Case type selector

Release version: Zurich

Updated July 31, 2025

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Summary of Case type selector

The case type selector is a ServiceNow component designed to help customer service agents efficiently create the appropriate type of case for a contact or consumer. It provides agents with a list of available case types, products, or services to choose from when initiating a case, streamlining case creation and ensuring relevance to the customer’s needs.

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Agents use the case type selector when creating cases from lists or records such as interactions, accounts, contacts, consumers, sold products, install base items, and child cases. The available selections depend on the system configuration managed by administrators.

Case type selector versions

System administrators configure which version of the case type selector agents see through system properties. The main versions include:

Multi-select (default): Agents can select a case type and optionally refine the choice using categories and subtypes, which can be choice lists or references. This version supports more granular filtering before case creation.
Single-select: Enables agents to pick one case type from a list and create a case with a single click. It uses field mappings to prefill case form fields. This version is available only in the CSM Configurable Workspace and can be enabled via a system property.
Product Service Select: Allows agents to select a product and/or service to base the case on, focusing case creation around specific customer products or services. This version overrides the single-select property if enabled.

Key configuration properties

Administrators control which case type selector version is active using these system properties:

sncsmcasetypes.casetypesinglefieldselect: Enables the single-select version when set to true (default is false).
sncsmcasetypes.servicedefinitionselect: Enables the Product Service Select version when set to true (default is true). This property takes precedence over the single-select property.
sncsmcasetypes.servicedefinitionselectcount: Sets how many products and services display in the Product Service Select version (default 25).

Configuring service definitions

Service definitions and their relationships, which underpin case and case task creation, are managed by system administrators or service definition managers/admins. These definitions include logic and default field values to automate and standardize case task creation.

Practical benefits for ServiceNow customers

Enables agents to quickly create accurate, relevant cases aligned with customer products, services, and needs.
Offers configurable selector versions to match organizational workflows—from simple single-click case creation to detailed multi-select filtering.
Supports enhanced case and case task automation through configurable service definitions.
Improves agent productivity and customer satisfaction by reducing case creation errors and delays.

The case type selector enables customer service agents to quickly and easily create the right kind of case for a contact or consumer by selecting from a list of available case types or services.

Overview

The case type selector is a component that provides agents with the ability to select the appropriate case type or service when creating a case. For example, an agent can use the case type selector to do the following:

Select a case type and create a case of that type.
Select a product from a list of products owned by the customer and create a case for that product.
Select a service and create a case for that specific service.

The selections that an agent can make is determined by the case type selector configuration. The system administrator can configure different versions of the case type selector by setting properties. The different versions include:

Multi-select (default)
single-select
Product Service select

Multi-select version of the case type selector with fields for selecting a category and case type — Figure 1. Case type selector (multi-select version)

Using the case type selector

The system displays the case type selector when an agent creates a case from a list or a record.

Table 1. Agent actions that display the case type selector
Agent action	Description
Select New	Select this action from case lists and case type lists such as My Cases or My Complaint Cases.
Select Create Case	Select this action from the following records: Interaction Account Contact Consumer Sold Product Install Base Item Case Child Case

Some declarative actions available with the Customer Service Case Types plugin are disabled by default. For more information, see Configure case type declarative actions.

Case type selector versions

Different versions of the case type selector are available for agents to use. The system administrator can configure system properties to determine the version of the case type selector that is presented to agents.

Table 2. Versions of the case type selector component
Version	Description
Multi-select	With the multi-select version, the agent selects a case type and optionally selects a category to narrow the available choices before creating a case. A category subtype field can also be configured. This field can be a choice list field or a reference field from the Case Type table. Note: If a subtype has not been configured for a case type, the subtype field is not displayed. The multi-select version of the case type selector is the default functionality. For more information, see Select a category and subtype for a case type.
Single-select	With the single-select version, the agent selects a case type from a list of available case types and creates a case with one click. The system uses configured field mapping to fill in some of the fields on the Case form. The display of the single-select version is controlled by the sn_csm_case_types.case_type_single_field_select system property. When enabled, the system displays the single-select version. When disabled, the system displays the multi-select version. Note: The single-select version is only available in CSM Configurable Workspace. For more information, see the following topics: Enable the case type single select property Create a configuration for case type single-select
Product Service Select	With the Product Service Select version, the agent selects a product and/or a service to create a case. For more information, see Product Service select version of the case type selector. The display of the Product Service Select version is controlled by the sn_csm_case_types.service_definition_select system property. When enabled, the system displays the Product Service Select version of the case type selector. When disabled, the system uses the value of the sn_csm_case_types.case_type_single_field_select property.

Case type select properties

The following properties determine which version of the case type selector is presented to agents.

Table 3. Version properties of a case type selector
Property	Description
sn_csm_case_types.case_type_single_field_select	Set this property to true to enable the case type single select feature in CSM Configurable Workspace. When enabled, an agent can use this feature to create a case of a specific type with a single selection in the case type selector. Type: true \| false Default value: false Location: System Property [sys_properties] table
sn_csm_case_types.service_definition_select	Set this property to true to enable the Product Service Select version of the case type selector in CSM Configurable Workspace. When enabled, an agent can use this version to create a record based on the selected product or service. Type: true \| false Default value: true Location: System Property [sys_properties] table This property overrides the sn_csm_case_types.case_type_single_field_select property. When set to true, the system displays the Product Service Select version of the case type selector. When set to false, the system uses the value of the sn_csm_case_types.case_type_single_field_select property. If both properties are set to true, the sn_csm_case_types.service_definition_select property takes precedence. If both properties are set to false, the system displays the multi-select version of the case type selector.
sn_csm_case_types.service_definition_select_count	Determines the number of the products and services displayed in the Product Service Select version of the case type selector. Type: integer Default value: 25 Location: System Property [sys_properties] table

Configuring service definitions for cases and case tasks

The system administrator creates the service definitions for cases and case tasks, along with their relationships. The service definition manager and service definition admin can also create these service definitions and relationships.

For case task service definitions, the system administrator can include logic and default field values that the system uses when creating the case tasks. For more information, see Configuring service definitions.