Voice is your most expensive IT support channel. Here's how to make AI handle it with ServiceNow

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45-60% of employees still pick up the phone even when digital channels exist and those calls cost 2-5x more than digital interactions. AI Voice Agents let you change that! This FAQ breaks down some of the most common ITSM questions about deploying voice self-service on ServiceNow: from CCaaS setup and authentication options to conversation design pitfalls and go-live testing. Whether you're just evaluating or actively building, this is your starting point.

AI Voice Agents extend the same self-service logic powering your Virtual Agent into inbound phone calls, 24/7, without adding headcount.

Q: What are AI Voice Agents and how do they fit into Zero Touch IT Support?
AI Voice Agents are an additional delivery channel for conversational self-service. Employees who prefer to call rather than type get the same resolution paths as those using the Employee Center chat - the same ITSM topics, catalog ordering, and knowledge Q&A delivered over voice. They extend the Zero Touch IT Support rather than replacing any existing component.

Q: How are AI Voice Agents different from the ServiceNow Voice Framework?

These are two distinct, architecturally separate capabilities. The ServiceNow Voice Framework (CTI/Embedded approach) is for fulfillers - agents receiving calls in the agent workspace via Openframe. AI Voice Agents are requestor-facing: AI handles the call end-to-end without a human fulfiller.

Q: How do AI Voice Agents differ from NAVA (Virtual Agent / text)?

The core resolution logic (LLM topics, Knowledge Base, catalog) is shared. What changes is the interface layer:

• Input: NAVA accepts typed text; Voice Agents accept audio only (Speech-to-Text)
• Output: NAVA renders text, cards, and rich UI; Voice Agents produce spoken responses (Text-to-Speech)
• Authoring: NAVA topics are built in VA Designer; Voice Agents are configured in AI Agent Studio
• CCaaS required: NAVA has no telephony dependency; Voice Agents require Genesys Cloud or Twilio
• Languages: NAVA supports multiple languages; Voice Agents currently support English, German, and Spanish (as of December 2025)
• Testing: NAVA has an in-platform preview; Voice Agents require real test calls
• Fallback: NAVA falls back to live agent chat (AWA); Voice Agents transfer via phone or create a Record Producer ticket

Q: Why should we invest in voice if we already have NAVA?

45-60% of employees default to phone even when digital channels are available. Voice calls cost 2-5x more per interaction than digital channels. AI Voice Agents handle inbound call volume 24/7 across time zones without adding headcount, deflecting your most expensive interaction channel.

Q: What platform version and licensing is required?

You need Zurich Patch 4 or Yokohama Patch 6 (or newer) and an ITSM Pro Plus or Enterprise Plus subscription with Now Assist for ITSM entitlement. Validate your version at All > System Diagnostics > System Info and your subscription at System Applications > Subscriptions.

Q: Which CCaaS providers are supported?

Genesys Cloud and Twilio are supported in the current release. Amazon Connect is on the roadmap. If your organisation uses a different CCaaS provider, voice is not supported without custom development in the current release. Genesys Cloud is required if you want AWA-based live agent routing as a fallback.

Q: Are there any environments where AI Voice Agents are not available?

As of Zurich Patch 4, AI Voice Agents are not available in Self-Hosted, In-Country, or NSC environments. However, this is actively changing: GCC support is planned for Q1 2026, and other regulated markets are targeted for Q2 2026. Self-hosted environments running NowLLM gained AI Agents support as of Yokohama Patch 6, though Voice-specific availability should be confirmed with your account team. Confirm your deployment type and roadmap eligibility before beginning any configuration.

Q: What Voice Agents for ITSM are available out of the box?

OOB Voice Agents are available across three workflows in Zurich Patch 4:

ITSM (plugin: app-itsm-voice-aia):

• Check Ticket Status — lets employees check incident status, add a comment, or escalate urgency
• Create Incident — creates a new incident from a spoken description
• Outlook Troubleshooting — guides employees through common Outlook issues using KB Search Retrieval
• Catalog Item Request — submits a catalog item request via voice
• Password Reset — self-service password reset via identity verification

Q: What authentication methods are available for caller identity verification?

Four authentication factors are supported:

• Soft PIN - employee enrols a PIN via My Profile; enrollment codes are sent by email
• SMS OTP - requires the Notify plugin and an SMS provider
• TOTP via authenticator app
• Okta Verify push notification

Knowledge-based authentication (e.g., verifying by mobile phone number stored in sys_user) is also available and requires no employee pre-enrolment - recommended for low-friction deployments.

Q: What fallback options are available when the Voice Agent cannot resolve a call?

Two OOB fallback options are available, configured per Voice Assistant:

1) Connect to live agent - transfers the call via the CCaaS platform to a human agent phone queue or AWA configuration

2) Generate a ticket with Record Producer - creates a ticket automatically and ends the call. Live agent transfer is the recommended default for IT support contexts where some intents always require human handling.

Q: What should I test before promoting to production?

For each active Voice Agent, test with real calls:

• The primary resolution path (successful completion)
• An ambiguous input scenario (agent should ask a clarifying question)
• An incorrect input scenario (agent should offer an alternative approach)
• The fallback path (agent cannot resolve; call transfers correctly)

Also test authentication independently for each configured factor (Soft PIN, SMS OTP, Knowledge-based) using a real test user account. Do not use impersonation for authentication testing.

Q: Can I use AI Voice Agents with Amazon Connect?

Not in the current release. Amazon Connect support is on the ServiceNow roadmap. Only Genesys Cloud and Twilio integrations are supported today.