ServiceNow ITSM Lab:

Working Tickets

I set up a Personal Developer Instance with ITSM enabled and used demo data to practice realistic ticket handling. My goal: become fluent in addressing, updating, escalating, and closing tickets while leveraging the Knowledge Base (KB).

Addressing New Tickets (Intake & Triage)

  • Open Incident → Create New or pick from the unassigned queue.
  • Capture core fields: Caller, Short description, Description, evidence (attachments), Category/Subcategory, and Service/CI.
  • Set Impact and Urgency to establish Priority consistently.
  • Assign to the correct Assignment group and Assigned to (or claim it); add stakeholders to Watch list.
  • Use a template for frequent issues to prefill fields and reduce handle time.
ServiceNow incidents list view

Using Knowledge Base While Troubleshooting

I make KB search a default step during triage and diagnosis to drive First Contact Resolution and consistency.

  1. Search KB from the incident (related search or global): filter by product/service and keywords.
  2. Attach or link the relevant article to the incident so others see the path taken.
  3. If a workaround exists, apply it, note it in Additional comments for the caller, and in Work notes for internal context.
  4. If no article fits, create one from the incident using the KCS-style template (Symptoms, Environment, Cause, Resolution, Validation) and submit to the correct knowledge base for review/publish.
  5. For repeat or widespread issues, propose/relate a Problem and attach the KB as the known error or workaround reference.
KB search on incident form

Communicating Clearly (Work Notes vs. Additional Comments)

  • Work notes: internal-only updates for technicians (diagnostics, hypotheses, handoffs).
  • Additional comments: customer-visible updates (acknowledgements, next steps, ETAs, workaround instructions).
  • Use concise, timestamped updates so the ticket tells a complete story; @mention teammates if collaboration is needed.
  • Notify the requester on key state changes and when input is required to avoid stalls.

Escalation When Needed

Functional Escalation

  • Reassign to a specialized Assignment group (e.g., Network, Messaging) when scope requires deeper expertise.
  • Include a brief handoff summary in Work notes and keep the requester informed in Additional comments.

Hierarchical Escalation

  • Notify team leads/managers for blockers, high business impact, or risk of SLA breach.
  • For widespread outages, initiate/relate to a Major Incident and link child incidents for communications at scale.

Relating Tickets for Context

  • Child Incidents: link duplicates to a parent for centralized updates.
  • Problem Records: create from incident when root-cause analysis is warranted; relate incidents and associated KB articles.
  • Tasks: create follow-up tasks when work spans multiple teams but the incident remains the parent record of truth.

Resolving & Closing Tickets

  1. Document the Resolution information clearly: steps taken, root cause (if known), and validation performed.
  2. Select an appropriate Close code (e.g., solved permanently vs. workaround) and provide concise Close notes.
  3. Confirm with the requester (when policy requires) and move the ticket to Resolved; it auto-closes after the verification window, or close immediately if confirmation is received.
  4. If the issue returns, reopen with context and link to the prior ticket for continuity.
  5. When the fix is reusable, publish or update a KB article so the next engineer (or the customer portal) can solve it faster.

Working Request Tickets (RITMs)

  • Approve or follow up on pending approvals; keep requesters informed about status and requirements.
  • Complete fulfillment tasks in order; escalate to owning groups when outside access or specialized action is needed.
  • Provide customer-facing updates in Additional comments and close the RITM once all tasks are completed and the requester confirms delivery.

What This Demonstrates

  • Comfort operating the core ticketing flow: intake, triage, update, escalate, resolve, and close.
  • Consistent use of Knowledge: search, apply, link, and publish articles to improve first-contact resolution.
  • Professional communication: clear internal work notes and customer-facing updates that set expectations.
  • Sound judgment on when to escalate and how to relate tickets (child, Problem, Major Incident) for visibility.

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