Zero Touch Refresh

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Zero Touch Refresh

    The Zero Touch Refresh flow in ServiceNow enables organizations to manage employee hardware refresh requests through an external vendor without maintaining new assets in the local stockroom. This process streamlines hardware replacement by automating task creation, shipment tracking, and asset assignment, reducing manual inventory management.

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    Process Flow

    • An employee submits a hardware refresh request.
    • Upon approval, a Request Confirmation task is created and automatically closed when the vendor confirms the request.
    • The provider ships the new asset directly to the employee or to the stockroom, depending on the selected refresh method.
    • Relevant tasks such as Request Shipment, Ready for Pickup (for stockroom pickups), Receive Asset, and Receive Return Asset are created and managed automatically throughout the process.
    • Email notifications are sent to asset stakeholders and stockroom managers based on shipment status and refresh method.
    • Shipment records are created linking tracking details and assets, viewable within the Hardware Asset Workspace.
    • The employee returns the old asset to the stockroom for evaluation by the inventory manager.

    Key Features

    • Automated task lifecycle management for each stage of the hardware refresh.
    • Direct integration with external providers through the Asset Management application and Service Exchange.
    • Automated asset assignment using provider-supplied serial numbers and asset tags.
    • Email notifications tailored to shipment method and roles involved.
    • Shipment record tracking with shipment carrier and tracking number details consolidated for easy visibility.
    • Support for different refresh methods: direct shipping to employee or pickup from stockroom.

    Requirements and Integration

    The Zero Touch Refresh flow requires configuration of the Service Exchange application on both the provider’s and employee’s ServiceNow instances to enable seamless communication and process integration. It also integrates with Insight for enhanced asset visibility.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By leveraging Zero Touch Refresh, organizations can efficiently manage hardware refresh requests externally without stockroom overhead, improve asset tracking and accountability, and enhance communication between employees, providers, and asset managers. This results in faster refresh cycles, reduced internal workload, and improved asset lifecycle management.

    Use the Zero Touch Refresh flow to fulfill employee hardware refresh requests through an external vendor without having to maintain new assets in the local stockroom.

    The various stages in the asset refresh process are as follows:
    1. An employee of your organization submits a request for refresh of the hardware asset.

      The Request confirmation task is created when the Zero Touch Refresh request is approved. The state of this task changes to Closed automatically when the provider confirms the request.

    2. Provider ships the new asset to the employee.
      Note:
      A provider can fulfill a Zero Touch Refresh request by using the Asset Management application.

      The following tasks are created:

      1. Request shipment: This task is created when the provider confirms the Zero Touch Refresh request. The state of this task changes to Closed automatically when the provider ships the new asset.
        The following happen when the provider ships the asset:
        • An asset with the serial number and asset tag specified by the provider is assigned to the employee.
        • Based on the refresh method that the employee selected in the Zero Touch Refresh request, email notifications with details of the new replacement asset that is shipped are sent as follows:
          • When the asset is shipped to the employee, an email notification is sent to all users with the asset role.
          • When the asset is shipped to the stockroom, an email notification is sent to all users with the asset role and also the stockroom manager of the selected stockroom from where the employee will pick up the new asset.
        • Based on the tracking number and shipping carrier details that the provider specified in the request, unique shipment records are created for the shipments of the replacement asset and the old asset. When the same tracking number is provided for both the shipments, a single shipment record is created. You can view the shipment records with the associated assets in the Assets operations view of the Hardware Asset Workspace. For more details, see View hardware asset shipment details.
      2. Ready for pickup: This task is created only for the Pickup refresh method in which the provider ships the new asset to the stockroom from where the employee picks up the asset.
      3. Receive asset: This task is created as follows:
        • For the Ship refresh method, when the provider ships the asset to the employee.
        • For the Pickup refresh method, when the Ready for pickup task is closed.
      4. Receive return asset: This task is created when the provider ships the new asset.
    3. Employee confirms receipt of the new asset.
    4. Employee returns the old asset to the stockroom in the labeled box shipped by the provider.
    5. Inventory manager confirms that the old asset was received and evaluates it.
    Note:
    The Zero Touch Refresh flow requires support from an external provider and is pre-configured to integrate with Insight.

    The Zero Touch Refresh flow requires the Service Exchange application to be configured on the ServiceNow instance of both the provider and the employee's organization.

    For more details, see Manage refresh of assets using Zero Touch Refresh.