Sidebar Summarization

Overview

This skill generates concise sidebar summaries for customer service agents working in Agent Workspace. When an agent opens or is assigned a case, the sidebar summary provides instant context without requiring the agent to read through the entire case history. It covers:

• Generating a compact case overview with priority, status, and age
• Pulling customer history including past cases, interactions, and satisfaction scores
• Summarizing the consumer profile and account tier for entitlement context
• Identifying related or similar cases that may indicate a broader issue
• Recommending next-best actions based on case category and resolution patterns
• Highlighting SLA status and any escalation risks

When to use: When agents need rapid context upon accepting a case, during live chat or phone interactions, or when reviewing a queue of assigned cases.

Value proposition: Reduces average handle time by providing agents with pre-assembled case context, customer history, and actionable recommendations in a scannable sidebar format. Eliminates the need to manually navigate between multiple records to build context.

Prerequisites

• Plugins: Customer Service Management (com.sn_customerservice) must be active
• Roles: sn_customerservice_agent, sn_customerservice_manager, or csm_admin
• Access: Read access to sn_customerservice_case, interaction, csm_consumer, customer_account, customer_contact, sys_journal_field, and kb_knowledge tables
• Knowledge: Familiarity with Agent Workspace sidebar components and CSM case lifecycle

Procedure

Step 1: Retrieve the Active Case Details

Fetch the case currently open in the agent's workspace.

Using MCP (Claude Code/Desktop):

Tool: SN-Get-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sn_customerservice_case
  sys_id: [case_sys_id]
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,description,state,priority,urgency,impact,category,subcategory,contact,account,consumer,product,asset,assigned_to,assignment_group,opened_at,sla_due,escalation,contact_type,resolution_code

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/sn_customerservice_case/{case_sys_id}?sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,description,state,priority,urgency,impact,category,subcategory,contact,account,consumer,product,asset,assigned_to,assignment_group,opened_at,sla_due,escalation,contact_type,resolution_code&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 2: Retrieve Consumer Profile

Fetch the consumer record to understand the customer's profile and history summary.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: csm_consumer
  query: sys_id=[consumer_sys_id]
  fields: sys_id,name,email,phone,location,account,customer_tier,notes,preferred_language,time_zone
  limit: 1

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/csm_consumer/{consumer_sys_id}?sysparm_fields=sys_id,name,email,phone,location,account,customer_tier,notes,preferred_language,time_zone&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 3: Pull Customer Account Context

Retrieve account-level details for entitlement and priority context.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: customer_account
  query: sys_id=[account_sys_id]
  fields: sys_id,name,number,customer_tier,industry,notes,phone,street,city,state,country,account_code
  limit: 1

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/customer_account/{account_sys_id}?sysparm_fields=sys_id,name,number,customer_tier,industry,notes,phone,account_code&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 4: Retrieve Customer Case History

Query recent cases for the same consumer or account to identify patterns.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sn_customerservice_case
  query: consumer=[consumer_sys_id]^sys_id!=[current_case_sys_id]^ORDERBYDESCopened_at
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,state,priority,category,opened_at,closed_at,resolution_code
  limit: 10

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/sn_customerservice_case?sysparm_query=consumer=[consumer_sys_id]^sys_id!=[current_case_sys_id]^ORDERBYDESCopened_at&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,state,priority,category,opened_at,closed_at,resolution_code&sysparm_limit=10&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 5: Retrieve Recent Interactions

Pull the latest interactions for the case and the consumer.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: interaction
  query: parent=[case_sys_id]^ORDERBYDESCopened_at
  fields: sys_id,number,type,channel,state,opened_at,closed_at,short_description,assigned_to,direction
  limit: 5

For consumer-level interaction history:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: interaction
  query: opened_for=[consumer_sys_id]^ORDERBYDESCopened_at
  fields: sys_id,number,channel,state,opened_at,short_description
  limit: 10

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/interaction?sysparm_query=parent=[case_sys_id]^ORDERBYDESCopened_at&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,type,channel,state,opened_at,closed_at,short_description,assigned_to,direction&sysparm_limit=5&sysparm_display_value=true

GET /api/now/table/interaction?sysparm_query=opened_for=[consumer_sys_id]^ORDERBYDESCopened_at&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,channel,state,opened_at,short_description&sysparm_limit=10&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 6: Check for Related Knowledge Articles

Search for knowledge articles matching the case category and product.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  query: workflow_state=published^123TEXTQUERY321=[case_short_description]
  table_name: kb_knowledge
  limit: 5

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/kb_knowledge?sysparm_query=topic=[case_category]^workflow_state=published^ORDERBYDESCsys_view_count&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,kb_knowledge_base,sys_view_count,rating&sysparm_limit=5&sysparm_display_value=true

Step 7: Retrieve Latest Work Notes

Pull the most recent work notes for quick context on current progress.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_journal_field
  query: element_id=[case_sys_id]^element=work_notes^ORDERBYDESCsys_created_on
  fields: sys_id,value,sys_created_on,sys_created_by
  limit: 5

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/sys_journal_field?sysparm_query=element_id=[case_sys_id]^element=work_notes^ORDERBYDESCsys_created_on&sysparm_fields=sys_id,value,sys_created_on,sys_created_by&sysparm_limit=5

Step 8: Assemble the Sidebar Summary

Compile all gathered data into a compact sidebar format:

=== SIDEBAR SUMMARY ===
CASE: CS0012345 | P2 | In Progress
Issue: Unable to process returns through online portal
Age: 4 days | SLA Due: Mar 21 14:00 (On Track)
Channel: Phone | Escalation: Normal

CUSTOMER SNAPSHOT:
Name: Jane Smith | Account: Acme Corp (Gold Tier)
Preferred Language: English | Timezone: US/Eastern
Contact: jane.smith@acme.com | +1-555-0123

CASE HISTORY (Last 90 days):
- 3 total cases | 2 resolved | 1 open (this case)
- Common categories: Portal Issues (2), Billing (1)
- Avg resolution time: 3.2 days

RECENT ACTIVITY:
- Mar 18: Agent reviewed portal logs, found session timeout
- Mar 17: Customer provided browser details

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
1. Review KB0045123: "Portal Session Timeout Troubleshooting"
2. Check related defect DEF0034521 for fix status
3. Consider escalation if not resolved by Mar 20

RELATED KB ARTICLES:
- KB0045123: Portal session management (42 views)
- KB0045089: Browser compatibility guide (28 views)

Tool Usage

MCP Tools Reference

Tool	When to Use
SN-Natural-Language-Search	Natural language lookup for cases, consumers, or knowledge articles
SN-Query-Table	Structured queries across case, interaction, consumer, and KB tables
SN-Get-Record	Retrieve a single case or consumer record by sys_id

REST API Reference

Endpoint	Method	Purpose
/api/now/table/sn_customerservice_case	GET	Query case records
/api/now/table/interaction	GET	Retrieve case and consumer interactions
/api/now/table/csm_consumer	GET	Consumer profile details
/api/now/table/customer_account	GET	Account tier and entitlement info
/api/now/table/customer_contact	GET	Contact preferences and details
/api/now/table/sys_journal_field	GET	Work notes and comments
/api/now/table/kb_knowledge	GET	Knowledge article recommendations

Best Practices

• Keep summaries concise: Sidebar space is limited; aim for scannable bullet points rather than paragraphs
• Prioritize actionable information: Lead with status, SLA risk, and recommended next steps
• Show customer sentiment: If sentiment analysis data is available, include the latest sentiment score
• Highlight repeat contacts: Flag if the customer has contacted support multiple times for the same issue
• Include entitlement context: Account tier affects SLA targets and available support channels
• Refresh on case update: Sidebar summaries should be regenerated when significant case changes occur
• Respect privacy: Only display customer PII appropriate for the agent's role and jurisdiction
• Calculate case age dynamically: Display age in human-readable format (hours, days) relative to current time

Troubleshooting

"Consumer record not found"

Cause: The case may not have a consumer linked, or the consumer was created as an anonymous contact. Solution: Fall back to the contact field on the case. Query customer_contact instead of csm_consumer using the contact sys_id.

"No case history available"

Cause: This may be the customer's first case, or historical cases are archived. Solution: Expand the search to account-level cases using account=[account_sys_id] instead of filtering by consumer.

"Knowledge articles not relevant"

Cause: The category-based search may return generic articles. Solution: Use SN-Natural-Language-Search with the case short_description for semantic matching. Combine category and product filters for more targeted results.

"SLA information missing"

Cause: SLA definitions may not be configured for the case type or priority. Solution: Query task_sla with task=[case_sys_id] to check if SLAs are attached. Consult CSM admin if SLAs are tracked externally.

"Interaction records return empty"

Cause: Interactions may be stored with a different parent reference or the channel integration may not create interaction records. Solution: Check if interactions use document instead of parent as the reference field. Also query sys_journal_field for comments that may capture interaction history.

Examples

Example 1: Live Chat Sidebar Context

Scenario: Agent accepts an incoming chat and needs instant context.

Step 1 - Get case from interaction:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: interaction
  query: sys_id=[interaction_sys_id]
  fields: parent,opened_for,channel
  limit: 1

Step 2 - Build sidebar from parent case:

Tool: SN-Get-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sn_customerservice_case
  sys_id: [parent_sys_id]
  fields: number,short_description,state,priority,consumer,account,category,opened_at,sla_due

Output:

LIVE CHAT CONTEXT
Case: CS0078901 | P3 | New
Issue: Billing discrepancy on March invoice
Customer: Robert Chen | TechStart Inc (Silver)
Previous cases: 1 (resolved - similar billing issue in Jan)
Suggested KB: KB0067890 - Invoice reconciliation guide

Example 2: Queue Review Sidebar Summaries

Scenario: Agent reviewing their assigned case queue needs summaries for each case.

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sn_customerservice_case
  query: assigned_to=[agent_sys_id]^stateIN1,2,10^ORDERBYpriority
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,state,priority,consumer,account,category,opened_at,sla_due,escalation
  limit: 20

Output:

QUEUE SUMMARY (5 cases assigned)

1. CS0078901 | P1 | SLA: 2hrs remaining | Acme Corp (Gold)
   Production outage - API gateway errors
   ACTION: Immediate attention required

2. CS0078905 | P2 | SLA: On Track | Globex (Silver)
   Password reset failing for SSO users
   ACTION: Check KB0045200, likely config issue

3. CS0078910 | P3 | SLA: On Track | Initech (Bronze)
   Feature request - export to CSV
   ACTION: Route to product team for evaluation

Example 3: Escalated Case Sidebar

Scenario: A P1 escalated case requires executive-level summary with full customer context.

Tool: SN-Get-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sn_customerservice_case
  sys_id: [case_sys_id]
  fields: number,short_description,state,priority,escalation,consumer,account,category,opened_at,sla_due,assigned_to,assignment_group

Output:

ESCALATED CASE SUMMARY
Case: CS0099001 | P1 CRITICAL | Escalated
Issue: Complete service outage affecting all users
Account: MegaCorp Industries (Platinum Tier)
Age: 6 hours | SLA: BREACHED (4hr target)
Escalation Level: 2 | Assigned: Sr. Engineer Team
Customer Impact: 500+ users affected
Previous escalations: 0 in last 12 months
EXEC ALERT: Platinum account - VP notification required

Related Skills

• csm/case-summarization - Full case summarization with complete timeline
• csm/sentiment-analysis - Customer sentiment analysis across communications
• csm/chat-recommendation - Generate chat response recommendations
• csm/suggested-steps - AI-generated resolution step recommendations
• csm/trending-topics - Trending topic analysis across case portfolio
• knowledge/content-recommendation - Knowledge article recommendations