Can Virtual Agent provide a ChatGPT-like conversational troubleshooting experience using AI Agents?

VishwamitraM · 3 weeks ago

Hi Community,
We have a client requirement where they are looking for a more seamless, ChatGPT-like conversational experience within ServiceNow Virtual Agent.
We have demonstrated several Virtual Agent use cases using conversational topics and AI Agents. However, the client is looking for something more dynamic than predefined conversational flows.
For example, suppose an end user says:
“I’m not able to upload a document.”
The expectation is that the assistant should understand the issue and respond with relevant troubleshooting steps, for example:
1 Suggest a few troubleshooting steps.
2 Ask the user whether the issue was resolved.
3 If not resolved, continue the conversation based on the user’s response.
4 Ask contextual follow-up questions, such as the application being used, error message, file type/size, etc.
5 Based on the responses, investigate further using Knowledge, AI Search/RAG, skills, actions, APIs, etc.
6 If the issue still cannot be resolved, create/update an incident or transfer the conversation to a live agent with the relevant context.
In other words, the requirement is for the AI assistant to dynamically understand the conversation, maintain context, decide the next best question/action, and continue troubleshooting rather than simply triggering a predefined VA topic.
We are currently looking at Now Assist in Virtual Agent, AI Agents, Agentic Conversations and Agentic Workflows.

Any guidance or examples would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Vishwamitra Manav

prerna_sh · 3 weeks ago

Hi @VishwamitraM ,

Based on the requirement, I think Agentic Conversations in Virtual Agent would be a good fit.

You can still create custom VA topics and define a specific process when needed. The main difference is that with Agentic Conversations, you don't have to define every possible conversation path upfront. The agent can understand the user's request, maintain context, ask relevant follow-up questions, and decide which available topic, skill, action, Knowledge/AI Search, or AI Agent to use next.

So, if the requirement is to follow a fixed process → Custom VA Topic works well.

If the requirement is more like "I have an issue, figure out what information you need, troubleshoot it, and decide what to do next" → Agentic Conversations in Virtual Agent, skills, and actions would be a better fit.

Go through this document to understand more about Agentic conversations in Virtual Agent:

https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/conversational-interfaces/virtual-agent/agentic-conversations-vad....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If my response solves your query, please mark it as helpful by selecting accept as Solution and Helpful. Let me know if anything else is required.
Thanks,
Prerna

VishwamitraM · 3 weeks ago

Hey @prerna_sh

Thanks for the explanation. I understand that Agentic Conversations would be a good fit for this kind of dynamic conversation.
One additional requirement I wanted to clarify is that, in our use case, the assistant should initially be able to search the public web and bring relevant results based on the user’s query.
For example, if a user says, “I’m unable to upload a document,” the assistant should first search the web and provide relevant troubleshooting steps. It should then continue the conversation by asking whether those steps worked. If the issue is still not resolved, it should ask relevant follow-up questions, investigate further, and then potentially involve an AI Agent/skill/action to take the issue forward.
So, can Agentic Conversations support this kind of flow where it starts with web search, troubleshoots based on the results, maintains the conversation context, and then moves to AI Agents/skills/actions if further investigation or action is required?
If there are any examples or documentation showing a similar end-to-end scenario, that would be really helpful.

Regards,

Vishwamitra Manav

prerna_sh · 3 weeks ago

Hi @VishwamitraM

Yes, ServiceNow does support Web Search in Now Assist in Virtual Agent.

There are two ways to look at it:

Web Search in Virtual Agent: VA can search the public web and provide relevant results. It can also be configured as a fallback when the assistant cannot find a suitable answer through the available sources.
Web Search as an AI Agent tool: Web Search can also be added as a tool to an AI Agent, allowing the agent to use web results along with other skills and actions.

For your use case, I think the second approach would be a better fit. You could have the conversation work something like:

“I’m unable to upload a document.”
→ AI Agent searches the web for relevant troubleshooting steps
→ Shares the steps with the user
→ Asks whether the issue is resolved
→ If not, asks a few more relevant questions
→ Uses other skills/actions/AI Agents to investigate further
→ Finally resolves the issue, creates an incident, or transfers to a live agent.

Agentic Conversations can then help bring these different capabilities together as part of the conversation.

I wouldn't assume that simply enabling Web Search means every conversation will automatically start with a web search.

Please Check out these documents:
https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/conversational-interfaces/now-assist-in-virtual-agent/additional-c...

https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/conversational-interfaces/now-assist-in-virtual-agent/manage-assis...

https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/intelligent-experiences/add-web-search-ai-agent.html

https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/de-DE/intelligent-experiences/now-assist-skill-kit/web-search-cust...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If my response solves your query, please mark helpful by selecting accept as Solution and Helpful. Let me know if anything else is required.
Thanks,
Prerna