Enhanced Chat branding questions and concerns

[Glenn H]

I've been tasked with setting up the new Now Assist for Virtual Agent.  I've gotten it going but I've run into an issue branding the chat window and I can't seem to find a solution that works.

These are the areas I've tried to do the work based on my google search

Conversational Interfaces > Assistants > <select assistant> > branding section  The branding selected does not apply completely to enhanced chat and the display is shown as the standard chat.

Conversational Interfaces > Settings > Branding Profile Under general, I select my branding profile and attempt to make updates but they don't transition to the portal.

I followed Set up your virtual agent bot's theming and it doesn't apply to the new chat.

I've tried working on the default portal theme but the CSS isn't applying while using the data in Theming for Now assist in virtual agent article.  I'm too versed on themes and css but I placed it in the base theme for our portal in the CSS variables.  We have CSS Includes but I've not found one that would make sense to apply to this.

I'm also not able to revert to the standard chat which would solve this issue for the interim.

Any help is greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

[Marcos Gianoni]

The user is encountering branding and styling issues when setting up Now Assist for Virtual Agent because the standard branding profiles and theming methods for the classic Virtual Agent do not fully apply to the Enhanced Chat Interface used by Now Assist. They are also unable to revert to the standard chat.

Effective Solution: Branding the Enhanced Chat Interface

The most effective solution for branding the Enhanced Chat Interface is to utilize the Branding and Theming settings specifically designed for the Conversational Interfaces Home.

1. Identify the Correct Branding Location

The branding for the Enhanced Chat is primarily controlled outside of the classic Virtual Agent settings and needs to be applied to the Conversational Interfaces Home module.

• Navigation: Go to All > Conversational Interfaces > Settings > Branding and Theming.

• Action: Select the relevant Branding Profile that your portal and Virtual Agent integration are using.

• Update Settings: Within this profile, configure the Header Color, Primary Color, Avatar, and other settings. These settings are designed to carry over to the Enhanced Chat window.

2. Configure the Enhanced Experience

Ensure the correct chat client configuration is being used:

• Navigation: Go to All > Conversational Interfaces > Settings > Chat Channels.

• Verification: Ensure the correct Chat Client (e.g., the one linked to your portal) is active and referencing the desired Branding Profile.

3. CSS Overrides for Advanced Branding

If the settings in the Branding and Theming profile are insufficient, advanced styling requires custom CSS applied specifically to the Enhanced Chat component. This often involves injecting CSS into the portal or customizing the relevant Widget that renders the Enhanced Chat window.

• Target CSS: The CSS must target the components of the Enhanced Chat Interface, which uses different component structures than the classic VA. You'll likely need to inspect the live portal to identify the specific CSS classes and IDs used by the Enhanced Chat.

• Recommended Method: Apply custom CSS in the Portal Theme's CSS Variables or CSS Includes, targeting the Enhanced Chat components with higher specificity, rather than relying solely on the base theme defaults.

Solution for Reverting to Standard Chat

The inability to revert to the standard chat suggests that the Enhanced Chat Experience feature might be active and enforced on the portal.

• Action: Check the Conversational Interfaces properties for settings that force the Enhanced Chat experience. Look for properties related to the Virtual Agent Integration or UI Builder components that might be overriding the default.

• Alternative: If the issue is localized to a specific portal page, verify the Embedded Help (Virtual Agent) Widget configuration on that page to ensure it is using the classic configuration if desired, although reverting is generally not the recommended path for Now Assist.

The key takeaway is to apply branding changes in Conversational Interfaces > Settings > Branding and Theming, as this is the designated control point for the modern Enhanced Chat interface used by Now Assist.

[Victor Chen]

Branding for enhanced chat relies on CSS. See this doc: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-conversational-interfaces/page/administer/now-assist-i... 

[Glenn H]

I was trying it but was not seeing any results.  Is the data cached?  Should this go into the main portal theme?  

Sorry for the questions but I'm not a portal expert by any means.