Deflecting incidents in Now Assist for IT Service Management (ITSM) reference

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated June 24, 2026
  • 1 minute to read

    • Deflection retrieves user context and sentiment analysis to rephrase search queries for more relevant results.

    User context information

    The system retrieves the following user context information from the knowledge graph to personalize search results.

    Table 1. User context information
    Context type Description
    Hardware The primary device used by the user. Examples: MacBook Pro, Dell Laptop, Windows Desktop. This context is applied to queries about device-specific issues.
    Location The user's office location or site. This context is applied to queries about location-specific services, networks, or resources.

    When user context is applied to queries

    User context is applied to the search query only when the context is relevant to the issue description.

    Table 2. Context application examples
    Original description User hardware context Rephrased query that is passed to search
    My laptop is not working MacBook Pro MacBook Pro not working
    My laptop is stuck MacBook Pro MacBook Pro stuck
    What is Outlook MacBook Pro Outlook overview.
    Note:
    Here, no context is applied.

    Sentiment analysis in responses

    The system detects the emotional tone in the user's description and incorporates this sentiment in the response. When the user expresses frustration or urgency, Now Assist for ITSM acknowledges the concern in the response. For example, if the user types I am frustrated. My laptop is broken, the response begins with I understand your frustration with your broken MacBook Pro and returns solutions in order of relevance.