Servicenow: It Staff User Guide
Servicenow: It Staff User Guide
Servicenow: It Staff User Guide
Table of Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................2
Logging In ..........................................................................................................................................2
User Interface Overview.....................................................................................................................2
Banner Pane ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Edge Toolbar........................................................................................................................................... 3
Bookmarks ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Navigator Pane ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Content Pane .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Homepages ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Lists .................................................................................................................................................. 7
Incidents............................................................................................................................................8
Creating Incident Tickets ........................................................................................................................ 8
Using Templates............................................................................................................................. 11
Working on Incident Tickets ................................................................................................................. 12
Attaching Knowledge Base Articles to Incident Tickets ................................................................. 12
Resolving and Closing Incident Tickets ................................................................................................. 13
Service Catalog ................................................................................................................................ 14
Requesting Service Catalog Items ........................................................................................................ 15
Approving or Rejecting Service Catalog Requests ................................................................................ 17
Closing Service Catalog Tasks ............................................................................................................... 18
Delegating Approvals and Tasks to Another User ................................................................................ 19
Self-Service ...................................................................................................................................... 20
Searching the Knowledge Bases ........................................................................................................... 21
Getting Help .................................................................................................................................... 21
Logging Out ..................................................................................................................................... 22
Logging In
You can log in to ServiceNow from any device with an internet connection using your myCSULA Identity
account.
To log in to ServiceNow:
1. Launch a web browser and visit the ServiceNow login page (see Figure 1).
2. Enter your myCSULA Identity username and password in the corresponding fields, and then click
the Login button.
NOTE: You can quickly navigate to the ServiceNow login page from any page within the
Information Technology Services website by clicking Quick Links on the horizontal menu, and
then clicking ServiceNow (see Figure 2).
Banner Pane
The Banner pane is located at the top of the user interface and contains the following global navigation
controls and tools (see Figure 4).
1. The Welcome message shows your name and provides a link to your profile.
2. The Global Search box can be used to search for text in the entire system.
3. The Collapse/Expand Banner icon changes the amount of space the Banner pane occupies.
4. The Settings icon displays the Settings menu which allows you to set your preferences.
5. The Logout button logs you out of the system and returns to the login page.
Edge Toolbar
The Edge toolbar is located on the left side of the user interface and provides quick access to commonly
used features and pages (see Figure 5). By default, the toolbar includes the following five buttons.
1. The Toggle Navigator button shows or hides the Navigator pane.
2. The List and Form View button splits the Content pane into two panes, a List pane and a Form
pane.
3. The Tagged Documents button displays the Tagged Documents page.
4. The All Bookmarks button provides a list of all bookmarks on the Edge toolbar.
5. The Home button displays the last visited homepage in the Content pane.
Bookmarks
You can add bookmarks to the Edge toolbar to items that you use frequently. Each bookmark includes
an image and a title, both of which can be customized. You can create bookmarks from any of the
following links: modules in the Navigator pane, breadcrumbs, links in lists, and reports. You can also edit
and delete bookmarks.
To create a bookmark:
1. Drag a link to the Edge toolbar. The new bookmark appears on the toolbar (see Figure 6).
2. In the Bookmark Settings dialog box, do one of the following (see Figure 8):
To delete the bookmark, click the Delete button.
To edit the bookmark, make the desired changes, and then click the Update button.
NOTE: It is recommended to change the bookmark title to something more meaningful so
that you can easily identify it.
Navigator Pane
The Navigator pane is located on the right side of the Edge toolbar (see Figure 9). It provides access to
all available applications and modules, enabling you to quickly find information, report issues, and
request services.
1. An application is a group of modules that provide related information and functionality. Each
application appears as a section in the Navigator pane, denoted by an application label. You can
collapse or expand an application by clicking its label.
2. All modules that an application contains are listed below the application label. Clicking a module
opens it in the Content pane.
3. Each module has a Star icon to the left of its name that can be selected or deselected. You can
mark a frequently used module as a favorite by clicking its Star icon. Clicking the Favorites icon
at the top of the Navigator pane toggles between showing only the favorite modules and
showing all modules.
4. You can use the Filter box at the top of the Navigator pane to quickly find an application or a
module. As you enter text, the pane shows only matching applications and modules.
Content Pane
The Content pane is located on the right side of the Navigator pane and is the main area of the user
interface (see Figure 10). It displays lists, forms, homepages, or reports.
Homepages
Homepages give a quick overview of the processes you are involved in. They are comprised of widgets
which are sections of content that provide information and links. Homepages include the following
elements (see Figure 10).
1. The title of the homepage appears at the top of the Content pane.
2. Any widget that has been added to the homepage appears below the title.
You can customize a list in a widget (e.g., add or remove columns) by clicking the Settings
icon on the left side of the column headings, selecting the desired options in the
Personalize List Columns dialog box, and then clicking the OK button.
You can move a widget by hovering over its title bar until the mouse pointer changes to a
four-headed arrow , and then dragging the widget to the desired location on the
homepage.
You can remove a widget by hovering over it, and then clicking the Close icon that
appears on the right side of its title bar.
3. The Add content icon in the upper-left corner of the homepage is used to add new widgets
to the page.
4. The Refresh icon on the right side of the homepage title is used to refresh the page. You
can also use the drop-down list next to the icon to specify a refresh time of 5, 15, 30, or 60
minutes. The default is Off (no refresh).
5. The Switch to page drop-down list in the upper-right corner of the homepage is used to switch
to another homepage.
You can create a custom homepage to suit your needs. When you start customizing the ITIL Homepage,
the system automatically creates a new homepage with the word My in front of the title (e.g., My ITIL
Homepage), indicating that it is your personal homepage. If you no longer need a custom homepage,
you can delete it by clicking the Delete page link in the lower-right corner of the page.
Lists
In ServiceNow, data is organized into lists of records (see Figure 11). You can search, sort, filter, and
customize lists. The list interface consists of a title bar, filters and breadcrumbs, and columns of data.
1. The title bar displays the name of the list and provides access to several controls.
The Menu icon provides access to options related to viewing and filtering the list.
The New button opens a form which can be used to create a new record.
The Go to or Search box can be used to find information in the current list.
2. Filters and breadcrumbs can be used to display only the records that you need.
A filter restricts what records appear in a list by providing a set of conditions each record
must meet to be included in the list. You can apply a filter by clicking the Filter icon to
open the condition builder, selecting the desired options, and then clicking the Run button.
Breadcrumbs offer a quick form of filter navigation. The left condition is the most general
and the right condition is the most specific. Clicking a breadcrumb removes all the
conditions to its right. Clicking the condition separator (>) before a condition removes only
that condition.
3. Column headings appear at the top of each column and provide access to several list controls.
You can quickly find information in a list by sorting the list. Clicking a column heading sorts
the list in ascending order; clicking it again sorts the list in descending order. The current
sort order is indicated by an arrow next to the column heading. A downward pointing arrow
indicates that the column is sorted in descending order.
You can customize a list by clicking the Settings icon to open the Personalize List
Columns dialog box, selecting the desired options, and then clicking the OK button.
You can search a single column by clicking the Search icon to add a Search box below
each column heading, entering the search term in the Search box of the desired column,
and then pressing the Enter key.
Incidents
An incident is any event which causes an interruption or a reduction of the quality of an IT service.
ServiceNow allows IT staff members to log an incident, classify it according to impact and urgency, and
manage it through the entire incident life cycle until the issue has been resolved.
The incident life cycle includes several states (see Table 1). As part of the process, a service level
agreement (SLA) is used to ensure that an incident is resolved within a certain amount of time. The SLA
timer starts counting when the incident ticket is created.
Using Templates
ServiceNow includes several templates to simplify the process of creating an incident ticket. Templates
automatically fill in the appropriate fields for a specific type of incident, reducing the amount of time
you spend completing a form.
NOTE: Applying a template to an existing ticket will overwrite data in certain fields. Thus, it is suggested
that you use templates to create a new incident or as a reference for existing tickets.
To use a template:
1. In the Navigator pane, under Incident, click Create New (see Figure 12). The Incident form
opens in the Content pane (see Figure 13).
2. Click the Menu icon on the left side of the forms title bar, point to Templates, point to
Apply Template, and then click the desired template (see Figure 14). The selected template
autofills one or more fields.
3. Fill in the remaining fields as applicable.
4. When finished, click the Submit button.
3. On the Closure Information tab, select the appropriate option from the Close code drop-down
list, and then enter notes on how the incident was resolved in the Close notes field (see Figure
19).
4. When finished, click the Resolve Incident button on the forms title bar (see Figure 20). The
ticket is updated and placed in the Resolved state, and an email notification is sent to the user
indicating that the issue is resolved.
Service Catalog
ServiceNow includes a Service Catalog that enables users to request IT products and services. Catalog
items are grouped into categories and subcategories to help users quickly find the items they need. Each
Service Catalog request generates an associated item and task (see Figure 21). The requested item
contains the details of the request, while the task contains the actions that need to be completed to
fulfill the request.
NOTE: Request numbers are preceded with the REQ prefix (e.g., REQ0000001). Requested item numbers
are preceded with the RITM prefix (e.g., RITM0000001). Task numbers are preceded with the TASK
prefix (e.g., TASK0000001).
2. The Service Catalog homepage opens in the Content pane (see Figure 24). In the Request for
field, enter the name of the user for whom you are requesting the item.
NOTE: By default, this field is autofilled with the logged in users name.
3. Click the desired category (e.g., Network Services), and then click the catalog item that you
want to request (e.g., Data Jack Activation).
NOTE: If the product or service that you want to request is not included in the available
categories, click the Can We Help You category on the Service Catalog homepage, and then click
Request a Service (see Figure 24).
4. The Service Catalog request form for the selected item opens in the Content pane (see Figure
25). Fill in all relevant fields.
NOTE: Fields marked with a red asterisk are required. Fields marked with a gray asterisk are
recommended, but are not required. Read-only fields have a gray background.
5. To add an attachment, click the Attachment icon on the forms title bar to open the
Attachments dialog box, select the file that you want to attach, click the Attach button, and
then click the Close button . The attachment appears at the top of the form.
6. When finished, click the Submit Request button. An email notification is sent to the user
submitting the form as well as the user who will be receiving the requested item.
2. The Approvals list opens in the Content pane. Locate the item that you want to approve, and
then click the link in the State column (see Figure 27).
2. Your profile page opens in the Content pane. On the Delegates tab, click the New button (see
Figure 31).
3. The Delegate form opens in the Content pane (see Figure 32). In the Delegate field, enter the
name of the delegate. Or, click the Lookup icon on the right side of the field and select a
user from the list.
NOTE: Fields marked with a red asterisk are required. Read-only fields are gray.
4. In the Starts and Ends fields, set the period of time for the delegation.
Self-Service
The Self-Service application is available to IT staff members as well as end-users (see Figure 33). It
enables users to report an issue, request a service, track their requests, and access the knowledge
bases.
Getting Help
ServiceNow includes a contextual help feature that can be used to get assistance on any topic or task.
To get help:
1. Click the Settings icon on the right side of the Banner pane, and then click the Help icon
at the top of the Settings menu (see Figure 35). The ServiceNow Wiki website opens in a new
tab.
2. Click any link to display the corresponding information, or use the Search box in the upper-right
corner of the page to search for a specific topic.
Logging Out
Logging out prevents others from accessing your account. When you have finished using ServiceNow,
you should log out of the system and close the web browser window.
NOTE: For security reasons, your session will time out after four hours of inactivity.