--- sourceDocument: zurich Combined Product Files sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/delta-xanadu-zurich Release : - zurich ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - zurich Combined Product Files ft:clusterId : - delta3zx bundleId : - delta3zx --- # Combined Employee Center release notes for upgrades from Xanadu to Zurich # Combined Employee Center release notes for upgrades from Xanadu to Zurich {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Zurich Updated October 8, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 12 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) 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 Combined Employee Center release notes for upgrades from Xanadu to Zurich This consolidated guide details the key updates, new features, changes, and important upgrade information for ServiceNow's Employee Center from the Xanadu release through to Zurich. It is designed to assist ServiceNow customers in preparing for upgrades by summarizing enhancements across multiple release families, focusing on practical application and streamlined employee experience. Show full answer Show less ## Important Upgrade Information * No critical pre- or post-upgrade tasks were identified specifically for the Zurich release, but customers should review the relevant sections before upgrading. * Employee Center must be installed or upgraded via the ServiceNow Store for each release version. * The Browser Extension for Employee Center requires Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browsers. ## New Features The releases introduce several new capabilities to improve employee engagement, content management, and service interactions: * **Reusable News Articles (Xanadu):** Accelerate content creation using prebuilt templates for consistent and efficient news publishing. * **Content Engagement and Analytics:** Employees can react, comment, and share news; managers gain insights into engagement metrics and content performance. * **Employee Center Pro Kiosk:** Provides deskless workers with easy access to shift information, AI-powered query support, and targeted self-service content via a simplified kiosk interface. * **Guided Self-Service (GSS):** Visual Q\&A workflows help employees navigate complex topics like time-off balances, enhanced with rich media and AI search. * **Content Operations Dashboard:** Streamlines content publishing, request management, and ownership review, improving governance and operational efficiency. * **Integrated Experience and Service Feedback:** Collect and analyze employee feedback across multiple channels including Virtual Agent and Now Mobile, with automation for task creation and notifications. * **Live Company Events Hosting (Employee Center Pro):** Host live events seamlessly with drag-and-drop content creation and prebuilt communication workflows. * **ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience (Zurich):** Enables conversational task approvals and summarization skills through Now Assist in Virtual Agent and Microsoft Teams integration. * **Browser Extension for Employee Center (Zurich):** Provides quick access to content and company resources outside the portal. * **Enhanced Requests Experience and Portal Performance (Zurich):** Improved filtering, segmentation, lazy loading, and faster menu loading for a more responsive and scalable portal experience. * **Coral Theme (Zurich):** Introduces a fresh, brand-neutral default theme with light and dark modes for web and mobile portals. ## Changes and Enhancements * **Content Analytics Integration:** Content Analytics dashboards are now integrated within the Platform Analytics Experience for unified insights. * **Feedback Enhancements:** Expanded feedback types and tighter integration with dashboards and Virtual Agent improve user insight and feedback management. * **SharePoint Online Search Connector:** Enhanced permission controls enable more granular access management. * **Topic Search Ranking:** Search results are now ranked based on user click behavior, improving relevance and discoverability of frequently accessed topics. ## Removed and Deprecated Features * The Content Publishing and Content Experiences demo portals were removed after Xanadu. * No features were deprecated during these releases. ## Activation and Additional Notes * Employee Center is available exclusively through the ServiceNow Store; customers must request installation or upgrades from there. * No new browser or localization requirements were introduced except the specific browser support for the Browser Extension. * Accessibility compliance remains consistent with prior releases. ## Practical Takeaways for ServiceNow Customers * Upgrade preparation should include reviewing content engagement and feedback strategies to leverage new analytics and interaction features effectively. * Deskless and frontline worker experiences can be enhanced significantly with Employee Center Pro Kiosk and Guided Self-Service. * Utilize the new ServiceNow Otto conversational capabilities in Zurich to streamline approvals and task management via chatbots. * Optimize portal performance using the new lazy loading and deferred loading options to improve user experience during high traffic. * Leverage the Content Operations dashboard to centralize content governance and publishing workflows. * Consider re-theming portals with the new Coral theme to modernize the user interface and support user preferences with dark mode. Consolidated page of all release notes for Employee Center from Xanadu to Zurich. ## How to use this page To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family Employee Center release notes onto one page. Read this summary of the new features, changes, and updated information for your product from Xanadu to Zurich. Tip: If there were no updates for a release notes section in a certain family release, we included a short note for your reference. For example, if a product did not have any updates in Tokyo, the row says "No updates for this release." ## Important information for upgrading Employee Center to Zurich Before you upgrade to Zurich, review these pre- and post-upgrade tasks and complete the tasks as needed. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__2} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## New features Between your current release family and Zurich, new features were introduced for Employee Center. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__10} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | [Accelerate news article creation with reusable articles](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-content-templates&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Create news articles faster and more efficiently by leveraging prebuilt reusable articles within content templates. Reusable articles offer a predefined content layout into which content authors can input text and images. [Content engagement](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-content-engagement&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Gather feedback on content: * Employees can engage with news articles by selecting a reaction icon, leaving a comment, or sharing the article. * Managers can view metrics for employee engagement with an article such as the number of views, shares, and reactions. [Employee Center Pro Kiosk](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=deskless-kiosk-overview&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Empower deskless workers with simplified access to important information related to their job through a kiosk that provides self-serve opportunities such as: * Access shift and time-off details. * Get queries answered with the help of AI Search. * Track the status of requests. * Provide enhanced Employee Center Pro kiosks that can highlight targeted communication and self-service content. * Leverage guided help links that make the kiosk environment accommodative and easy to navigate. [Guided Self-Service in Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=gss-guided-self-service-overview&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Provide employees with an intuitive, visual, Q\&A-based experience for self-serving on highly used complex topics such as time off balance through GSS. [Content operations dashboard](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-content-operations&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : View engagement metrics for published content, manage the content publishing calendar, handle incoming content requests, and review the ownership for pages and widgets through the Content Operations dashboard. [Content Analytics support for Content Publishing](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=content-library-overview-dashboard&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : View data visualizations of performance metrics for content published to the portal or the Now Mobile app using a publish plan or content schedule. Access metrics such as the most-clicked content, most-clicked notifications, number of user interactions by content, and task status. [Enhanced copy-paste options in Rich Content Editor](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-rich-content-text&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Copy and paste formatted content into the Rich Content Editor while retaining the original source formatting or paste the content as plain text that matches the formatting of the destination text box. [Integrated service and experience feedback in Now Mobile](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ex-service-mobile&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Access feedback functionality more easily through the Experience and Service feedback functionality in Now® Mobile. [Create rich content from portal widgets](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-create-content-widgets&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Create or edit content directly from the Employee Center portal pages. [Hide parameters in the Rich Content Editor](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=configure-content-rendering-parameter&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Content administrators can configure content rendering parameters for hosted videos to be hidden in the Rich Content Editor so these parameters can't be modified by users. [New campaign demo data for Content Experiences](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ecpro-campaigns&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Access example campaigns to better understand campaign structuring, explore sample bundle trigger configurations, and discover possible use cases. [Quick start tests for Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=quick-start-tests-employee-center&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : After upgrades and deployments of new applications or integrations, run quick start tests to verify that Employee Center works as expected. If you customized Employee Center, copy the quick start tests and configure them for your customizations. | | Yokohama | [Favoriting topic pages](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=app-launcher-usability&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Enable one-click access for employees to their most frequently accessed topics through topic pages added to the Favorites widget. [Single-click taxonomy sync](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=config-adv-portal-nav-as-menu&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Sync taxonomy updates across Advanced Portal Navigation hierarchy levels with one click. [Guided Self-Service enhancements](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=gss-guided-self-service-overview&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : * Admins can provide more detailed answers or guidance to a Guided Self-Service response by adding rich media, including images and videos and formatted text. * Employees can review and edit their previous responses. * Employees can search for and discover Guided Self-Service processes using AI-powered search. [Enhanced apps discovery and visibility preferences (Employee Center Pro)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=applauncher-enable-availability&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Employees can search for authorized work applications using the AI-powered global search bar. [Appointment booking with HR representative (Employee Center Pro)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=appointment-booking&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Employees can schedule in-person or virtual appointments to get help through a quick link in the Mega Menu or Quick links widget. [Rich Content Editor updates (Employee Center Pro)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-rich-content&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Build more visually engaging content in microsites and news through additional formatting elements including bulleted and numbered lists, table or grid layouts, and accordion lists. [Portal shortcuts for content authoring (Employee Center Pro)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-create-content-widgets&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Content authors can now easily edit or create news articles and banners using shortcuts in the Content Experiences or News widgets. The system auto-generates publishing plans, streamlining content delivery to the selected widget and reducing the effort needed for configuration. [Integrated experience and service feedback](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ex-fdback-ovrvw&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) (Employee Center Pro) : * Set a rating threshold that automatically generates a feedback task. * Receive feedback tasks from negative feedback submitted through Now Mobile®. * Receive automated email notifications when feedback tasks are completed. * Track your feedback responses through the Feedback Analytics dashboard for portal, email, Virtual Agent, kiosks, and Now Mobile®. [Live company events hosting and communications framework (Employee Center Pro)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-company-events&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Live company events can now be hosted directly in the Employee Center Pro portal, with prebuilt configurations to streamline the pre-event communications and handle traffic surges. Content authors can easily create and share event content using the drag-and-drop Rich Content Editor, combined with mass-publishing capabilities similar to news articles. [Improved topic search ranking](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=config-topic-search-relevance&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : The Topic content search widget now ranks topics based on user clicks, improving the relevance of search results and making it easier for employees to find their frequently used topics. [Quick start tests for Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=quick-start-tests-employee-center&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : After upgrades and deployments of new applications or integrations, run quick start tests to verify that Employee Center works as expected. If you customized Employee Center, copy the quick start tests and configure them for your customizations. | | Zurich | [Check latest company news and events](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=check-company-newsevent-ai-agent-for-emp-exp&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Use the Company News and Events AI Agent to enable employees to check their company-related news and any upcoming events using the Now Assist in Virtual Agent. [ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience Summarization skill](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=activate-now-assist-skills-uex&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Enable a summary of the request, requested item, or case for approval task using ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience. The skill provides a summary of the selected item from the available list that you want to work on. [ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience plugin](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=now-assisit-employee-exp&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Enable employees to resolve and approve tasks easily through chat conversation using the ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience plugin with Now Assist in Virtual Agent. [Browser Extension for Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ecbe-intro&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : View and manage content and other company resources through the Browser Extension for Employee Center. Access the extension as a pop-up window, or select the Browser Extension for Employee Center icon on the portal to open it in a new page. [Enhanced Requests Experience](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=my-requests-update-intro&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Enhance the My Requests experience with features like easy segmentation, filtering, and keyword search. These features create a dynamic and scalable experience on the Employee Center portal for your admins, service, process, and experience owners. [Portal performance optimization](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-load-experience-optimization&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Control how your portal pages load, such as all at once or as needed, by using the new deferred and lazy load preferences. Lazy loading is enabled by default and displays content dynamically, reducing page load time. [High-traffic experience](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ec-load-high-traffic&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Communicate the information about heavy usage and slower network conditions during high usage scenarios, such as live events and major announcements. [Taxonomy and connected content](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=track-new-content&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Streamline the cleanup and syncing of outdated or invalid content, helping admins maintain a high-quality, well-performing portal with less manual effort. [Mega menu load](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=config-mega-menu-async-load&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Load the Mega Menu in the background to speed up home page interactivity and enable your users to engage with visible content faster during first-time visits. [Notifications for Employee Center enhancements](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=notifications-ec&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : Get Notifications for Employee Center in Content engagement that is available with Employee Center Pro. For more information, see [Employee Center Pro release notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=employee-center-pro-rn&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US). [Quick start tests for Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=quick-start-tests-employee-center&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) : After upgrades and deployments of new applications or integrations, run quick start tests to verify that Employee Center works as expected. If you customized Employee Center, copy the quick start tests and configure them for your customizations. | [ ] ## Changes Between your current release family and Zurich, some changes were made to existing Employee Center features. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__18} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | [Content Analytics](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ecpro-content-automation-analytics&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Content Analytics is now part of the Platform Analytics Experience. When you navigate to AllContent AnalyticsDashboards, the Content Analytics dashboards are displayed alongside Platform Analytics dashboards. [Experience and Service Feedback](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=ex-fdback-ovrvw&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Access the following enhancements within the feedback functionality: * Leverage three different types of feedback - Experience, Service, and Survey feedback to gain more insight from your users. * Integrate the experience feedback response with the Success Dashboard indicators. * Configure service feedback to keep it anonymous after feedback is submitted. * Access Experience and Service Feedback in Virtual Agent assist. [SharePoint Online Search Connector](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sharepoint-search-overview&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) : Enhance your Microsoft SharePoint experience with the following upgrades: * Streamline the site permissions and other granular access controls. * Grant permission and provide access to specific personas. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | Coral theme : Coral is now the default theme for new portal, web, and mobile experiences with Next Experience or Core UI enabled. This theme provides a fresh look and feel, featuring brand-neutral illustrations to enhance your user experience. A dark theme option is available for web and mobile experiences. | [ ] ## Removed Between your current release family and Zurich, some Employee Center features or functionality were removed. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__26} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | The Content Publishing and Content Experiences demo portals have been removed. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Deprecations Between your current release family and Zurich, some Employee Center features or functionality were deprecated. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__34} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Activation information Review information on how to activate Employee Center. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__42} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | Install Employee Center plugins by requesting them from the ServiceNow Store. Visit the [ServiceNow Store](https://store.servicenow.com/sn_appstore_store.do#!/store/home) website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the [ServiceNow Store version history release notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sn-store-release-notes&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US). | | Yokohama | Activation information : Install the Employee Center plugin by requesting it from the ServiceNow Store. Visit the [ServiceNow Store](https://store.servicenow.com/sn_appstore_store.do#!/store/home) website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the [ServiceNow Store version history release notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sn-store-release-notes&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US). Important: Employee Center is available in the ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes. | | Zurich | Activation information : Install Employee Center by requesting it from the ServiceNow Store. Visit the [ServiceNow Store](https://store.servicenow.com/sn_appstore_store.do#!/store/home) website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the [ServiceNow Store version history release notes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sn-store-release-notes&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US). Important: Employee Center is available in the ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes. | [ ] ## Additional requirements If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for Employee Center we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__50} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Browser requirements If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for Employee Center we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__58} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | Browser requirements : The Browser Extension for Employee Center is only available with Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browsers. | [ ] ## Accessibility information Review details on accessibility information for Employee Center, such as specific requirements or compliance levels. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__66} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Localization information If there are specific localization considerations for Employee Center we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__74} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | | Zurich | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Highlight information If there are specific highlight considerations for Employee Center we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-employeecenter-summary__entry__82} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | * Increase operational efficiency by field workers and shift workers by providing in-context information with the Employee Center Pro Kiosk. * Gather quick feedback from the users on their user experiences and their service experiences with Experience and Service Feedback. * Streamline the SharePoint Online Search Connector site permissions and other granular access control. * Enable employees to engage with news articles through reactions, comments, or sharing the articles. * Access content management tools from Content Publishing, Content Analytics, and Content Governance plugins in the Content Operations dashboard. See [Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=employee-center-landing-page&family=xanadu&ft:locale=en-US) for more information. | | Yokohama | * Resolve tasks created from submitted negative feedback with the Integrated experience and service feedback functionality. * Enable employees to seek assistance through virtual or in-person appointments, or by joining walk-up queues for immediate support. * Host live company events seamlessly in the employee portal with streamlined pre-event communications and a drag-and-drop editor for easy content creation. See [Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=employee-center-landing-page&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) for more information. | | Zurich | [Zurich Patch 1](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=zurich-patch-1&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) * Enable employees to check their latest company news and upcoming events using Now Assist in Virtual Agent with the Company News \& Events AI Agent in the ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience. The AI Agent displays a list of all the latest news and planned events in the company. For more information, see [Check latest company news and events](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=check-company-newsevent-ai-agent-for-emp-exp&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US). * Employees can check all their to-do tasks and pending approvals using Now Assist in Virtual Agent for Microsoft Teams. * Enable a summary of the request, requested item, or case for approval task using ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience. The skill provides a summary of the selected item from the available list that you want to work on. For more information, see [ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience Summarization skill](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=activate-now-assist-skills-uex&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US). Zurich Early Availability * Use the ServiceNow Otto for Employee Experience application so that your employees can have a seamless conversational interaction with Now Assist in Virtual Agent. * View and manage content and other company resources through the Browser Extension for Employee Center. * Improve the My Requests experience with adoptive and scalable enhancements. See [Employee Center](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=employee-center-landing-page&family=zurich&ft:locale=en-US) for more information. | [ ] *[\>]: and then