IT Service Desk · training guide · draft

How to handle: Password resets and account unlocks

Complete password resets and account unlocks correctly and on time.

Typical time: about 6 min · A call or a ticket saying the user is locked out.

Steps

1. 1
   Open Account locked · ServiceNow
2. 2
   Open Active Directory Users and Computers · Active Directory Users and Computers
3. 3
   Fill in New password · Active Directory Users and Computers
4. 4
   Open Account locked · ServiceNow
5. 5
   Fill in Resolution notes · ServiceNow
6. 6
   Fill in State · ServiceNow

Watch out for

• Unusual case: New phone means MFA re-registration as well.
• Unusual case: Executives go to the senior tech.
• 5% of cases get picked up again later and redone.
• 5% of cases wait about 1.6 hours.
• Values from ServiceNow are retyped 28% of the time.

Faster ways

• Copy and paste values between systems instead of retyping them.
• Self-service reset with identity verification; agent closes the matching ticket.

Written by AI from how the team actually did this work (2026-10-19 to 2026-10-24): the most common path, the steps people add or redo, and where errors happen. Review and edit before sharing.