Onboarding case type

Release version: Zurich

Updated July 31, 2025

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Summary of Onboarding case type

The Onboarding case type in ServiceNow enables agents to efficiently manage the process of onboarding customers for products or services. It includes a structured playbook guiding agents step-by-step through the onboarding lifecycle. Onboarding cases are identified by the prefixONBin their case numbers and are accessible via the Onboarding Cases module, which provides views such as My Onboarding Cases, All Onboarding Cases, Unassigned Onboarding Cases, and Escalated Onboarding Cases.

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Creating Onboarding Cases

Agents can create onboarding cases for both new and existing customers. When onboarding a new customer, agents enable the New customer checkbox to reveal the New Customer Information section, which collects essential data to create a customer record. For existing customers, the checkbox remains disabled, and account and contact or consumer details are mandatory to save the case.

The New Customer Information section gathers data such as:

Customer Type (Business or Individual)
Business Name (required for Business customers)
User Name (required for Individual customers)
Phone number
Email
Additional members (contacts or accounts associated with the onboarding)

Managing Additional Members

The Additional Members related list on the case form allows agents to add related users or business entities, such as accounts, contacts, or consumers. Agents specify the member type (e.g., joint owner, beneficiary) and name. When using the onboarding playbook, added members also appear on the Member Information card during the Initiate stage.

Onboarding Case Stages and Statuses

Onboarding cases progress through six distinct stages, each with specific statuses that reflect the case's current state:

Initiate: Starts with status New when created; changes to Open once assigned to an agent.
Pre approval: Status can be Open or Awaiting Info if additional information is requested.
Data capture: Similar to Pre approval, with statuses Open or Awaiting Info.
Due diligence: Statuses include Awaiting Info or Under Review, depending on whether information is requested or the case is submitted for review.
Resolve: Status transitions to Review Complete or Resolved as agents review and propose solutions.
Close: The case is finalized with status Closed.

This structured progression ensures clear visibility and control over the onboarding lifecycle, supporting timely case resolution.

Agents can use the onboarding case type to capture the details when onboarding customers for a product or service.

The onboarding case type includes a playbook that provides step-by-step guidance through the lifecycle of the onboarding process.

Onboarding cases use the ONB prefix in the case number. For example, ONB0001007. Onboarding cases appear in the Onboarding Cases module in the following lists:

My Onboarding Cases
All Onboarding Cases
Unassigned Onboarding Cases
Escalated Onboarding Cases

When creating a case, agents can select Customer Onboarding from the list of available case types.

Creating onboarding cases for new or existing customers

Customer service agents can create cases to onboard new customers or to onboard existing customers for new products.

The onboarding case form includes the New customer check box. Agents can enable this check box to display the New Customer Information section on the Case form. This form section includes fields that you can use to collect information and create a customer record.

Note:

A new customer doesn’t have an existing account, contact, or consumer record.

If an existing case already has the Account and Contact or Consumer fields populated, then the New customer check box is turned off.

When saving an onboarding case:

If the New customer check box is enabled, the Account and Contact or Consumer fields aren't required to save the case.
If the New customer check box is inactive, the Account and Contact or Consumer fields are required to save the case.

New Customer Information form section

The New Customer Information form section includes fields that agents can use to collect information. This information is then used to create a customer record. These fields include:

Customer Type: either Business or Individual
Business Name: Required when the customer type is Business
User Name: Required when the customer type is Individual
Phone number
Email

Additional members

The onboarding case type includes the Additional Members related list on the Case form. Agents can use this related list to create the users or business entities that should be included in the onboarding case.

Additional members can be any of the following:

Accounts
Contacts
Consumers

Agents select information from the following fields when adding a member to an onboarding case:

Type: the type of user to be added. For example, a joint owner or a beneficiary or a sub-account.
Name: the name of the contact or consumer or account.

Note:

If using the onboarding playbook, the user is also added to the Member Information card in the Add additional members step of the Initiate stage.

Onboarding case type stages and states

An onboarding case moves through several stages and states as the agent works to case resolution.

An onboarding case has six stages:

Initiate
Pre approval
Data capture
Due diligence
Resolve
Close

As an onboarding case moves through the stages listed earlier and toward a resolution, the case status is updated. Stage and status are related to each other as described in the following table.

Table 1. Onboarding case stages and status
Stage	Status	Description
Initiate	New	An onboarding case is created in the Initiate stage with a status of New. An onboarding case can only be in the New state during the Initiate stage.
Initiate	Open	The state of an onboarding case state changes to Open when the case is assigned to an agent.
Pre approval	Open Awaiting Info	In the Pre-Approval stage, an onboarding case can be in either the Open or Awaiting Info states. The case moves to the Awaiting Info state when an agent selects Request Info.
Data capture	Open Awaiting Info	In the Data Capture stage, an onboarding case can be in either the Open or Awaiting Info states. The case moves to the Awaiting Info state when an agent clicks Request Info.
Due diligence	Awaiting Info Under Review	In the Due Diligence stage, an onboarding case can be in the Awaiting Info or Under Review states. The case moves to the Awaiting Info state when an agent selects Request Info. The case moves to the Under Review state when an agent selects Submit for Review.
Resolve	Review Complete Resolved	In the Resolve stage, an onboarding case can be in either the Review Complete or Resolved states. The case moves to the Review Complete state when an agent clicks Review Complete. The case moves to the Resolved state when an agent selects Propose Solution.
Close	Closed	The case is closed.