Automated Send Email activity

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 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 Automated Send Email activity

    The Automated Send Email activity in ServiceNow allows you to create and send emails automatically without pausing the playbook for user input. When triggered, it immediately sends the email and proceeds to the next playbook activity, streamlining communication processes within automated workflows.

    Show full answer Show less

    Key Features

    • Roles and Availability: This activity is accessible as a common activity and can be added to playbooks by users with admin, playbook.admin, or pdauthor roles.
    • Input Configuration: Users can configure essential inputs such as email recipients, subject, and body via the activity properties panel. The pill-picker enables dynamic data referencing from related records to tailor emails per instance.
    • Recipient Options: Supports both static recipients (fixed user records) and dynamic recipients (dot-walked from trigger or related records), allowing flexible targeting based on record data.
    • Scheduling Controls: You can define when the activity or its containing stage starts running, including options for immediate start, after specific stages or activities, and delayed start with configurable wait times.
    • Advanced Inputs: Additional configuration options include specifying email addresses as strings for To, Cc, and Bcc fields, attaching the email to a target record, and selecting the relevant data table.
    • Rich Content Support: The email body supports HTML content and dynamic pills to customize messages effectively.

    Outputs

    The activity outputs references to the created task record and the email notification record, which can be used as inputs for subsequent activities in the playbook, enabling seamless data flow and automation chaining.

    Create an email from previously gathered or generated data without pausing the playbook to ask for user input. When the activity runs, it immediately sends the email and continues to the next activity in the playbook.

    Roles and availability

    This activity is available as a common activity. Users with the admin, playbook.admin, or pd_author can add this activity to a playbook.

    Inputs

    Open the activity properties panel and configure your activity to add values for the following inputs. If the input value varies, use the pill-picker to show where to get the value. To learn more about the pill-picker, see .
    Input Type Description
    Label String Title to display as activity and playbook card.
    Description String Information to display about activity usage or outcome.
    Run condition Condition Builder Conditions that must be met to run an activity or stage. You can use data from prior activities to build conditions.
    Note:
    Select Show additional options to see this field.
    Start Rule Choice Under Schedule > Start Rule, select a start rule for when your stage should start running:
    • When process starts: Your stage starts running as soon as the playbook starts.
    • After specific stages: Your stage starts running after specified stage(s) have finished running.
    Under Schedule > Start Rule, select a start rule for when your activity should start running:
    • When stage starts: Your activity starts running as soon as its stage starts running. Your stage starts running when your playbook is triggered.
    • After specific activities: Your activity starts running after specified activities have finished running.
    Start with delay True/False Option to wait for a duration of time before running an activity or stage. When enabled, this input displays the Start with delay input properties.
    Note:
    Select Show additional options to see this field.
    To List of Users Recipient list for the email. There are two ways to configure this field:
    • Static recipient — Select the same user record every time. Use this when emails must go to the same addresses in every instance.
    • Dynamic recipient — Use the pill picker to reference a user field dot-walked from the trigger record or a related record. Use this when the recipient varies based on record data. For example, when automatically notifying credit card applicants of a rejection, dot-walk to the applicant's email address from the customer record linked to the application.
    Cc List of Users Cc recipient list for the email.
    Subject String Subject of the email.
    Body HTML Body of the email.
    Tip:
    You can use both text and multiple pills in your message, and any other rich text or HTML field.

    Advanced inputs

    After configuring the required inputs for your activity, you can also choose to configure additional inputs. In the side panel, select Show additional options to display these advanced inputs. For more information, see Activity experience.
    Input Type Description
    To Email Address String Comma-separated list of email addresses.
    Cc Email Address String Comma-separated list of copied email addresses.
    Bcc List of Users Bcc blind copy recipient list for the email.
    Bcc Email Address String Comma-separated list of blind copied email addresses.
    Target Record Reference.Task [task] Reference to the record that the system attaches the email to.
    Table Table Name Table containing activity or playbook data.

    Outputs

    These outputs can provide data to other activities in your playbook. You can access this data as activity inputs when you configure your activity:
    Output Type Description
    Record Reference.Task[task] Reference to record created.
    Email Reference.Notification[sysevent_email_action] Reference to the newly created email notification record