---
sourceDocument: Australia Telecommunications, Media, and Technology
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/telecom-media-technology

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Telecommunications, Media, and Technology

ft:clusterId :

    - telmt

bundleId :

    - telmt

workflow :

    - Customer and Industry


---

# Customer Dispute Management

# Customer Dispute Management {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated March 12, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 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 Customer Dispute Management

Customer Dispute Management (CDM) is a specialized complaint management solution within the Customer Service Management (CSM) and Field Service Management (FSM) workspace.
It enables organizations to register, investigate, and resolve customer disputes and complaints, including those escalated to regulatory bodies.
CDM supports a formal, auditable dispute resolution process that complies with regulatory requirements and extends the standard complaint case functionality for structured dispute handling.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Features

* **Structured Workflow:** CDM guides disputes through four key stages---Intake, Investigation, Resolution and Dispute Analysis, and Closure---ensuring a consistent process from registration to final resolution.
* **Audit Trail:** Maintains detailed records of investigation findings, proposed resolutions, customer responses, and final outcomes for compliance and transparency.
* **Dispute Analysis:** Uses a hierarchical classification of product, category, subcategory, and reason to analyze disputes consistently and assign responsibility to the appropriate product line group.
* **Notification and Communication:** Automatically notifies customers or authorized representatives upon dispute registration and resolution proposals via email.
* **Regulatory Compliance:** Supports disputes submitted by regulatory bodies by facilitating summary reports of findings, resolutions, and customer feedback.
* **Role-Based Access:** Offers granular access control with roles such as manager, viewer, and admin to govern creation, update, and read permissions on dispute and regulatory data.
* **Integration with Case Playbook:** Leverages the Case Playbook for Complaints to capture detailed case information and automate workflow execution.

## Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers

By implementing CDM, ServiceNow customers can establish a compliant and auditable process for managing customer disputes, improving dispute resolution efficiency and customer satisfaction. The structured stages and detailed dispute analysis enable thorough investigations and consistent classification of issues, supporting better reporting and root cause identification. Role-based permissions ensure secure data access, while integration with existing case management workflows facilitates smooth case handling. Customers can expect improved communication with disputants through automated notifications and a clear process for dispute closure, including handling deadlocks and regulatory interactions.  
Customer Dispute Management provides a structured process to register, investigate, and resolve customer disputes and complaints, including disputes referred to regulatory bodies.

Customer Dispute Management (CDM) is a specialized complaint management system within the CSM/FSM workspace. CDM extends complaint case functionality to handle formal dispute resolution
processes between customers and organizations.{#alternative-dispute-resolution__alternative-dispute-resolution-para-1}

## Key benefits {#alternative-dispute-resolution__section_y15_4lr_33c}

CDM provides the following benefits:{#alternative-dispute-resolution__alternative-dispute-resolution-para-2}

* Supports compliance with regulatory bodies that require formal, auditable dispute resolution processes.
* Provides a structured workflow for acknowledging, investigating, and resolving customer disputes.
* Maintains an audit trail of investigation findings, proposed resolutions, and customer responses.
* Classifies dispute analysis using a hierarchical structure of product, category, subcategory, and reason for consistent analysis reporting.
{#alternative-dispute-resolution__ul_gcw_npd_bkc}

## How it works {#alternative-dispute-resolution__section_how_it_works}

A customer dispute moves through four stages:{#alternative-dispute-resolution__alternative-dispute-resolution-para-3}

* Intake: The dispute is registered with details of the submitter, affected product or service, and supporting documents. The customer or authorized representative receives an email notification confirming registration.
* Investigation: The agent reviews the customer's previously reported records, links relevant records to the dispute, and documents key findings.
* Resolution and dispute analysis: The agent drafts a resolution plan, creates resolution tasks, and records a dispute analysis including product, category, subcategory, and dispute reason.
* Closure: The agent proposes the resolution to the customer by email and records whether the customer accepts or rejects it. If the customer rejects the resolution, the agent generates and sends a deadlock letter. The agent notifies the customer of the outcome, records customer feedback, and closes the dispute with a resolution code and closing notes. For disputes submitted by a regulatory body, the agent sends a summary of findings, proposed resolution, and customer feedback.

{#alternative-dispute-resolution__ul_a41_2qd_bkc}

For more information on the steps at each stage, see [CDM playbook stages and activities](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/UuJHb3LfVxAN2N8KBd2BNw "The Customer Dispute Management (CDM) case includes stages and activities that guide dispute resolution from intake through closure.").{#alternative-dispute-resolution__alternative-dispute-resolution-para-8}

CDM case records use the Case Playbook for Complaints feature to capture details and execute the workflow. For more information about the Case Playbook for Complaints, see [Case Playbook for Complaints](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=csm-playbook-complaint-overview&version=australia&pubname=australia-customer-service-management&ft:locale=en-US).{#alternative-dispute-resolution__alternative-dispute-resolution-para-4}

## Dispute analysis {#alternative-dispute-resolution__section_kzq_3gm_bkc}

A dispute analysis record captures the analysis of a dispute using a hierarchy of product, category, subcategory, and reason. The record also identifies the assignment group responsible for the
affected product line. Agents can create dispute analysis records manually during the resolution and dispute analysis stage.{#alternative-dispute-resolution__alternative-dispute-resolution-para-5}

## Roles and permissions {#alternative-dispute-resolution__section_mhw_bxd_bkc}

The following roles control access to customer dispute, regulatory, and dispute analysis data:{#alternative-dispute-resolution__alternative-dispute-resolution-para-6}
{#alternative-dispute-resolution__table_vt4_jwd_bkc__entry__2}

| Role | Description |
|-|-|
| sn_telco_adr_mgmt.manager | Create, read, and update customer dispute records. |
| sn_telco_adr_mgmt.viewer | Read access to customer dispute data tables. |
| sn_telco_adr_mgmt.admin | Create, read, update, and delete access to dispute analysis category, reason, analysis, and regulatory data tables. Users without this role have read-only access or create/read/update access limited to the dispute analysis table only. |
[Table 1. CDM roles]

{#alternative-dispute-resolution__table_vt4_jwd_bkc}

## Related information {#alternative-dispute-resolution__section_bjl_3rt_23c}

For information about using CDM cases, see [Using Customer Dispute Management case](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/~37iIO1Wv48e_viX8wtWAA "Use the Customer Dispute Management (CDM) case to resolve escalated customer disputes efficiently.").{#alternative-dispute-resolution__alternative-dispute-resolution-para-7}
**Related topics**   

* [Customer service case types](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=customer-service-case-types&version=australia&pubname=australia-customer-service-management&ft:locale=en-US)