Configuring needs analysis

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configuring needs analysis

    As a product catalog administrator in ServiceNow, you can createneeds templates—questionnaires that guide agents in selecting product offers to add to leads or opportunities. These templates act as product selection guides, helping agents obtain tailored product recommendations based on customer input during lead or opportunity creation in the Lead Management or Opportunity Management applications.

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    The needs analysis process involves three main elements:

    • Needs template: A questionnaire with guided questions associated with a needs decision tree.
    • Needs decision tree: A multi-step guided decision process that defines questions, expected answers, and decision logic using the Decision Tree Builder tool.
    • Product recommendations: Product offerings suggested to agents based on questionnaire responses.

    Working with decision trees

    Decision trees are configured via the Decision Tree Builder, a canvas tool for designing question nodes, decision paths, and attaching guidance. Needs analysis leverages default guidance called Product Offering Recommendation, which references the Needs Based Offering Recommendation table to provide product suggestions during the questionnaire.

    Before creating decision trees, it is important to understand:

    • Basic decision tree elements such as node types and linking inputs.
    • Example configurations demonstrating end-to-end setup.
    • Different answer types for questions, including choice, date, and integers.

    Setting up needs analysis

    To configure needs analysis effectively, follow these steps:

    1. Create a needs-based product offering recommendation.
    2. Create a decision tree tailored to the needs template.
    3. Build the needs decision tree using the Decision Tree Builder.
    4. Create the needs template and establish its relationship with the product catalog.

    This configuration enables agents to efficiently guide customers through product selection, ensuring relevant product offerings are recommended and added to leads or opportunities, thereby improving sales effectiveness.

    As a product catalog administrator, you can create needs templates, which are questionnaires that agents use to find product offers to add to a lead or opportunity. Questionnaires function as product selection guides. When agents complete a questionnaire based on customer input, they get product recommendations that they can add to a lead or opportunity.

    Overview of needs analysis

    When agents create a lead in the Lead Management application or an opportunity in the Opportunity Management application, a product selection guide is displayed in the product catalog. The product selection guide lists the needs templates that agents can choose to get product offer recommendations.

    Figure 1. Elements of needs analysis
    Product catalog page with needs template, needs questionnaire and product recommendations in Opportunity Management, and decision tree start node in Decision Tree Builder
    Needs template
    Product selection guides associated with the product catalog display one or more needs templates. Each needs template is a questionnaire that has a set of guided questions that agents answer to get product recommendations for a customer. Each template is associated with a needs decision tree.
    Needs decision tree
    A multi-step, guided decision process that presents a series of questions to the agent. You use Decision Tree Builder to create and build the decision tree.The decision tree defines the question nodes, expected answers, connection points, decision logic, and guidance for decision paths in the questionnaire.
    Product recommendations
    The product offerings suggested for an opportunity or lead, based on the results of the needs questionnaire.

    Working with decision trees

    You configure decision trees by adding nodes, defining paths, and attaching guidances in Decision Tree Builder. This tool is a canvas for diagramming the basic elements in a decision tree, such as the question nodes and decision paths. Needs analysis provides a default guidance, the Product Offering Recommendation guidance, which references information from the Needs Based Offering Recommendation [sn_prd_pm_product_offering_recommendation] table as you create the question nodes and guidances in the decision tree.

    Before creating decision trees for needs templates, review how decision trees work:

    Setting up needs analysis