Activity timer log

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated May 19, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Activity timer log

    The Activity timer log feature in ServiceNow’s Customer Service Management (CSM) Configurable Workspace automatically tracks the time agents spend working on cases and interactions. It monitors agent activity by detecting when agents are actively working on records, pausing the timer when they navigate away, and resuming when they return. This helps provide accurate, detailed time tracking for case management and project reporting.

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    Key Features

    • Automatic Time Tracking: The timer component appears in the record header, showing elapsed time on the current case or interaction.
    • Activity Monitoring: The timer starts when an agent creates, opens, or returns to a record and pauses when they leave the tab, close the case, assign it to another user, become inactive for two minutes, or log out.
    • Time Entry Records: Start and stop events are logged in the Time Entry table, capturing precise work intervals.
    • Aggregated Reporting: A scheduled job runs daily to aggregate time data into the Time Entry Aggregated table for easier reporting.
    • Agent Visibility: Agents can view their logged time via the My Timelog list, which shows records worked on, start/end times, and total time logged, with filtering and sorting options.
    • Plugin Requirement: The feature requires activation of the Activity Timer Reporting plugin (snactivitytimerreporting) and its dependency, the Activity Timer plugin (snactivitytimerconnected).
    • Supported Record Pages: Available on multiple CSM record pages including default case, front-line case, interaction, voice interaction, and centered chat interaction pages.

    Key Outcomes

    By enabling the Activity timer log feature, ServiceNow customers can accurately track agent work time on cases and interactions without manual input. This improves time management visibility, supports better project tracking, and helps optimize resource allocation. The feature’s integration with agent workspace and detailed reporting tools empowers agents and managers to monitor productivity efficiently.

    The activity timer log feature automatically tracks the time that agents spend working on cases and interactions in CSM Configurable Workspace. The feature monitors agent activity, pauses when agents navigate away from records, and provides detailed time reports for project tracking.

    Activity timer log overview

    The activity timer log feature monitors agent activity and automatically tracks the time that agents spend working on case and interaction records. When the feature is active, agents can see the timer component in the record header. This component displays how much time has passed on the current record. The timer component can detect when an agent is actively working on a record and when the agent moves away from the tab. The timer automatically pauses when the agent navigates away from the tab and resumes when the agent returns to the tab.

    Start and stop entries in the Time Entry table mark when an agent is actively working on a case or interaction.
    • A start entry is created when an agent:
      • Creates a case or interaction
      • Opens a case or interaction
      • Returns to a tab in the workspace and continues working on a record.
        Note:
        This requires a manual page refresh. When an agent returns to a tab, the system displays the following message: "Time tracker is paused due to inactivity. Refresh the page to resume the timer."
    • A stop entry is created when an agent:
      • Leaves a tab in the workspace and selects another tab
      • Closes a case
      • Assigns a case or interaction to another user
      • Is inactive on the current tab for two minutes
      • Logs out

    The Time Entry table stores the start and stop events and the time captured for each start and stop pair. The system runs a scheduled job every 24 hours that aggregates this information and stores it in the Time Entry Aggregated table. Agents can view this aggregated time data in the My Timelog list.

    Timer component

    When the system administrator configures the activity timer log feature, the timer component appears in the record header next to the short description. Agents can use this timer to view the time elapsed on a record.

    Figure 1. Case page with timer component
    case page with timer component

    My Timelog list

    For customer service agents and consumer agents, the List view in CSM Configurable Workspace includes the Timelog > My Timelog list.
    • Select My Timelog to view records you have worked on. The entry for each record includes these fields:
      • User
      • Record
      • Record Type
      • Short Description
      • Start Time
      • End Time
      • Total Time Logged
      The Total Time Logged field displays the time worked for a Start Time and End Time pair. There can be multiple entries for a record.
    • Select a record in the Record column to open the related record form.
    The My Timelog list includes these default filter conditions:
    • Start and end time: Yesterday's data appears by default.
    • User: The current logged-in user. Agents can only view their own data.

    Agents can filter and sort the information in this list to see different views, such as all of the entries for a single record or the total time worked on a record. For more information, see the table descriptions in Activity timer log components.

    Plugin

    The activity timer log feature is available with the Activity Timer Reporting plugin (sn_activity_timer_reporting). This plugin has a dependency on the Activity Timer plugin (sn_activity_timer_connected).

    Note:
    Activate the activity timer log before use. It is not active by default.

    For more information about activating the plugin and configuring this feature, see Configure the activity timer log.

    Record pages with the activity timer log feature

    The activity timer log feature is available on these record pages in CSM Configurable Workspace:
    • CSM default record page
    • Front-line case page
    • CSM Interaction record page
    • CSM voice interaction record page
    • CSM centered chat interaction record page