Communicating with requesters and agents using Compose

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Communicating with requesters and agents using Compose

    The Compose feature in ServiceNow Zurich release allows agents to communicate effectively with requesters and internal team members by posting comments and work notes on issues. This communication helps document progress, request additional information, or share solutions while preserving the entire history in the Activity Stream.

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    How to Use Compose

    • Comments vs. Work Notes: Use the Comments field to communicate directly with external requesters. Use Work Notes to document internal progress; these notes are private to agents and not visible to requesters.
    • Single vs. Stacked Text Fields: Depending on configuration, Compose appears either as a single text field where you select Comments or Work Notes before posting, or as two separate fields for each type.
    • Rich Text Editor: If enabled, you can stylize text and paste images directly into comments, enhancing communication clarity.
    • Email Integration: Compose supports replying, replying all, or forwarding emails directly from the Activity Stream, maintaining seamless email communication.
    • Attachments and Knowledge Articles: You can add attachments or link knowledge articles to comments via the Contextual side panel or Agent Assist cards.

    Configuration Options

    • Compose can be configured to display as a single or dual-text field interface depending on user preference and organizational setup.
    • A side-by-side view of Compose and the Activity Stream can be enabled when screen space permits (700 pixels or more), allowing agents to write notes while reviewing past communications simultaneously.
    • This side-by-side mode may have limited support in older Safari versions.

    Knowledge Article Authoring

    Agents can create and publish knowledge articles within Workspace to share solutions found during issue resolution. The Knowledge Management Service Portal is available by default, enabling users to access and view these articles, promoting knowledge sharing across the organization.

    You use Compose to communicate with requesters and to enter comments about the work that you do on issues that only fellow agents can read.

    Composing comments

    After researching an issue, you might want to get more information from a requester, communicate a solution, or write an internal note to yourself or other agents to record your progress in solving an issue. To do that, you use the Compose feature. How you enter comments or work notes depends on the configuration.
    • If you use a single text field, you select Comments or Work Notes, enter your comment in the text field, and select Post Comments.

      Use the Comments text field to communicate with external requesters. Use the Work Notes field to document your progress on an issue. Work notes are not sent to external requesters and are visible only to you and other internal personnel, such as fellow agents who might also work on the issue.

    • In stacked view, where there are two text fields, enter text in the appropriate field and select Post Comments or Post Work notes (Private).

    You can view emails in the Activity Stream. The Email tab appears in Compose when you reply, reply all, or forward an email from an existing email in the Activity Stream.

    If you configured Compose to use the rich text editor, you can use the icons at the top of the field to stylize the text. With the rich text editor, you can paste an image directly into the text field.

    When you post your comment in Compose, the comment moves into the Activity Stream, which preserves the entire communication history. Only emails that are user-generated appear, for example existing emails that you write or reply to.

    Other communications

    In addition to sending comments to requesters, you can also:

    • Use the attachment feature (Attachment icon) in the Contextual side panel, for example, to add a knowledge article to a comment.
    • Select the links in some of the cards in Agent assist that, for example, add a knowledge article to a comment.

    Configuring Compose

    You can configure Compose to appear as a single text field or two text fields. You configure Compose by selecting the configuration icon (Configuration icon).

    You can also view Compose and the Activity Stream side by side to enable you to write work notes and comments while scrolling the activity stream. The Compose UI displays next to the Activity Stream when column space is adjusted to accommodate the side by side UI. You can enable or disable this feature by selecting the configuration icon (Configuration icon) and then selecting Side by side. This option appears in the UI when column spacing is wide enough to support side by side (700 pixels or more). This feature may not be supported in older versions of Safari.

    Writing Knowledge articles to share solutions

    To share a solution you've found with the community of workspace users, you can create and publish a knowledge article. The Knowledge Management Service Portal enables users to view knowledge base articles. It is available by default. For more information about creating, editing, and viewing articles, see Knowledge article authoring in Workspace.