Combined Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) release notes for upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated August 11, 2026
  • 5 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    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 Combined Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) Release Notes for Upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich

    This consolidated guide summarizes key updates, new features, changes, and important upgrade considerations for ServiceNow's Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) as customers transition from the Yokohama release family to Zurich. It serves as a practical reference to prepare for the upgrade and understand enhancements affecting FSM virtual assistant capabilities.

    Show full answer Show less

    New Features

    • Third-party AI Model Providers: Starting with Yokohama Patch 6, Now Assist supports additional AI models from Google Gemini and AWS Claude alongside existing Now LLM Service and Azure OpenAI options, enhancing AI skill and agent capabilities.
    • Custom Template and Prompt Support: Administrators can clone and customize knowledge base generation skills and work order task summarization skills, tailoring input fields and prompts to better suit organizational needs.
    • Virtual Assistant for Field Service Technicians: Introduced in Yokohama Patch 3, technicians can initiate Now Assist directly from work order task records or the My Tasks tab for streamlined interaction, access to summarized work order tasks, and conversational search functionality.
    • Conversational Search: Enables technicians to ask natural language questions and receive accurate, context-aware answers sourced exclusively from the Knowledge Base, improving support efficiency in the field.

    Changes

    • Usage Measurement Update: Since Yokohama Patch 5, Now Assist usage tracking shifted from a 365-day look-back model to a 365-day burn-down model, resetting at the contract anniversary date to better align with subscription periods.
    • Default Skill Activation: Starting Yokohama Patch 11, unconfigured Now Assist skills are automatically enabled during upgrades for existing customers, while previously configured and deactivated skills remain off. New customers receive designated skills activated by default upon installation.
    • Prompt Header Removal: To improve compatibility with third-party Large Language Models, prompt headers were removed from the work order summarization skill in Yokohama Patch 6, allowing prompt customization via hyperlinks in the Now Assist skill kit.

    Activation and Requirements

    • Activation of Now Assist for FSM features requires enabling the Now Assist for FSM plugin.
    • Now Assist for FSM depends on the Field Service Management application being installed.

    Additional Notes

    • No updates or changes were introduced specifically in the Zurich release for Now Assist for FSM.
    • There are no new deprecations, removals, browser requirements, accessibility changes, or localization considerations between Yokohama and Zurich.
    • Additional role configurations are necessary for agentic workflows and AI agents included with Now Assist applications starting with Yokohama Patch 11.

    Practical Impact for ServiceNow Customers

    By upgrading from Yokohama to Zurich, customers gain enhanced AI model options and improved customization capabilities for their FSM virtual assistants, enabling more tailored and effective technician support. The changes in usage measurement and default skill activation improve management and deployment of Now Assist features. Since Zurich includes no further updates, customers can focus on Yokohama patch enhancements when planning upgrades and training.

    Consolidated page of all release notes for Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) from Yokohama to Zurich.

    How to use this page

    To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) 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 Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) 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

    		 No updates for this release.

    New features

    Between your current release family and Zurich, new features were introduced for Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM).

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    Yokohama Patch 6
    New third-party AI model provider options available for all Now Assist applications
    Google Gemini and AWS Claude are available for Now Assist skills and AI agents in addition to Now LLM Service and Azure OpenAI.
    Custom template and custom prompt support
    As an admin, you can clone the KB generation skill and customize the input fields. You can also clone the Work order task summarization skill, then access the skill in the Now Assist skill kit, and update the prompts.
    Yokohama Patch 3
    Create an Assistant for Field Service Management to do the following:
    • Initiate the Now Assist panel from a work order task record or the My tasks tab.
    • Provide technicians with a consistent and intuitive interface for quick and effortless interaction.
    • Display a summary of work order tasks.
    Use conversational search for technician support to do the following:
    • Enable technicians to ask questions in natural language for quick and clear answers.
    • Enable technicians to receive accurate and reliable responses sourced exclusively from the Knowledge Base.
    • Provide technicians with context-aware follow-ups, including related parts or steps, for better support.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Changes

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some changes were made to existing Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) features.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    Yokohama Patch 11
    Changes to Now Assist usage measurement
    Starting with Yokohama Patch 5, Now Assist usage measurement is transitioning from a 365-day look-back model to a 365-day burn-down model, with usage resetting at the contract anniversary date. For more information, refer to KB KB2704710: Now Assist Usage - Overview & New Measurement Logic.
    Some Now Assist skills are turned on by default
    The new default behavior works as follows:
    • New customers: When you install a Now Assist product, designated skills are turned on automatically.
    • Existing customers who are upgrading (starting with Yokohama Patch 11): Any previously unconfigured skill is turned on automatically (the skill was never configured and turned on, then turned off again). Previously configured skills that were turned on, then off, remain inactive.
    Yokohama Patch 6
    Removed prompt headers
    The prompt headers have been removed from the work order summarization skill to support third-party Large Language Models (LLMs). You can now customize prompts via a hyperlink to the Now Assist skill.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Removed

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) 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 Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) 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 Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM).

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    Now Assist features are available with activation of the Now Assist for FSM plugin. For more information, see Install Now Assist plugins.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Additional requirements

    If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    The Now Assist for FSM application requires Field Service Management.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Browser requirements

    If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) 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 Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM), such as specific requirements or compliance levels.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Localization information

    If there are specific localization considerations for Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) 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 Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    Yokohama Patch 11
    • Review changes to Now Assist usage measurement.
    • Some Now Assist skills, agents, and agentic workflows are on by default.
    • Additional role configuration is required for agentic workflows and AI agents included with Now Assist applications.
    Yokohama Patch 6
    • Use Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude on AWS as AI model providers for Now Assist skills and AI agents in addition to Now LLM Service and Azure OpenAI.
    • Clone and customize skills.
    • Edit prompts using the Now Assist skill kit.
    Yokohama Patch 3

    • Enable Field Service technicians to access a virtual assistant from the mobile application with Now Assist in Virtual Agent.

    • Use Now Assist in Virtual Agent for mobile to summarize work order tasks.
    • Explore conversational search in the Now Assist panel with results from Knowledge Base articles.

    See Now Assist for Field Service Management (FSM) for more information.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.