Combined On-Call Scheduling release notes for upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated August 11, 2026
  • 5 minutes to read
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    Summary of Combined On-Call Scheduling Release Notes for Upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich

    This consolidated guide assists ServiceNow customers in preparing for the upgrade of On-Call Scheduling from Yokohama to Zurich. It highlights new features, key changes, and important upgrade considerations. The Zurich release introduces a transition from legacy workflows to subflows, enhancing flexibility and performance in on-call scheduling processes.

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    Key Features

    • Transition to Subflows: Zurich replaces legacy workflows with subflows for On-Call Scheduling. Existing workflows remain supported for current Zurich users, but new installations require subflow-based configurations using Workflow Studio.
    • Custom On-Call Notification Channels: Customers can add and configure new service providers as notification channels via the On-call communication channel configuration table, increasing communication flexibility.
    • Customizable Notification Messages and Keywords: On-call notification messages and response keywords can be tailored according to organizational preferences using the communication channel configuration tables.
    • Trigger-Based Escalation Notifications: On-call escalations can be triggered by changes to specific record fields (e.g., incident priority). Trigger rules can be set at group, team, or global levels and work even if assignment groups are auto-populated.

    Key Changes

    • Email Notification Link Redirection: Links in major on-call schedule or shift email notifications can now open records in Service Operations Workspace (SOW) instead of the classic UI16. This requires enabling specific properties and roles, and the ITSM Notifications Redirection plugin.
    • Performance Improvements: On-call notifications are sent simultaneously to multiple channels (e.g., SMS, email) rather than sequentially. High priority subflows are processed faster using the Flow runner queue when the related property is enabled.
    • Enhanced Trigger Rules: The on-call trigger rules form supports triggering subflows directly, allowing for more efficient and flexible escalation processes.

    Upgrade Considerations

    • Pre- and Post-Upgrade Tasks: Customers must review and complete necessary tasks before upgrading to Zurich, especially transitioning from workflows to subflows for new configurations.
    • Plugin Activation: The On-Call Scheduling plugin (com.snc.oncallrotation) must be activated to use these features. This activation includes third-party libraries such as FullCalendar and DHTMLX scheduler. The plugin is enabled by default for zBoot customers.

    Unchanged and Deprecated Elements

    No features or functionalities were removed or deprecated between Yokohama and Zurich releases for On-Call Scheduling.

    Additional Notes

    • No updates were made regarding browser requirements, accessibility, localization, or additional system requirements.
    • Zurich introduces Coral as the new default theme for Next Experience and Core UI.

    Practical Impact for ServiceNow Customers

    Upgrading to Zurich means adopting subflows for On-Call Scheduling, enabling more customizable and efficient notification handling and escalation processes. Customers can expect enhanced performance, improved user experience through configurable notification channels and messages, and more control over email notification behaviors. Proper activation and configuration of plugins and properties are critical to leverage these new capabilities effectively.

    Consolidated page of all release notes for On-Call Scheduling from Yokohama to Zurich.

    How to use this page

    To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family On-Call Scheduling release notes onto one page. Read this summary of the new features, changes, and updated information for your product from Yokohama to Zurich.

    Tip:
    If there were no updates for a release notes section in a certain family release, we included a short note for your reference. For example, if a product did not have any updates in Tokyo, the row says "No updates for this release."

    Important information for upgrading On-Call Scheduling to Zurich

    Before you upgrade to Zurich, review these pre- and post-upgrade tasks and complete the tasks as needed.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    Starting from the Zurich release, On-Call Scheduling uses subflows, not workflows. You must transition from workflows to subflows, because the workflows are considered as legacy workflows. For existing users in Zurich, your current workflows continue to be supported. However, for new users, the On-Call Scheduling plugin installations on Zurich and later instances only use subflows.

    Maintain, build, and modify your own custom on-call scheduling flows in Workflow Studio with subflows for new instances. The following subflows are available for configuration:

    New features

    Between your current release family and Zurich, new features were introduced for On-Call Scheduling.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich
    Add custom on-call notification channels
    Increase the flexibility in communication by adding and configuring service providers as on-call notification channels. You must configure the communication channel by using the On-call communication channel configuration [on_call_comunication_channel_config] table. After you configure the channel, you can select the new channel. This feature is applicable only after the subflows are configured and used.
    Customize the on-call notification message and keywords
    Customize an on-call notification message and response keywords that are sent to the user and user groups as per your preferences. You can customize the message and keywords by using the On-call communication channel configuration [on_call_communication_channel_config] tables.
    Send the on-call escalation notifications when the configured record fields are modified
    Send the on-call escalation notifications when the configured record fields are modified. On-call trigger rules have the following enhancements:
    • Configure the changes to fields as a triggering condition to run trigger rules. For example, changes to the Priority field for an incident can be configured as a trigger condition.
    • Configure the group or team level trigger rules, or you can configure the global trigger rules that aren’t associated with a user group.
    • If the assignment group is auto-populated when an incident is created, you can still configure the on-call trigger rules to run and send the escalation notifications.

    Changes

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some changes were made to existing On-Call Scheduling features.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    Email redirection behavior for links in major on-call schedule email notification
    In all major on-call schedule or shift email notifications, you can now decide where the links to an on-call schedule or shift record are redirected. Instead of an on-call schedule or shift record automatically opening in the classic UI16 interface in On-Call Scheduling, the record can be opened in SOW. The on-call schedule or shift record link in an email notification opens in SOW only if the following conditions are met:
    • The Redirect SOW Email notification (sow_email_notification_redirect) property is set to true.
    • The Redirect SOW Email notification for On-call scheduling (sow_email_notification_redirect.on_call) property is set to true.
    • You have the sn_sow_user role.

    The ITSM Notifications Redirection (com.snc.itsm.notifications_redirection) plugin is installed and activated automatically to support this behavior.

    Zurich
    Performance improvements in subflows for on-call notifications
    The following performance enhancements are available for on-call notifications when subflows are used:
    • On-call notifications are sent to multiple channels such as SMS or email simultaneously instead of sending it sequentially.
    • When the com.snc.on_call_rotation.new_trigger_engine property is set to true, the on-call subflows are processed via the Flow runner queue. The on-call subflows that are marked as High priority are processed faster via a Flow runner queue especially when multiple events are triggered at the same time and are in the process queue.
    • Reminder notifications are also sent to users when the instance is upgrading.
    Enhanced on-call trigger rules to support subflows
    The on-call trigger rules form is enhanced to trigger a subflow when the trigger rule is executed. You can enable and select a specific subflow for a trigger rule.

    Removed

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some On-Call Scheduling features or functionality were removed.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Deprecations

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some On-Call Scheduling features or functionality were deprecated.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Activation information

    Review information on how to activate On-Call Scheduling.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    On-Call Scheduling is available with activation of the ServiceNow AI Platform On-Call Scheduling plugin (com.snc.on_call_rotation). For details, see Activate On-Call Scheduling. Activating this plugin activates the following third-party libraries:
    • FullCalendar library
    • DHTMLX scheduler
    Note:
    The On-Call Scheduling (com.snc.on_call_rotation) plugin is active by default for zBoot customers.

    Zurich
    On-Call Scheduling is available with activation of the ServiceNow AI Platform On-Call Scheduling plugin (com.snc.on_call_rotation). For details, see Activate On-Call Scheduling. Activating this plugin activates the following third-party libraries:
    • FullCalendar library
    • DHTMLX scheduler
    Note:
    The On-Call Scheduling (com.snc.on_call_rotation) plugin is active by default for zBoot customers.

    Additional requirements

    If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for On-Call Scheduling we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Browser requirements

    If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for On-Call Scheduling we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Accessibility information

    Review details on accessibility information for On-Call Scheduling, such as specific requirements or compliance levels.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    Localization information

    If there are specific localization considerations for On-Call Scheduling we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Highlight information

    If there are specific highlight considerations for On-Call Scheduling we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    Control whether an on-call schedule or shift record link in all major on-call email notifications redirects you to Service Operations Workspace (SOW) or to the classic UI16 interface in On-Call Scheduling.

    See On-Call Scheduling for more information.

    Zurich
    • Build on-call escalation notification configurable flows by using subflows that are available by default in new instances.
    • Add new custom providers as channels for on-call escalation notifications.
    • Configure the on-call notification message and response keywords to send the escalation notifications to the stakeholders.
    • Send the on-call escalations notifications to all the stakeholders when any of the configured record fields are modified.
    • Use Coral, which is the new default theme for Next Experience and Core UI.

    See On-Call Scheduling for more information.