Playbook pages

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 5 minutes to read
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    Summary of Playbook pages

    Playbook pages in Customer Service Management (CSM) Configurable Workspace provide agents with a structured interface to view and work through the stages and activities of a playbook. Playbooks guide agents step-by-step in resolving specific case types by detailing workflows and necessary activities. Pages in CSM Workspace are customizable through UI Builder and can be based on templates or page variants, which allow unique settings such as audience targeting and page order.

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    The Playbooks for Customer Service Management plugin offers horizontal and vertical stage playbook pages, with additional specialized playbook pages available from other CSM playbook applications (e.g., complaints, onboarding, product support). These pages typically feature a horizontal stage picker showing the end-to-end process for a case type. By default, playbook pages are read-only and must be activated and ordered to be used.

    Key Features

    • Predefined playbook pages: Includes case playbooks with horizontal or vertical stage views and specialized pages for complaints, onboarding, and product support.
    • Customizable workspace: Use UI Builder to tailor page headers, action bars, left side panels, tabs, and dynamic related records to fit your agents’ needs.
    • Integration with Workflow Studio: Playbooks link to workflows defining case resolution steps and activities, including optional activities agents can add during the process.
    • Record generation and email templates: Configure playbooks to create records as a first step and enable agents to quickly compose emails using predefined templates.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    Playbook pages enhance case resolution by providing:

    • A tailored, agent-focused experience with visibility into the entire resolution process and current stage status.
    • Access to relevant, in-context information such as customer details, activity streams, and related records within the workspace.
    • Improved task management across multiple users and departments by clearly defining activities and workflow stages.

    Configuring Playbook Pages

    Key configuration tasks include:

    • Activating playbook pages or variants and setting their display order in the workspace.
    • Customizing the page header to display essential case, account, and contact information.
    • Configuring UI actions, side panel components (like Customer 360 and Timeline), and contextual tabs for enhanced agent workflows.
    • Setting up dynamic related records to surface relevant data in the side panel.
    • Integrating optional activities within Workflow Studio to provide flexibility during case handling.
    • Creating app routes to include existing pages into playbook collections.

    Using Playbook Pages

    Agents can efficiently manage cases by:

    • Creating records through playbook activities that guide them through initial data entry and subsequent steps.
    • Accessing the full playbook process via the horizontal stage picker and viewing detailed activities per stage.
    • Utilizing the contextual side panel to view activity streams, related records, attachments, templates, and Agent Assist features.
    • Performing work on activities directly within the main workspace and updating case details as needed.
    • Adding optional activities to playbook stages to address unique case needs.
    • Using Now Assist’s case summarization to capture key case details on the record.
    • Composing emails rapidly by selecting from predefined email templates instead of drafting manually.

    Activities completed outside the playbook are automatically synchronized with playbook progress, ensuring consistency.

    Use playbook pages in CSM Configurable Workspace so that your agents can view the stages and activities in a playbook, work on activities, and have quick access to in-context information.

    Overview of templates, pages, and page variants

    Pages provide the base structure for how the system displays record information in CSM Configurable Workspace. You can create and customize pages with UI Builder, a web user interface builder.

    A page template is a pre-defined page configuration. When you create a page in UI Builder, you can select a page template as a starting point. You can also create a page from scratch or by copying another page and then customizing the page to meet your needs.

    A page variant is a version of a page that includes unique settings such as the audience, conditions, and page order. For more information about templates, pages, and page variants, see Creating pages and page variants.

    Pages and page variants can also include playbooks, which are created in Workflow Studio. A playbook provides step-by-step guidance for resolving a specific type of case. The workflows that are associated with a specific type of case and the activities that need to be completed to resolve cases of this type are detailed in the playbook.

    Playbook pages

    The Playbooks for Customer Service Management plugin provides the following playbook pages:

    Additional CSM playbook applications provide playbook pages that you can activate and use with case types in CSM Configurable Workspace.

    Table 1. Playbook applications and playbook pages
    Application Page variant Description
    Case Playbook for Complaints v5.0 Complaint case process page Includes a horizontal stage picker that provides an end-to-end view of the complaint process.
    Case Playbook for Onboarding v5.0 Onboarding case process page This playbook page includes a horizontal stage picker at the top of the record that provides an end-to-end view of the onboarding process.
    Case Playbook for Product Support v4.0 Product Support process page This playbook page includes a horizontal stage picker at the top of the record that provides an end-to-end view of the product support process.
    For more information, see Playbook plugins.
    Note:
    By default, playbook pages are read-only. To use a playbook page, activate the page and set the page order.

    Benefits of using playbook pages

    Resolving customer issues or requests often involves the execution of tasks across multiple users, departments, and systems. Different users are responsible for different tasks within the overall resolution process. Using playbooks provides the following benefits:
    • An experience that is tailored to customer service agents and other users.
    • Visibility into the overall resolution process, the current stage in the process, and the activities that need to be completed within that stage.
    • Access to in-context information.

    Configuring playbook pages

    The following table includes configuration tasks for playbook pages.
    Table 2. Playbook page configuration tasks
    Task Description
    Activate a playbook page or page variant Activate a playbook page or page variant and set the page order.
    Note:
    Some playbook pages and page variants are not active by default.
    Customize the page header for a playbook page Configure the page header for a playbook page. The page header includes a primary value and several secondary values. These fields can provide case, account, and contact information at a glance.
    Customize UI actions for a playbook page Configure the UI actions to display in the action bar for a playbook page.
    Customize content in the left side panel for a playbook page Add custom components in the side panel. By default, this panel includes the Customer 360, Timeline, and Active SLA components.
    Customize tabs in the contextual side panel for a playbook page Add or remove the tabs from the contextual side panel. Agents can use these tabs to perform tasks such as adding attachments and viewing recommendations.
    Customize the dynamic related records for a playbook page Configure the Dynamic Related Records feature to display the related records in the contextual side panel.
    Configure the app route to use an existing subpage Create an app route to make an existing page a part of the page collection.
    Configure an optional activity for a playbook Configure an optional activity in  Workflow Studio at various stages in a playbook so that agents and fulfillers can insert an activity when they are using the playbook.
    Set up a record generator for case type Create a record for a case type as the first step in a playbook by using a playbook record generator.
    Set up email templates in Configurable Workspace Configure new email templates to enable agents to create emails for common issues.

    Using playbook pages

    Playbooks enable your agents to view and complete their tasks more efficiently.
    Table 3. Playbook user tasks
    User task Description
    Create a record using a playbook If a playbook is configured to use the feature, an agent can create a record by using a playbook activity. Creating a record opens the playbook and initiates the first activity, which is to guide an agent through the record creation process.

    After saving the case, an agent moves to the next activity in the current stage or to the first activity in the next stage.
    Resolve a case using a playbook
    Opening a case takes the agent to the first open assigned activity. An agent can do the following actions while working on the activities in a playbook:
    • View the entire playbook process in the horizontal stage picker.
    • View the activities for each stage in the stacked playbook activity view.
    • Use the activity stream in the contextual side panel
    • Filter activity cards.
    • Select an activity and perform the work required in the main work area.
    • View and update the case details by using the View Details button.
    • View the persistent contextual information in the left side panel, such as the account and contact.
    • View the related list tabs in the Dynamic related records component in the contextual side panel.
    • Access information in the contextual side panel, including the activity stream, form ribbon, Agent Assist, Dynamic related records, attachments, and templates.
    • Create tasks, compose email, and add worknotes.
    • Open reference fields in subtabs under the session tab.
    Add an activity to a playbook Add optional activities to a playbook stage as needed.
    Summarize case details Use the Now Assist for CSM case summarization skill to summarize the case details and display this information on the case record.
    Compose an email from an email template Quickly compose emails for common issues by selecting an email template in the Compose Email page instead of manually drafting an email.
    Note:
    For tasks that an agent completes outside of a playbook, the system automatically updates the playbook activities.