Configuring service definitions

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configuring service definitions

    ServiceNow enables system administrators to configure service definitions that represent the types of services supporting products offered to customers. Service definitions link various features such as case types, playbooks, and catalog items, facilitating precise service requests by customers and accurate case creation by agents.

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    Key Features

    • Create a service definition: Define services offered to support specific products.
    • Associate products with services: Establish relationships between products and service definitions.
    • Link case types: Assign case types to define the resolution process for each service.
    • Attach playbooks: Provide step-by-step guidance for resolving cases, with options to enable case creation via playbook record generators.
    • Set default field values: Configure automatic population of fields in target tables when records are created for a service.
    • Configure catalog items: Allow end users to select catalog items through the service portal and generate service requests using record producers.
    • Associate related services: Create parent-child relationships between service definitions to structure complex service offerings, such as linking case tasks to case types.
    • Link service organizations: Connect services with one or more service organizations responsible for offering those services.
    • Create and manage service definition categories: Organize service definitions into logical groupings for easier management and access.
    • Add case types to the Case interceptor: Include new case types in the Core UI Case interceptor, enabling agents to select them when creating customer service cases.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By configuring service definitions, customers can streamline the process of requesting and supporting services aligned with their products. This configuration improves case management accuracy, enhances agent guidance through playbooks, and simplifies service request creation via catalog items. Organizing services and their relationships ensures efficient service delivery and better customer experiences. Additionally, associating case types with the Case interceptor enhances agent productivity by providing easy access to relevant case types.

    Create service definitions for the types of services required to support your products. Associate different features such as case types, playbooks, and record producers with service definitions so that customers can request the services they need and agents can create cases of the right type to support those services.

    System administrators can use the service definitions feature to define the services that are offered to customers and connect those services to products, case types, playbooks, and catalog items.
    Table 1. Service definition configuration tasks
    Task Description
    Create a service definition Create a definition for a service that's offered to support a product.
    Associate a product with a service definition Configure the relationship between a product and service.
    Associate a case type with a service definition A case type defines the case resolution process for a service definition.
    Associate a playbook with a service definition A playbook provides step-by-step guidance for resolving a specific type of case. Defining a playbook record generator view enables case creation for a requested service.
    Configure default field values for a service definition Configure default values for fields in a service definition's target table. When a record is created for this table, the system uses these values to auto populate record fields.
    Configure catalog items for a service definition End users can select a catalog item from the service portal and use the record producer to create the service request.
    Configure related services for a service definition Associate one or more related services with a service definition to create parent-child relationships between service definitions. For example, you can create service definitions for case tasks and associate them with a service definition for a case type.
    Associate service organizations with a service After creating a service definition, you can associate service organizations offering service with a service organization.
    Create a service definition category Create a category for service definitions. You can use these categories to create logical groupings of service definitions.
    Associate service definitions with a category Add service definitions to a category. A category can have one or more associated service definitions and a service definition can belong to multiple categories.
    Add a case type to the Case interceptor In the Core UI, the Case interceptor lists the types of customer service cases that an agent can create. If you create a case type and you want that case type to appear in the Case interceptor, you need to add it to the Case interceptor configuration.