The ServiceNow® Workforce Optimization for ITSM application enables you to manage and maintain the productivity of your workforce from a single location. Workforce Optimization for ITSM was enhanced and updated in the Vancouver release.

Workforce Optimization for ITSM highlights for the Vancouver release

  • Control user access to event types like training or meetings based on defined conditions.
  • Enable users to test their knowledge after they complete a course.
  • Assign work to the right team members by using rules to display matching team members in Work scheduler.
  • Provide a means for people in your organization to express appreciation of team and individual achievements through Applaud.

See Workforce Optimization for ITSM for more information.

Important: Workforce Optimization for ITSM is available in the ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes.

New in the Vancouver release

Celebrate your teams' wins using Applaud
  • As an admin, you can configure occasions and notifications for agents and managers.
  • As a manager, you can recognize your team, get notified when your team is recognized, and analyze recognition feeds.
  • As an agent, you can recognize your peers, get notified when you're recognized, and analyze your recognition feeds.
Creating matching rules for efficient work item assignments
As an admin, create matching rules to enable more efficient assignment of work items by identifying those agents who are appropriate for the assignment.
Using filters to narrow down the display of team members
As a manager, in Work scheduler, you can narrow down the display of team members by your team's assignment group, skills, location, schedule plan, or shift plan.​
Including or excluding user criteria for event types
As an admin, control user access for event types such as meetings or training so users can manage the event types relevant only to them.
Verifying user access for your groups or team members
As a manager, verify the access of your group or team members to create, read, write, or delete events.
Customizing which users and groups need access to Workforce Optimization for ITSM
As an admin, you can do the following:
  • Provide access to specific groups in the Workforce Optimization for ITSM manager workspace so that they can access only the assignment groups relevant for the logged-in user.
  • Customize the logic for including access to specific groups in the Workforce Optimization for ITSM manager workspace by using extension points.
Adding a quiz as a course item to a learning path
  • As a manager, add a quiz to a learning path to assess user understanding and assign the path to your team members.
  • As an agent, you can enroll in a learning path that includes a quiz to test your knowledge.
Creating, editing, or deleting an event of the custom event type
As a manager, you can create events of a custom event type. You can also edit the event to make changes or remove from your calendar.
Configuring the properties to add event attendees
As an admin, you can configure the attendeesFieldForAgent properties for any event category to enable agents to add attendees to the event. By default, agents can add attendees to the meeting and training event types.
Editing or deleting events
As an agent or team member, you can add, edit, or delete meeting or training event types that you created. If you are the logged-in user and the event has been assigned to you, you can also add, edit, or delete work event types.
Removing groups in a schedule
As a manager, when you delete one or more groups in a schedule plan, all agents who are part of the deleted groups are removed from the shifts in the schedule.
Deleting an event for a team member deletes it for all participants in that event
As a manager, when you delete an event for a team member in the team calendar, the event is deleted for other participants in the event.

UI changes

Label change in Work Scheduler
In the Work scheduler user interface, the Show recommendation only label has been renamed Show suggestion only.

Removed in this release

The following fields have been removed from the Event Types form:
  • Manager Access
  • Allow Agent Create
  • Allow Agent Edit
  • Allow Agent Delete
Access control for event types is now performed by using User Criteria. If you upgrade to Vancouver, the existing access settings are preserved.

Activation information

Install the Workforce Optimization for ITSM (sn_wfo_cfg_itsm) by requesting it from the ServiceNow Store. For details, see Activate Workforce Optimization for ITSM. Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

Related ServiceNow applications and features

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Use ServiceNow® Advanced Work Assignment to assign work items automatically to your agents by their availability, capacity, and skills.
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Learning Posts
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Performance Analytics
Use ServiceNow® Performance Analytics to create reports on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor and analyze metrics.
Predictive Intelligence
Use ServiceNow® Predictive Intelligence to recommend the skills for agents that are based on the work that they’ve completed.
Process Mining
Analyze business processes and optimize them quickly.
Service Operations Workspace for ITSM
Improve your ITSM agent experience and manage your IT fulfillment volume more efficiently by using Service Operations Workspace. Manage your schedule and complete training by using Workforce Optimization for ITSM in the Service Operations Workspace.
Skills Management
Assess the skills that your organization needs, identify gaps, and plan for the hiring and training of your teams.
Surveys
Create, send, and collect responses for basic surveys. If installed, you can also use the Survey widget to set up a survey within the Service Portal.