4.3.4. Sample Questions - Domain 4: Self Service & Automation

Scenario: You are presented with questions related to empowering users with self-service options and automating routine processes.

Question 1:

A company wants to enable employees to find answers to common HR-related questions (e.g., "How do I update my address?") without contacting the HR department directly. Which ServiceNow application should the administrator primarily configure to support this self-service capability?

A) Incident Management. B) Service Catalog. C) Knowledge Management. D) Change Management.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

• A) Incident Management: Incident Management is for restoring normal service operations after a disruption, not for providing self-service information.
• B) Service Catalog: The Service Catalog is for requesting services or items, not primarily for finding answers to common questions (though it links to knowledge).
• C) Knowledge Management: Knowledge Management is specifically designed for creating, publishing, and managing knowledge articles that provide solutions, FAQs, and informational content. It is the core application for enabling users to find answers independently ("deflection").
• D) Change Management: Change Management is for controlling the lifecycle of changes to services and infrastructure, not for self-service information retrieval.

Question 2:

A new onboarding process requires an automated workflow to provision access to several applications for new employees. This process involves multiple approval steps and creates various tasks for different IT teams. Which ServiceNow feature is the most appropriate low-code tool to design and orchestrate this complex, multi-step automation?

A) Business Rule. B) Client Script. C) Flow Designer. D) UI Policy.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

• A) Business Rule: Business Rules are for server-side logic on single record operations and not designed to orchestrate complex, multi-step workflows involving approvals and multiple tasks across different teams.
• B) Client Script: Client Scripts run on the client-side and manipulate form behavior; they cannot orchestrate server-side multi-step workflows.
• C) Flow Designer: Flow Designer is ServiceNow's modern, low-code/no-code graphical tool specifically designed to automate complex, multi-step business processes. It's ideal for orchestrating approvals, creating tasks, and managing integrations across various applications.
• D) UI Policy: UI Policies are for dynamic form behavior and do not create or manage backend workflows.

Question 3:

An employee needs to request a new software license. They navigate to the Service Portal and select the "Request Software" item. What type of record is created in the ServiceNow platform immediately after the employee submits this request?

A) Incident. B) Problem. C) Request (sc_request). D) Catalog Task (sc_task).

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

• A) Incident: An Incident is for an unplanned interruption or reduction in quality of a service. A software request is a planned request, not an incident.
• B) Problem: A Problem is the cause of one or more incidents. This is unrelated to a software request.
• C) Request (sc_request): When a user submits a Service Catalog item, the first record created in the platform is a Request (on the sc_request table). This record acts as a container for the entire order.
• D) Catalog Task (sc_task): Catalog Tasks are created after the Request and Requested Item, as part of the fulfillment workflow, to track individual work assignments (e.g., "Procure Software," "Install Software").

Question 4:

A company wants to implement a chatbot in their Service Portal to provide immediate answers to common questions and guide users to relevant knowledge articles. Which ServiceNow feature would they configure to achieve this conversational self-service?

A) Notifications. B) Virtual Agent. C) Visual Task Boards. D) Performance Analytics.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

• A) Notifications: Notifications are for sending proactive alerts, not for providing interactive chatbot conversations.
• B) Virtual Agent: Virtual Agent is ServiceNow's conversational AI chatbot designed for exactly this purpose: providing immediate, automated support to users through natural language interactions, deflecting common inquiries, and guiding users to knowledge articles or catalog items.
• C) Visual Task Boards: VTBs are for visually managing tasks and team collaboration, not for chatbot functionality.
• D) Performance Analytics: Performance Analytics is an advanced reporting and analytics application, unrelated to conversational interfaces.

Question 5:

An administrator is creating a new catalog item for "New Employee Onboarding." This request typically involves ordering a laptop, setting up software, and granting network access. To simplify the ordering process for the hiring manager, all these items should be part of a single request form. Which type of catalog item should be used?

A) Standard Catalog Item. B) Record Producer. C) Order Guide. D) Content Item.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

• A) Standard Catalog Item: A standard catalog item is for requesting a single service or item. It doesn't combine multiple items into one request form.
• B) Record Producer: A record producer creates a record in a non-catalog table (like Incident) but is also typically for a single type of record, not bundling multiple requests.
• C) Order Guide: An Order Guide is a specific type of catalog item that allows users to order multiple, related catalog items simultaneously from a single request form. It's designed to streamline complex requests that involve multiple fulfillments, such as onboarding.
• D) Content Item: A Content Item is for displaying static information in the catalog, not for ordering services.