Capturing information from a user in a WhatsApp chat conversation

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Capturing information from a user in a WhatsApp chat conversation

    This guide explains how ServiceNow customers can use Virtual Agent Designer to capture information from users during WhatsApp chat conversations. Virtual Agent Designer enables you to create conversational topics that facilitate interactive dialogues between your virtual agent and users on WhatsApp, leveraging the WhatsApp Cloud API integration.

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    It is important to note that users must explicitly opt in to receive notifications from your business on WhatsApp. Consent can be granted either by typing “Notification” in the chat or by interacting with subscription options configured by the administrator.

    User Consent for Notifications

    • Users must opt in before any notifications are sent.
    • Consent methods include user input in chat or subscription management via your portal.
    • Administrators are responsible for configuring subscription options to manage user notification preferences.

    User Input Controls Supported

    The Virtual Agent Designer supports various user input controls to capture data from WhatsApp users effectively:

    • Text: User inputs plain text strings.
    • Static Choice: User selects from a predefined list of options.
    • Boolean: User provides yes/no responses.
    • File Picker: User uploads files.
    • Dynamic Choice: User selects from a dynamically generated list (partial support).
    • Date Time: User selects a date, time, or both.
    • Carousel: User selects a single item from a carousel display.

    These controls enable flexible and structured data collection in WhatsApp conversations.

    Bot Responses Supported

    Virtual Agent Designer supports multiple types of bot responses to engage users effectively:

    • Text: Sends plain text messages.
    • Image: Sends images.
    • Link: Sends clickable web links.
    • Card: Sends compact record information from your ServiceNow instance, including:
      • Record cards with key data
      • Image cards with captions
      • YouTube video cards with title and description
    • Multi-response: Combines text, images, links, and interactive buttons.
    • Video: Sends video links with titles, descriptions, and interactive buttons.
    • Web UI image card output: Compact records with images and text.
    • Table: Presents information formatted as tables.

    Note that HTML and script responses are not supported in WhatsApp conversations.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Enable rich, interactive WhatsApp conversations that collect structured user data efficiently.
    • Ensure compliance with user notification consent requirements to maintain trust and engagement.
    • Deliver varied content formats to users, improving clarity and user experience.
    • Leverage record cards and multimedia to provide contextual, actionable information directly in chat.

    Use the collection of input controls provided by the Virtual Agent Designer to prompt and capture information from a requester in a WhatsApp chat conversation.

    Virtual Agent Designer is a diagram tool for creating and managing topics, which are blueprints for conversations between a virtual agent and user. For more information, see Getting started with the Asset library in Assistant Designer.

    User notification consent

    Users must opt in to receive notifications. No notifications can be delivered until the user grants consent.

    There are two ways for users to grant consent to receive notifications:
    • The user can enter Notification into the WhatsApp chat with your business. The user gets a bot response with the option to subscribe or unsubscribe from receiving notifications for your business on WhatsApp.
    • As the administrator, you can set up the option for users to subscribe or unsubscribe from notifications from your portal. See Subscription-based notifications for more information.

    User input controls

    The Conversational Integration with WhatsApp (WhatsApp Cloud API) application supports the following user input controls in Virtual Agent Designer.

    Table 1. Supported user input controls
    User input control Description
    Text User enters a plain text string in the conversation.
    Static Choice User selects an item from a predefined list.
    Boolean User enters a Boolean response to the bot. For example, the user can reply Yes or No in a chat conversation.
    File Picker User sends a file to the bot.
    Dynamic choice User selects an item from a dynamic list (partial support).
    Date Time User selects a calendar date, time (hours and minutes), or both.
    Carousel User selects a single item from the carousel.

    For more information about configuring user input controls, see Assistant Designer user input controls.

    The Conversational Integration with WhatsApp (WhatsApp Cloud API) application supports the following bot responses in Virtual Agent Designer.

    Table 2. Supported bot responses
    Bot response Description
    Text Bot sends a plain text string to the user.
    Image Bot sends an image to the user.
    Link Bot sends a web link to the user.
    Card Bot sends selected information from a record on your instance.
    Table 3. Supported bot responses
    Bot response Description
    Text Bot sends a plain text string to the user.
    Image Bot sends an image to the user.
    Link Bot sends a web link to the user.
    Card Record card: Bot sends content from a record in a compact format.

    Image card: Sends an image along with a caption.

    YouTube video card: Bot sends a YouTube video link with a title and description.
    HTML Not supported
    Script Not supported
    Multi-response Bot sends text, image, and link with an interactive button.
    Video Bot sends a video link with title, description, and interactive button.
    Web UI image card output Bot sends content from a record in a compact format, including an image with text.
    Table Bot response is displayed as a table.

    For more information about configuring bot responses, see Assistant Designer bot responses.