2.3.9. Notifications

💡 First Principle: Providing timely and relevant information to the right stakeholders ensures that users are kept informed, critical events are acted upon, and workflows progress efficiently, facilitating collaboration and accountability.

Scenario: An end-user submits an incident, and they need to be automatically notified when its status changes to "Resolved." An IT manager needs an alert if a high-priority incident remains unassigned for more than 15 minutes.

Notifications are essential for effective communication within ServiceNow, keeping users informed about events relevant to them. The fundamental 'why' of robust notification configuration is to ensure that critical information reaches the appropriate recipients at the right time and in the right format, minimizing delays, improving response times, and enhancing collaboration. Without timely notifications, critical tasks might be overlooked, and users might be unaware of updates to their requests.

Key concepts for Notifications in ServiceNow:

• Notifications Engine: The core system that processes events and triggers notifications.
• Email Notifications: The most common type, sending emails based on specific events or conditions.
• SMS Notifications: For critical alerts requiring immediate attention.
• Push Notifications: To ServiceNow mobile apps.
• Notification Definition: Configured via System Notification > Notifications (or Email > Notifications).
  • Table: Specifies the table for which the notification applies (e.g., Incident, Change Request).
  • Trigger: Defines when the notification is sent (e.g., "Record inserted or updated," "Event is fired").
  • Who will receive: Defines the recipients (e.g., Caller, Assigned To, Specific Users/Groups, Subscribed Users).
  • What it will contain: Defines the subject line and body of the message, often using variables (${variable_name}) to pull dynamic information from the record.
  • When to send: Conditions under which the notification should be sent (e.g., "State changes to Resolved").
• Events: A fundamental concept for notifications and automation. An event is a record in the Event Log table (sysevent) indicating that something notable has happened. Notifications can be triggered by events.
  • Event Registry: Events must be registered in the Event Registry before they can be used.
  • Event Generation: Events are typically generated by Business Rules (server-side scripts) using gs.eventQueue().
• Email Templates: Pre-defined layouts and content for emails, ensuring consistent branding and messaging.
• Subscription-based Notifications: Users can subscribe to notifications for specific topics or records, allowing them to control what alerts they receive.

As an administrator, you'll configure and manage notifications to support various business processes, from informing an incident caller about a resolution to alerting a change approver. Careful configuration prevents "notification fatigue" while ensuring critical information is delivered effectively.

💡 Tip: Be mindful of "notification fatigue." Only send notifications that are truly necessary and actionable. Use dynamic content (${variable_name}) to make notifications personal and relevant. Always test notifications in a sub-production instance before deploying to production.

⚠️ Common Pitfall: Over-notifying users. Sending too many irrelevant notifications leads to "notification fatigue," where users start ignoring all alerts, including critical ones.

Key Trade-Offs:

• Information Timeliness vs. Notification Fatigue: Sending immediate notifications ensures timeliness but can overwhelm users. Balancing urgency with relevance is key.

Reflection Question: How do well-configured notifications contribute to both improved user experience and more efficient operational workflows in ServiceNow?