Customer Service Management

Customer Service Management (CSM) in ServiceNow is a module that helps organizations streamline and improve their
customer service operations. It enables businesses to manage customer interactions, resolve issues efficiently, and
provide a seamless support experience across multiple channels. The CSM module integrates with other ServiceNow
capabilities like workflows, knowledge management, and incident tracking to deliver proactive and personalized
customer service.

Key Features of CSM:

 Case Management: Track, manage, and resolve customer issues.

 Omni-Channel Support: Provide service via email, chat, phone, self-service portals, and social media.

 Customer Engagement: Personalize customer interactions using AI and predictive intelligence.

 Service Operations Integration: Connect with IT, field service, and operations teams to resolve issues
collaboratively.

 Knowledge Base: Provide self-service articles for customers to resolve issues independently.

 Proactive Service: Detect and resolve issues before customers are even aware of them.

Use Case: CSM in Telecom Industry

Scenario: Reducing Customer Downtime Due to Internet Issues

1. Problem:

o A telecom company receives frequent customer complaints about internet outages.

o Customers often wait on hold to report the issue, leading to frustration and poor satisfaction ratings.

2. Solution Using CSM:

o Proactive Outage Detection:

 The company integrates IoT sensors with ServiceNow CSM. These sensors monitor network
performance and detect outages.

o Automated Case Creation:

 When an outage is detected, CSM automatically generates a case linked to the affected region.

o Customer Notification:

 Customers receive automated alerts via email or SMS informing them of the issue and the
estimated time of resolution.

o Knowledge Base Suggestions:

 The system provides self-help articles for common issues like resetting routers or checking
connections.

o Collaboration:

 CSM routes the case to the appropriate field service team, providing all necessary details, such
as location and type of issue.

o Customer Feedback:

 After resolution, customers are prompted to rate their experience through a feedback survey.

3. Benefits:
 o Faster resolution of outages with minimal customer input.

o Enhanced customer satisfaction due to proactive communication.

o Reduced load on customer service agents, allowing them to focus on complex cases.

Who is a Customer?

 A Customer is typically someone external to your organization who consumes your products or services.
Examples include:

o A telecom user who has subscribed to internet services.

o A business that purchases software from your company.

o A household or individual using a home appliance you manufacture.

 In contrast, users interacting with Incident Management are often internal employees or end-users within the
organization.

How is CSM Different from Incident Management?

CSM is not just about resolving issues; it’s about managing relationships and the customer lifecycle. Here's how CSM
goes beyond traditional Incident Management:

Aspect CSM (Customer Service Management) Incident Management

Designed for managing external customer Focused on handling technical issues (often
Scope of Use
interactions and their overall journey. internal to the organization).

Customer Provides tools for long-term relationship Limited to resolving the specific incident
Engagement management (e.g., case history, SLAs). reported by the user.

Omni-Channel Seamlessly integrates customer interactions via Interaction channels are often limited to
Support chat, email, social media, etc. helpdesk tickets or internal tools.

Offers a holistic view of the customer: their account, Limited view: focuses on the technical issue
Customer Insights
products, and services. without detailed customer data.

Detects issues before customers report them and Reactive approach: only responds when an
Proactive Services
initiates resolution. incident is raised.

Resolving a customer complaint about delayed Fixing an employee’s issue with a non-
Use Case Example
product delivery or incorrect billing. functioning laptop or software crash.

How is CSM Used in Real Life?

Example Scenario: A Telecom Company Using CSM

1. Customer Issue:
A customer’s internet service is disrupted, and they reach out through an app’s chat feature.

2. CSM in Action:

o Omni-Channel Integration: The customer's issue is automatically converted into a case in ServiceNow
CSM.

o Case Management: The agent sees the customer's profile, service history, and current subscription
details.

o Knowledge Base Suggestion: The system suggests an article that helps the agent troubleshoot faster.
 o Incident Creation: If it’s a technical issue, the agent raises an incident linked to the case, assigning it to
the IT team.

3. Customer Visibility:

o The customer is kept informed about the progress through updates in the app.

o They can rate their experience after the issue is resolved.

4. Proactive Engagement:

o If the company detects recurring outages in the area, they proactively send alerts to affected customers,
reducing complaints.

When to Use CSM vs. Incident Management?

 Use CSM when you’re dealing with external customers who are paying for your product or service, and you
need to offer a seamless support experience.

 Use Incident Management for internal users or when the issue is strictly a technical or operational problem.

omnichannel support

Meet customers where they feel most comfortable by providing omnichannel support. Customers can use chat on
the Customer Service Management portal, chat via consumer messaging apps, use email, or place a phone call.

https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/xanadu-customer-service-management/page/product/customer-service-
management/concept/omnichannels-communicating-customers.html

go to this document not too big

Case Management

Case management refers to the business processes and activities designed to evaluate and address customer issues and
requests while managing the overall customer experience through effective communication. Case management enables
you to engage with customers, categorize and route cases, assign work to agents, and manage cases through resolution
and reporting. Case management starts with case creation as customers reach out through a number of communication
channels including email, phone, and chat
Use the following features with the Customer Service Management application to manage the cases for your customers:

 Case workflows

 Case types

 Service definitions

 Playbooks

 Major issue management :- With major issue management, you can efficiently manage your customer
communication and resolution process for a major issue that impacts multiple customers. By identifying other
affected customers who haven’t reported the issue, you can proactively create cases, notify the affected
customers, and manage all the issues until resolution.

 Customer project management

Note:-

 Accounts and contacts are customers in the business-to-business (B2B) business model. Create customer
accounts, partner accounts, and contacts who are employees of those accounts.

Consumers are customers in the business-to-consumer (B2C) business model.
Service Model Foundation

The Service Model Foundation in ServiceNow provides a way to create and manage a structured data model that
represents the relationships and interactions within a business, its customers, and its service agents. This framework is a
key component of Customer Service Management (CSM) and expands on the standard data models by introducing
flexibility, security, and scalability for representing complex business relationships.

What is a Framework in this Context?

A framework provides a structure or set of tools that businesses can use to organize and manage their customer service
operations effectively.

 Think of the Service Model Foundation as a blueprint that enables businesses to define who interacts with
whom and what data or tasks they can access.

 It’s not a physical structure but a conceptual tool that helps businesses manage relationships, data access, and
responsibilities systematically.

Why it’s important:

 Without a framework, managing customer service for a large business can become chaotic, with unclear roles,
responsibilities, or data visibility. The framework ensures order and scalability.

Explanation of Key Concepts:

1. Service Organization Structure:

o This refers to the arrangement of the internal and external parts of a business that interact with
customers.

o For example:

 Internal Locations: Offices, service centers, or teams within the organization.

 External Locations: Customer sites, retail locations, or partner offices.

2. Install Base Model:

o A part of the Service Model Foundation that tracks the products or services a customer owns, uses, or
subscribes to.

o For instance, if you're a telecom company, the install base might include a list of routers, modems, or
subscriptions that belong to a customer.

3. Flexibility and Security:

o Flexibility: Allows businesses to create models that reflect their unique needs, such as specific roles for
agents or custom relationships between customers and service locations.

o Security: Ensures that only authorized users (e.g., service agents or managers) can access or modify
certain data.

How It Works:

1. Modeling the Service Organization:

 You can create a hierarchical structure of business locations, including:

o Internal locations (headquarters, regional offices).

 Assign agents to specific locations, giving them access to the cases and customer data relevant to their assigned
location.

2. Assigning Agents:

 Agents are assigned to business locations, enabling them to:

o Handle customer cases associated with those locations.

o Access customer information within their location's hierarchy (e.g., region, branch).

3. Defining Relationships Between Entities:

 Agent-Customer Relationship: Assign agents to specific customers or groups of customers. This lets agents:

o Manage cases for those customers.

o Access the customers' data, such as their purchase history or cases.

 Consumer-Consumer Relationship: Define how consumers are connected, such as:

o Members of the same household.

o An "Authorized Representative" (e.g., one family member managing accounts on behalf of others).

Practical Example:

Telecom Company:

1. Internal and External Locations:

o Internal: Corporate office, regional service hubs.

o External: Customer households, retail stores.

2. Agent Assignments:

o Assign specific agents to regional service hubs. These agents can only see cases related to customers in
their region.

3. Customer Relationships:

o Link a household as a "unit" with individual family members listed as consumers.

o Establish one family member as the "Authorized Representative" who can:

 Manage the family's subscriptions.

 Raise and track cases on behalf of other members.

4. Install Base Model:

o Track all the routers, modems, or subscriptions tied to the household.

Why Create Relationships Between Agents and Customers or Consumers?

Relationships are created to define responsibilities and access to data in a way that is clear, manageable, and aligned
with business rules.

Agent-Customer Relationship:

 What it means: Assigns a specific agent to a customer or group of customers, specifying what the agent can do
for them.
  Why it’s needed:

o Ensures that customers get dedicated support from someone familiar with their issues or needs.

o For example:

 A customer has an assigned Account Manager who knows their account history, past issues, and
preferences.

 This enables personalized support.

Consumer-Consumer Relationship:

 What it means: Defines connections between consumers, such as:

o Household members: Family members in a shared account.

o Authorized Representative: A person authorized to act on behalf of another consumer.

 Why it’s needed:

o It ensures proper handling of cases or data when multiple people are involved in the same account or
product/service.

o For example:

 A parent (Authorized Representative) raises a case for their child’s internet connection.

Why Relationships Matter:

1. Organized Service Delivery:

o By defining who is responsible for what (agent-customer or consumer-consumer), businesses avoid

2. Data Security and Access Control:

o Relationships ensure that only authorized individuals can access or manage specific data, reducing errors
and ensuring privacy.

3. Efficiency and Personalization:

o When relationships are defined, agents can provide tailored and proactive support because they have
visibility into relevant customer data.

Real-World Example:

Imagine a bank:

 Internal Location: The bank’s headquarters or branch office.

 External Location: A customer’s home address or business location.

 Agent-Customer Relationship:

o An Account Manager is assigned to handle a corporate client’s banking needs, such as loan applications,
queries, or complaints.

 Consumer-Consumer Relationship:

o A parent authorizes their child to manage a joint account on their behalf.

Purpose:
This structure ensures that the bank delivers efficient, secure, and personalized service to its customers while
maintaining clear responsibilities for its staff.
Key Relationship Types & Responsibilities

1. Internal User to Account (Account Manager Responsibility)

o Who’s involved? An internal user (like an agent) and an account (typically a business or corporate
client).

o Purpose:

 To assign an agent who can manage the account’s cases and data.

 Example: A corporate client needs help with multiple issues like billing, service upgrades, or
support. An Account Manager is responsible for all aspects of their account.

2. Internal User to Consumer or Household (Relationship Manager Responsibility)

o Who’s involved? An internal user and either a single consumer or an entire household.

o Purpose:

 To provide personalized services to individual customers or households.

 For a consumer:

 The agent manages their cases, tracks their service history, and provides support.

 For a household:

 The agent also handles cases for the household, manages relationships between its
members, and updates their shared information.

3. Consumer to Consumer Relationship (Authorized Representative Responsibility)

o Who’s involved? Two consumers (can be from the same or different households).

o Purpose:

 To allow one consumer to act on behalf of another.

 Example: In a family, one member may act as the Authorized Representative for another to
raise cases or view service data on their behalf.

4. Household Member Relationship (Authorized Representative Responsibility)

o Who’s involved? Consumers who are members of the same household.

o Purpose:

 To enable interaction and case management between household members.

 Example: One household member manages all cases related to shared services (e.g., internet or
utilities).

Why Relationships Matter

1. Streamlined Case Management:

o Assigning clear responsibilities ensures efficient handling of customer needs.

o Example: An Account Manager for a business ensures no case falls through the cracks.

2. Improved Personalization:

o Relationships allow agents to provide tailored solutions based on the customer's unique profile, history,
or structure (individual or household).
 3. Flexibility & Delegation:

o Consumers can delegate case management to other members (e.g., family members or authorized
representatives), reducing the need for direct involvement.

4. Access Control:

o Relationships ensure that only authorized individuals (agents or consumers) can access specific data or
perform actions.

Install base item

An install base item refers to a tangible or intangible asset or product owned by a customer that is registered and
tracked by the organization providing support or service. These items typically represent equipment, software, or
services sold to the customer, and their details are stored in a system like the CMDB (Configuration Management
Database).

Characteristics of Install Base Items:

1. Customer Ownership:

o These items are owned or used by the customer and are linked to their account or household.

2. Tracking and Management:

o Install base items are tracked for purposes like warranty, support, maintenance, or upgrades.

3. Examples:

o A home broadband router provided by an ISP.

o A subscription to a cloud service platform.

o Physical assets like vehicles, appliances, or medical devices.

o Software licenses or installed applications.

4. Attributes Stored:

o Serial number, model, purchase date, warranty period, and current status (active, decommissioned,
etc.).

Relevance of Install Base Items in Household-Member Relationships:

 When a household-member relationship is created, it ensures access control for these install base items.

 Only authorized household members can view, edit, or update details related to the household’s install base
items.

Use Case Example:

Imagine a household using a smart home system:

 The system includes a thermostat, security cameras, and smart locks (install base items).

 The primary consumer (parent) creates a relationship with another household member (child) as an authorized
representative.

 The child can now:

o Manage the thermostat settings.

o Receive notifications from security cameras.

Without the household-member relationship, the child would not have access to these devices' settings or related
service cases.

Why Install Base Items Matter:

1. Improved Service Delivery:

o Organizations can quickly resolve issues by knowing exactly what products or services the customer
uses.

2. Personalized Customer Support:

o Agents can tailor solutions based on the specific install base items associated with the customer or
household.

3. Enhanced Security and Access Control:

o By linking install base items to household-member relationships, access is restricted to authorized