[Platform Fundamentals Academy] Forms to Conversations: A Beginner's Guide to Conversational Catalog

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Forms to Conversations: A Beginner's Guide to Conversational Catalog

In the latest Platform Academy session, we explored how to transform static catalog forms into seamless conversational experiences. 

Why Conversational Catalog?

Traditional service catalog requests often require users to search, find the right form, and fill in field after field. Conversational Catalog changes this by letting users simply type what they need in natural language — like asking a colleague. Instead of clicking through forms, users have a guided conversation to complete their request.

This approach delivers two key benefits:

• Simplicity & Accessibility: Users can describe needs without hunting for the right form.

• Speed: It’s faster to say “I need a new laptop” than to navigate fields manually.

Key Highlights from the Session

• Enabling Conversational Catalog: You’ll need to turn on Virtual Agent and make sure your catalog items are configured for conversational use.

• Making Items Conversational: Some variable types are not currently supported (multi-row variable sets, pricing inputs, custom question types). The conversational coverage dashboard makes it easy to see which catalog items are supported and why others are unsupported.

• Demo Walkthroughs:

  • A standard laptop request showed the difference between a static form vs. conversational chat.

  • A leave-of-absence catalog request highlighted the importance of naming, labels, and context for users.

• Best Practices:

  • Keep catalog items simple (avoid long, complex forms).

  • Use descriptive names, short descriptions, and conversational labels.

  • Disable conversational mode for items where it doesn’t make sense (e.g., sensitive catalog items).

  • Continuously monitor and refine requests using the Conversational Catalog Dashboard.

 

Real-World Application

The conversational experience isn’t limited to ServiceNow portal. You can also use it in:

• Now Mobile app for on-the-go requests.

• Microsoft Teams.

 

Takeaway

Conversational Catalog represents a big leap forward for self-service, making it easier for users to get what they need while reducing friction in request management. For developers and admins, the session demonstrated not just how to enable the feature, but also how to design catalog items with the user’s conversational flow in mind.

Watch the recap here

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