Communicating with requesters and agents using Compose

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Communicating with requesters and agents using Compose

    The Compose feature in ServiceNow Workspace enables agents to communicate effectively with requesters and fellow agents by entering comments and work notes related to issues. This functionality supports both external communication and internal documentation, helping agents track progress and share information efficiently.

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    How to Use Compose

    • Comments vs Work Notes: Use the Comments field to send messages to requesters. Use the Work Notes field to document internal progress; these are visible only to agents and internal personnel.
    • Single vs Stacked Text Fields: Compose can be configured as a single text field where you select Comments or Work Notes before posting, or as two separate fields for comments and work notes.
    • Rich Text Editor: If enabled, agents can stylize text and paste images directly into the Compose field, enhancing communication clarity and detail.
    • Email Integration: The Email tab appears when replying to or forwarding emails within the Activity Stream, allowing seamless email responses within Compose.
    • Attachments and Knowledge Articles: Agents can attach files or add knowledge articles directly from the Contextual side panel or Agent Assist cards to comments, facilitating knowledge sharing.

    Configuration Options

    • Agents can configure Compose through the configuration icon to choose between single or dual text fields.
    • A side-by-side view of Compose and the Activity Stream can be enabled to allow simultaneous viewing and commenting, improving workflow efficiency. This requires sufficient column width and may have browser limitations.

    Knowledge Article Authoring

    Agents can create and publish knowledge articles within the Workspace to share solutions with the user community. The Knowledge Management Service Portal is available by default for viewing articles. This facilitates the capture and dissemination of valuable issue resolutions.

    You use Compose to communicate with requesters and to enter comments about the work that you do on issues that only fellow agents can read.

    Composing comments

    After researching an issue, you might want to get more information from a requester, communicate a solution, or write an internal note to yourself or other agents to record your progress in solving an issue. To do that, you use the Compose feature. How you enter comments or work notes depends on the configuration.
    • If you use a single text field, you select Comments or Work Notes, enter your comment in the text field, and select Post Comments.

      Use the Comments text field to communicate with external requesters. Use the Work Notes field to document your progress on an issue. Work notes are not sent to external requesters and are visible only to you and other internal personnel, such as fellow agents who might also work on the issue.

    • In stacked view, where there are two text fields, enter text in the appropriate field and select Post Comments or Post Work notes (Private).

    You can view emails in the Activity Stream. The Email tab appears in Compose when you reply, reply all, or forward an email from an existing email in the Activity Stream.

    If you configured Compose to use the rich text editor, you can use the icons at the top of the field to stylize the text. With the rich text editor, you can paste an image directly into the text field.

    When you post your comment in Compose, the comment moves into the Activity Stream, which preserves the entire communication history. Only emails that are user-generated appear, for example existing emails that you write or reply to.

    Other communications

    In addition to sending comments to requesters, you can also:

    • Use the attachment feature (Attachment icon) in the Contextual side panel, for example, to add a knowledge article to a comment.
    • Select the links in some of the cards in Agent assist that, for example, add a knowledge article to a comment.

    Configuring Compose

    You can configure Compose to appear as a single text field or two text fields. You configure Compose by selecting the configuration icon (Configuration icon).

    You can also view Compose and the Activity Stream side by side to enable you to write work notes and comments while scrolling the activity stream. The Compose UI displays next to the Activity Stream when column space is adjusted to accommodate the side by side UI. You can enable or disable this feature by selecting the configuration icon (Configuration icon) and then selecting Side by side. This option appears in the UI when column spacing is wide enough to support side by side (700 pixels or more). This feature may not be supported in older versions of Safari.

    Writing Knowledge articles to share solutions

    To share a solution you've found with the community of workspace users, you can create and publish a knowledge article. The Knowledge Management Service Portal enables users to view knowledge base articles. It is available by default. For more information about creating, editing, and viewing articles, see Knowledge article authoring in Workspace.