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ServiceNow - Creating Cases and Change Requests on Behalf of Customers

Note: For information on distinguishing Change Requests and Cases, please review the following KB article on the subject.  Customers are recommended to use this for reference during their orientation as well: https://support.armory.io/support?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0010266

General Recommendations​

Overall, Armory would prefer it if customers open their own support cases and especially change requests.  While the following article will provide some additional information about how we can do so if necessary, the general guidance is for customers to do so on their own.  Here are some of the reasons why it is the preference:

  • Customers will be advised to do this from the beginning, and we should follow this policy* It is not scalable for us to do this style of "white glove" treatment, and is enforcing this style of request* This can cause delays in the process while the case is being created and can cause customers to wait for the representative to open their cases for them* It introduces a level of interpretation by our own employees

Special Note about Change Requests​

Change requests as well have additional red flags associated with them, especially with regards to SOC2 compliance.  As a result, it is not recommended, and we do not have general instructions for how to do so A change request is a qualified customer request to make changes to their Armory environment.  This request can impact their

  • Service capacity* Performance* Costs* Security
  • As a result, liability now enters the picture, and a unbroken chain of authorization from the customer needs to be established* Armory employees, if they were to make a mistake in their understanding of the changes, could potential authorize a change on behalf of the customer which the customer did not agree toWhile this appears to be providing a service to the customer, it will actually introduce delays
  • Normal Process: Customer opens ticket -> Managed has the verified information for the change -> Managed implements changes* Opening CR on behalf of customer: Armory opens ticket -> Authorization and confirmation needs to be obtained with the customer and recorded in the change request** -> **Managed has the verified information for the change -> Managed implements changes
  • For further discussions on this matter, please consult with the following thread in slack discussing the implications: https://cloud-armory.slack.com/archives/CN5TLLFH6/p1633700093124300

Creating a Change Request​

It is technically possible from the admin console with the proper permissions to do so, but as advised above and in the Slack thread, the process introduces a lot of arduous checks.  This process and should only be used an exception to the rule.   Therefore, creating a change request on behalf of a customer should only be done by a ServiceNow Admin.  If it is necessary, please reach out to an admin, and they can assist.

Creating a Case ​

A case can be created on behalf of a customer in a few situations.  One would be if a customer accidentally creates a Change Request, but meant to create a Case to be investigated by Armory Support, then we can go ahead and do so.  If a particular person would like to do an exception and create a case for a customer to help them out, that would also be a rare occasion.  However, as stated above, this is not a recommended process.

From the Customer Portal​

  • Go to the ServiceNow home page and log in* In the left navigation bar, select Cases -> Create a CasePlease fill in the information in the case as follows: Account: Click on the search icon and look for the customer's company****Contact: Click on the search icon and add a customer point of contact on the caseArmory Version: Add the version of the environmentImpact: Select the customer impactWorkaround Rollback Available: Select, based on situationFeature: Click on the search icon and add the Feature the issue falls under according to the Armory Enterprise Compatibility Matrix (ECM)Affected Environment: Change to the environment type that has the issueService: Click on the search icon and add the Service the issue falls under according to the Armory Enterprise Compatibility Matrix (ECM)Customer Availability: Chose a time from the dropdown. Do not leave default valueSubject: ** Title of the caseDescription:** Provide notes according to the KB article we created that describes the investigation about the issue, relative documents, logs, and information about the case.  ****
  • Click on the Submit Button

From the ServiceNow Admin Portal​

  • Go to the ServiceNow home page and log in* Click on Home to access the backend* Look up Cases under the Armory Section of the Navigation bar. You can also just bookmark the following link to get to the cases.* Click on the New Button to create a new casePlease fill in the information in the case as follows: Assignment Group: Click on the search icon or type Armory - Technical Support****Account: Click on the search icon and look for the customer's company****Assigned to: Please leave blank (unless you are taking the case, or have an agreement with someone to take the case)Contact: Click on the search icon and add a customer point of contact on the caseFeature: Click on the search icon and add the Feature the issue falls under according to the Armory Enterprise Compatibility Matrix (ECM)Customer Availability: Chose a time from the dropdown. Do not leave default valueService: Click on the search icon and add the Service the issue falls under according to the Armory Enterprise Compatibility Matrix (ECM)Priority: Set according to our SLAsArmory Version: Add the version of the environmentWorkaround Rollback Available: Select, based on situationEnvironment: Change to the environment type that has the issueState: NewShort Description: ** Title of the caseDescription:** Provide notes according to the KB article we created that describes the investigation about the issue, relative documents, logs, and information about the case.  
  • Click on the Submit button