Initial setup

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Initial setup

    The Initial setup phase in the Customer Success Management onboarding process is designed to collect essential information to onboard a customer efficiently. This includes identifying key contacts, assigning responsibilities, and configuring necessary integrations and teams to ensure a smooth onboarding experience.

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    Key Activities

    • Select account: Choose the customer account to generate a new onboarding case, which may auto-populate if originated from a case.
    • Enter onboarding related info: Assign a provider agent, configure Service Exchange integration options (such as remote catalog, remote task, or foundation data sync), select onboarding type (Phased or Full), and specify the Go live date.
    • Add customer team: Input customer contacts with their names and email addresses, then assign predefined responsibilities to each contact. At least one contact must be designated as the Customer On-Boarding Point of Contact, triggering an automated email notification.
    • Add account team: Assign internal service providers roles and responsibilities related to the onboarding case, including the ServiceNow administrator. Up to two roles can be assigned per member; however, multiple responsibilities do not trigger automatic task assignments. Completing this step also sends an automated email to other customer contacts involved.
    • Add squad: Optionally add squad members who will assist in completing the onboarding activities.
    • Create engagement: Optionally specify the Customer Success Manager, Account Manager, and Renewal Date to formalize engagement details.

    Field Mappings and Automation

    The system automates updates between key fields to reflect progress accurately:

    • Account onboarding cases: Updating the State field automatically adjusts the Stage field based on predefined mappings to represent progress from "Not started" to "Finished."
    • Account onboarding case tasks: When the State field changes, the Progress field updates accordingly to indicate task status such as "On track," "Paused," or "Finished."

    These mappings ensure consistency in tracking and reporting across the onboarding process. Customers using earlier Customer Success Management versions should reference KB1651427 to correct field mappings if needed.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Streamlines customer onboarding by capturing all necessary information and assigning responsibilities clearly.
    • Automates communication and progress tracking through emails and field synchronization.
    • Supports flexible onboarding approaches with options for phased or full onboarding cases.
    • Enables clear visibility into team roles and task progress, improving coordination between customer and internal teams.

    This phase is meant to gather the initial information required onboard a customer. For example, gathering core information like onboarding manager name, key customer contact, internal and external stakeholders, their responsibilities, and so on.

    Activity Details
    Select account When you select the customer account, a new account onboarding case is generated.
    Note:
    If the account onboarding case was generated from a case, this field is auto-populated.

    Select Continue to go to the next activity.
    Enter onboarding related info The next activity in the playbook involves gathering onboarding related information. The required fields to be entered are:
    • Assigned to: Select the provider agent who is working on this case.
    • Service Exchange integration: Select one of the following options:
      • Not required: No Service Exchange integration is required.
      • Remote catalog: A Service Exchange integration for the remote catalog feature is required.
      • Remote task: A Service Exchange integration for the remote task feature is required.
      • Foundation data sync: A Service Exchange integration for the foundation data sync feature is required.
    • Type: Select one of the following:
      • Phased: A specific part of the onboarding process for this customer is managed through this Customer Success Management onboarding case.
      • Full: The entire onboarding process for this customer is by this Customer Success Management onboarding case.
    • Specify the Go live date and select Mark complete to proceed with the next activity.
    Note:
    The State field is set to New for a new record. If this field is updated, the Stage field is automatically updated based on the predefined mapping. This mapping is also available for account onboarding case tasks between the Progress and State fields. See Field mapping for account onboarding cases and case tasks for details.
    Add customer team

    Add the customer contacts working on the account onboarding case.

    • Enter the First name, Last name, Email address and select Add to create a customer contact.
    • Select Mark complete to move to the next step.
    Add customer team responsibilities Assign responsibilities to each customer contact you added.
    • In the Responsibility field, select one of the predefined user roles and select Add to assign responsibility for the customer contact.
    • Select Mark complete to move to the next step.

    After you complete this step, the system automatically generates an email to all contacts assigned the Customer On-Boarding Point of Contact responsibility.

    Note:
    At least one user must be set up as the customer onboarding point of contact. Only one responsibility can be assigned to each contact. Email text is defined and configured directly within the playbook.
    Add account team Add and assign responsibilities to the internal team members (service providers) working on the account onboarding case. This includes the ServiceNow administrator handling the case. An account member can be assigned up to two responsibilities. If more than one responsibility is selected, the tasks aren't automatically assigned.
    • Select a predefined user role in the Responsibility field.
    • Select a user who is assigned this role and select Add to assign responsibility to the team member.
    • Select Mark complete to move to the next activity.

    After you complete this step, the system automatically generates an email to all other customer contacts participating in the onboarding process.

    Note:
    By default, all tasks in the playbook are assigned to the provider's ServiceNow administrator.
    Add squad Add the squad members who will be involved in completing the onboarding case and other activities. This is an optional activity.

    Select Mark complete to move to the next activity.
    Create engagement Specify the Customer success manager, Account manager, and Renewal date to create an engagement. This is an optional activity.

    Select Mark complete to move to the next stage.

    After the Initial Setup stage has been completed, the case information, account, customer, and squad team member information you have added is displayed in the left panel.

    Field mapping for account onboarding cases and case tasks

    For account onboarding cases, when the State field is updated, the Stage field is automatically updated based on the mapping as shown here:
    Table 1. Account onboarding case mapping between State and Stage fields
    State Stage
    New Not started
    Unassigned Not started
    Active On track
    Blocked Paused
    Closed Finished
    Canceled Finished
    For account onboarding case tasks, when the State field is updated, the Progress field is automatically updated based on the mapping shown after this:
    Table 2. Account onboarding case task mapping between State and Progress fields
    State Progress
    Open Not started
    Awaiting customer Paused
    Awaiting internal Paused
    In Progress On track
    Review On track
    Closed Finished
    Canceled Finished

    If you’re using an earlier version of the Customer Success Management application, follow the instructions in KB1651427 to correct the mapping between these fields.