Manage seat types using ITSM workflows

Who can use this?

Plans:

  • Business
  • Enterprise

Permissions:

  • System Admins

Find out if this capability is included in Smartsheet Regions or Smartsheet Gov.

With Smartsheet plan-level webhooks and user APIs, you can develop a process that automates user seat request management to align with your organization's needs. As part of this process, you can incorporate your Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) system – such as ServiceNow – to manage seat requests and approval flows.


This approach targets these benefits:

  • Streamlined seat management
  • Reduced administrative burden
  • Improved cost allocation

At its core, it's a programmatic approach for integrating your Smartsheet environment directly with your organization's internal system. These are the key components:

  1. Smartsheet plan-level webhooks: They subscribe you to real-time, event-driven notifications initiated from Smartsheet. For example, when a user seat type changes to Provisional Member, Smartsheet automatically sends a secure message to a service endpoint you implement for processing the events and dispatching requests to your internal system.
  2. Smartsheet user APIs: Your internal systems use these APIs to communicate back user seat type instructions to Smartsheet. Based on your organization's business logic for determining a user's seat type, your internal system can automatically leverage these API endpoints to update the seat type in Smartsheet. The APIs also allow you to programmatically gather user and plan data, providing enhanced insights that complement the information available in the Smartsheet Admin Center.

How it works: A simplified journey

The following diagram and node descriptions demonstrate how the integrated system receives user seat type events that trigger ITSM flows to handle (upgrade or downgrade) a user's seat type based on your criteria.

A diagram showing the data flow and actions in this integrated system that includes a plan-scoped webhook, user seat type update events, ITSM event parsing logic, ITSM decision approval logic, the user upga

The numbered items below describe each node's actions in the above flow diagram.

  1. Smartsheet notifies your subscribed system (for example, an ITSM): A Smartsheet webhook you configure sends your HTTPS POST endpoint an event payload describing a non-member user's seat type update to Provisional Member.
  2. Your ITSM system extracts key information from the payload and delivers it to your license approval process. The information includes the user ID, email address, and new seat type.
  3. Your ITSM decides whether to approve or deny the user plan membership and takes action using Smartsheet's API. 
    • If approved: Your ITSM calls the Smartsheet Upgrade User API, which changes the user's seat type from Provisional Member to Member.
    • If denied: Your ITSM calls the Smartsheet Downgrade User API, which changes the user's seat type to Contributor (or Guest for external users), saving you from paying for unneeded seats.
  4. Your Smartsheet system administrator reviews the results: The updated seat type statuses appear on Smartsheet's Seat types and true-up page, where your System Administrator reviews and validates the automated process results.

Key benefits for your organization

By configuring and implementing this solution, your organization can realize these significant advantages:

  • Automated and delegated approvals: Eliminate manual review and approval steps for user seats, allowing the system to handle routine requests automatically.
  • Enhanced plan and user data collection: Programmatically collect detailed user and plan data, aiding in more informed and efficient seat management decisions. You can access information such as the list of plans a user is a Member of, the user's seat type, the last time their seat type changed, and whether the user is internal or belongs to your plan’s domain.
  • Reduced administrative workload: This frees up System Admins from time-consuming tasks such as manually processing access requests and allocating costs, especially during peak true-up periods.
  • Improved scalability: The automation makes seat management more manageable and scalable as your organization grows.
  • Accurate cost allocation: By integrating your ITSM tools with Smartsheet webhooks and APIs, your organization can automatically gather essential departmental or cost center data, enabling more precise tracking and allocation of Smartsheet seat (license) costs.
  • Real-time efficiency: Receive immediate notifications about user seat type changes, allowing quicker and more responsive seat management.
  • Seamless integration: Smartsheet webhooks and user APIs adhere to industry standards, making them straightforward to integrate with your existing IT workflows and systems, such as ServiceNow, for a cohesive and accelerated operational process.
  • Enhanced security: Control access effectively by automating the process of granting or revoking user permissions based on defined criteria and internal approvals.

This integrated approach empowers you to manage Smartsheet seat types more efficiently for enterprise-level deployment.

For an in-depth, technical configuration walkthrough, see the Automate user seat type management developer's guide.