, see [Playbooks in Customer Service Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/w5tW~jAkHEvtMzEJ2Vo8QQ "Playbooks provide customer service agents with step-by-step guidance for resolving specific types of cases. Agents can follow a playbook in CSM Configurable Workspace and complete guided activities to resolve customer issues.").

## Key concepts

Playbook action type
:   The Playbooks action type that enables authors and admins to add and configure playbooks as recommended actions. Admins configure and publish playbooks, and set launch behavior. Agents see playbooks as cards in the Suggested
    Actions tab of the Recommended Actions
    Contextual
    Side
    Panel in the CSM Configurable
    Workspace and can execute them inline with minimal tab switching.

Launch mode
:   The behavior that determines how a playbook opens when an agent selects the Launch button on the Playbook card in the Recommended Actions
    Contextual Side Panel in the CSM
    Configurable
    Workspace. Options include Launch in side panel (opens playbook in the side panel) and
    Launch in expanded view (opens playbook in a related tab).

Playbook execution state
:   The shared execution context of a playbook across users and sessions. When a playbook completes, the system automatically marks the related recommended action as completed. Multiple agents viewing the same recommended action see a
    synchronized playbook state.

Execution history
:   A record of past playbook executions, including outputs and timestamps. Agents can review execution history under Recommended Actions history to understand prior resolutions.

## What you can do with playbooks in Recommended Actions

As an admin, you can perform the following on the playbooks in Recommended Actions:

* Add playbooks as a new action type when authoring recommended actions.
* Execute playbooks directly from the Recommended Actions panel without switching between the tabs.
* Monitor playbook completion and synchronize the playbook state across team members.
* Review playbook execution history for audit and training purposes.
**Related topics**   

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