Sales Customer Relationship Management glossary

Learn about terms and concepts that are unique to Sales Customer Relationship Management.

Glossary terms are listed alphabetically.

Parent Topic:Sales Customer Relationship Management reference

account

A customer or organization record in ServiceNow Sales CRM.

attract

The phase where sales agents identify and engage potential customers through marketing efforts to generate interest and leads.

automated fallout records

Records created automatically when an order fulfillment workflow includes a "Create fallout action" due to issues like downstream system failures, data problems, or inventory shortages.

backorder

An item that can't be delivered immediately due to being out of stock.

business portal

Self-service web portal for B2B customers, providing integrated access to knowledge articles, community forums, service catalogs, and chat bots, enabling customers to browse products, place orders, and manage order cases.

To learn more about using the business portal, see Using the Business Portal.

campaign

A coordinated marketing effort to generate leads and promote products or services.

change order

A request to modify an existing order, such as changing quantity, product, or fulfillment details.

channel partners

External organizations like resellers or system integrators that collaborate with an enterprise to sell products and services, and can be managed through Partner Relationship Management.

characteristics and characteristic options

Characteristics define product attributes, while characteristic options are the available values for these attributes, based on customer preferences.

commit

Sales opportunities that representatives are confident will close in the current forecast period.

committed time frame

The deadline for delivering products and services to a customer, often specified in a contract.

competitor

A record capturing information about companies or products competing for the same customer deal within an opportunity.

contact

A person associated with a customer account or partner organization, serving as the primary communication point.

contract

A legal agreement between a seller and buyer outlining sale terms, including products/services, pricing, quantities, and delivery.

contract management

The process of creating, managing, and executing legal sales contracts from completed quotes.

covered products

Covered products refer to offerings that act as entitlements or contracts linked to a primary product, such as a warranty purchased with a phone.

For more information, see Add Covered Products using Contracts and Entitlement Workflow.

configurable pricing plans

Customizable plans defining the sequence of pricing calculations and adjustments to determine final product prices.

cross-sell

A sales strategy for selling related products that differ from the customer's current purchases.

customer engagement sequence (or sequence)

A playbook guiding sales agents in engaging leads across multiple channels.

customer order

Orders for products (tangible or digital) that a customer wants to purchase or change.

deal prioritization

Analyzing opportunities based on financial impact to focus on high-value deals.

discount

A price reduction for a product or service offered to customers.

disqualified lead

A lead that is no longer viable for sales engagement.

DocuSign

An external service for electronic signatures, enabling customers to sign documents digitally.

enrichment

Enhancing customer orders with additional technical data or attributes necessary for accurate processing and fulfillment.

fallout record

A record created to investigate and resolve processing issues during order fulfillment, generated automatically or manually.

forecast category

Classification of opportunities by closure certainty, with default categories including Won, Commit, Strong Upside, Upside, Pipeline, and Omitted.

For more information, see Sales Forecasting terminology.

forecast model

A framework predicting future sales.

For more information, see Sales Forecasting terminology.

forecast roll-up method (single/cumulative)

Defines opportunity aggregation into forecasts, with "Single" showing each category separately and "Cumulative" aggregating previous categories.

forecast schedule

A process generating the latest forecast data from all system opportunities.

fulfill

Completing customer orders by executing order tasks.

fulfillment flow

The sequence of steps for decomposed orders, including order tasks.

gap (Sales Forecasting)

The difference between Quota and Won sales, indicating the amount needed to meet targets.

hierarchical node map

A visual representation of hierarchical structures, showing relationships and levels.

horizontal relationship

A relationship between different product specifications, defined using compatibility rules.

inflight change

Modifications made to customer orders during fulfillment.

inventory allocation

Assigning available inventory to customer orders based on configuration, quantity, and eligibility.

jeopardy alert

Notifications generated when fulfillment tasks risk missing deadlines.

lead

A potential customer created from information captured through various channels.

For more information, see Lead Management.

lead management workflow

A structured process guiding lead progression from creation to opportunity conversion.

lead nurturing

Engaging with leads over time to build relationships and increase conversion likelihood.

lead qualification

Determining if a lead meets criteria to be considered sales-qualified.

lead routing

Automatically assigning leads to sales representatives based on criteria.

lead scoring

Prioritizing leads based on predefined criteria or assigning numerical values based on conversion potential.

lead segmentation

Categorizing leads based on parameters like industry or behavior for targeted marketing.

lead source

The channel through which a lead was acquired.

lead task

Follow-up actions created to progress a lead.

lead-to-cash cycle

A business process encompassing all activities and tasks involved in selling to customers, fulfilling orders, and delivering ongoing services.

MACD (move, add, change, delete/disconnect)

Order action types managing changes to customer orders and service inventories.

For more information, see Action types for customer and service orders.

matrix validations

Rules ensuring data accuracy in pricing and product eligibility matrices.

monthly recurring charge (MRC)

A pricing method with monthly charges for products/services.

multiple configurations

A feature allowing multiple variations of child product offerings.

For more information, see Multiple configurations.

needs analysis

A process using needs templates to gather customer requirements and generate product recommendation.

needs templates

Questionnaires associated with needs decision trees for product recommendations.

needs decision tree

A guided decision process presenting questions to agents for product recommendations.

negotiation enhancement (Opportunity Management)

Providing real-time pricing insights to tailor customer offers while maintaining profitability.

non-product attribute pricing adjustment

Pricing adjustments based on non-product characteristics.

open state model

A framework controlling product options in the product configurator.

opportunity

A qualified lead with high potential to become a customer.

opportunity line items

Products/services added to an opportunity.

opportunity management

Analyzing customer needs and generating product recommendations.

For more information, see Opportunity Management

orchestration

Coordinating order fulfillment through fulfillment flows.

orchestration plans for order fulfillment

User interfaces tracking domain orders and tasks, providing hierarchical representations.

order case

Cases created for order-related issues or changes.

order fallout

Failures during order fulfillment due to errors or exceptions.

For more information, see Managing order fallout.

order hierarchy

The structure of an order, including decomposed orders and tasks.

order life cycle

Stages a customer order progresses through in Order Management including order creation, enrichment, decomposition, and orchestration, and fulfillment.

For more information, see Using Order Management.

order line items (Order Management)

Individual items in customer and service orders.

order states

The current stage of an order or an order line item in its life cycle, from initial creation through fulfillment and closure. Each state indicates what actions have been completed and what steps remain in the order processing workflow.

For more information, see Order life cycle states.

order tasks

Tasks needed to fulfill domain orders.

For more information, see Order decomposition.

order tracking

Monitoring order locations and statuses.

pipeline

Early-stage opportunities with uncertain closure.

pipeline analysis

Analyzing sales pipeline progression.

point of no return (PONR)

The point after which orders can't be changed or canceled.

For more information, see Managing inflight order changes and cancellation requests.

price list

Definitions identifying pricing features and product or service prices.

price list defaulting matrix

Specifying conditions for default price list usage.

price list line

Entries within price lists identifying list prices.

price point (pricing plan)

Prices calculated after specific pricing plan steps.

pricing adjustments

Modifications to standard list prices.

pricing adjustments for bundled products

Price adjustments defined for product offerings when they are sold as part of a product bundle.

pricing engine

A component calculating and applying pricing strategies.

pricing engine parallel execution

A system property that enables the pricing engine to process transaction lines in parallel to optimize performance, especially for large sets of transaction lines (typically 100 or more).

pricing engine parallelism lines threshold

The minimum lines required for parallel processing with the default value being 100.

pricing entities

Pricing-related elements exportable between ServiceNow instances.

pricing extension points

Integration points for customizing the pricing engine.

pricing matrix

Frameworks for complex pricing adjustments.

pricing plan

A customizable sequence of steps that determine the final price of a product or service. It includes various pricing calculations and adjustments, such as base price determination, discounts, and markups.

pricing plan step

Stages within pricing plans applying specific calculations.

pricing strategies

Methods determining product and service prices.

product

Items or services offered, configured, quoted, and ordered.

product attribute-based pricing adjustment

Adjustments based on certain product characteristics.

product configurator

A user interface embedded within various ServiceNow Sales CRM applications (Opportunity, Quote, and Order Management) that enables agents to dynamically configure complex products or services according to customer requirements, displaying product hierarchy, option selection, and current pricing.

product hierarchy (product configurator)

A section within the product configurator that lists the parent and child product relationships for configurable products, helping agents navigate nested bundles.

product data model

A structured representation of a business's offerings that separates commercial, service, and technical attributes to support the entire lead-to-cash process.

product offer bundling

Allows for the creation of product offer bundles with an offer hierarchy using product offer relationships and relationship groups. These bundles can reference a product specification or specification hierarchy at any level.

product offer eligibility

Dynamically filters product catalogs, product offering categories, and product offerings to display only eligible items for a specific customer, based on context such as customer accounts, location, and sales contracts.

product offering category

Logical groupings of product offerings within a catalog, making it easier for agents to browse and navigate product offerings.

product offering recommendations

Suggestions for additional products that agents can use to up-sell or cross-sell to customers in quotes, displayed as cards in the contextual side panel.

product offering version

New iterations of published product offerings.

propose

Presenting offers to potential customers.

qualified lead

A customer whose needs have been analyzed, resulting in the creation of an opportunity.

quotas

Specific sales targets or goals that individual sales representatives are expected to achieve within a defined time frame, helping to measure performance and drive sales efforts.

quote

A formal offer for products or services with specific prices and payment terms.

quote expiration

The date after which a quote becomes invalid, requiring customers to request a new one.

quote line items

Individual quote entries representing specific products or services, where characteristics and pricing can be updated.

quote management

Process of creating and managing quotes for products and services.

quote PDF documents

PDF documents created from quotes for customer review and electronic signatures.

quote revision

Modifying a previously generated quote to reflect changes in price, products, or terms.

quote versions

Different quote iterations managed through the Revisions tab with sequential version numbers.

renew/expand

A classification indicating sales engagement nature: "Renew" for continuing contracts or subscriptions and "Expand" for up-selling or adding products or services.

renewal

Extending an existing customer contract.

Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA)

Formal authorization for customers to return unwanted or defective items.

revenue forecasting

Projecting future sales volumes or revenue based on opportunities, historical performance, and pipeline analysis.

risk level (jeopardy)

Classification of fulfillment task risk based on delay percentage. Levels include Low, Medium, High, and Critical.

salesforce automation

A software that automates a business’s sales processes, including lead and opportunity management, sales forecasting, and territory management.

sale cycle

Lead progression through stages until becoming a qualified opportunity and resulting in a sale.

sales cycle type

Classification of opportunity into different sales cycles such as New Customer, Renewal, or Up-sell (to name a few).

sales forecast dashboard

A visualization tool displaying sales forecast information and targets.

sales forecasting

Projecting future sales or revenue based on opportunities, historical performance, and pipeline analysis.

sales process record

A ServiceNow record tracking potential sales through stages.

sales-qualified lead

A lead meeting specific criteria, ready for sales engagement.

sales quota management

Assigning sales quota targets to representatives or managers based on hierarchy, role, and forecast period.

For more information, see Set up sales quota.

sales targets

Specific goals or objectives for sales teams, territories, or representatives.

self-service

Customer capability to perform tasks and access information independently via Business Portal.

sequence step

Individual activities within sequence tasks, such as customer calls or emails.

sequence task

System-generated tasks including predefined activities for sales agents while engaging with a prospect or customer.

shipment

Delivering ordered products to specified locations.

signers (quote PDF)

Individuals designated to sign quote PDF documents.

For more information, see Set up PDF document signers.

strong upside

Opportunities with high potential to close but minor uncertainty.

telesales

Process of engaging with prospects or customers via phone calls with the goal of generating leads, making direct sales, and building customer relationships.

total annual contract value (ACV)

Total annual contract value representing yearly revenue.

total annual recurring revenue (ARR)

Cumulative annual recurring revenue for recurring products or services.

total monthly recurring revenue (MRR)

Cumulative monthly recurring revenue for recurring products or services.

total contract value (TCV)

Total revenue expected over a contract's lifetime.

transaction header

Top-level line of Sales CRM transactions providing basic information.

transaction line

Detailed records in orders and quotes representing specific products or services.

transient products

Single-use products and services that are identified as transient to differentiate them from persistent products.

unit of measure

Standard quantity/increment defining product offering amounts.

up-sell

Sales strategy encouraging customers to upgrade products.

upside

Opportunities with potential to close but lower certainty.

versioning

Tracking or managing different versions of entities in Sales Customer Relationship Management.

volume pricing

Pricing adjustments based on item quantity.

For more information, see Configure volume pricing.

weighted amount

Total revenue adjusted by the probability percentage of closing the opportunity.

win rate

Performance metric reflecting successfully closed opportunities as "Won" compared to the total number of opportunities.

won

Forecast category for successfully closed opportunities.

workflow

Defined sequence of steps automating processes in Sales Customer Relationship Management.