--- sourceDocument: Australia Conversational Interfaces sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/conversational-interfaces Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Conversational Interfaces ft:clusterId : - convint bundleId : - convint workflow : - Platform --- # Case and incident deflection # Case and incident deflection in Virtual Agent {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated July 23, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read Virtual Agent provides several self-service options for your user that can help deflect tickets. Deflection occurs when a user asks a question or makes a request that doesn't result in a ticket or human assistance. There are many ways that your customers can self-serve, including using AI Search and reading Knowledge articles. Virtual Agent provides a number of ways for your users to serve themselves. [ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent enhanced chat](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/~gNWCNo3JNVlg5dvBADfNQ "ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent enhanced chat is a conversational support experience within a dynamic window that can support multiple active conversations. Turning on enhanced chat's full-page experience further combines chat and search capabilities by redirecting you into a full-page chat after you enter a query in a portal's search bar.") : ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent in Virtual Agent enhances the user experience by combining AI Search with generative AI chat skills. These skills can speed up issue resolution and reduce deflection to a live agent. [Issue Auto Resolution](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/5r3wBbdRuDbhyzZ6QWf5rA "You can proactively deflect issues and expedite the resolution process for your agent and user with the Issue Auto Resolution (IAR) application. Through machine learning and Natural Language Understanding (NLU), users get immediate self-service and can access Virtual Agent topics, Knowledge articles, and catalog items.") : When a user creates an issue, Issue Auto Resolution uses machine learning and NLU to identify the criticality of the issue and its intent. Issue Auto Resolution the identifies an appropriate Virtual Agent topic for an automatic resolution. If a Virtual Agent topic isn't found, Issue Auto Resolution does an AI Search to return the most appropriate Knowledge articles, FAQs, or catalog content. The deflection content is then delivered to the user through the configured response channel, such as email, short messaging service (SMS), or the Virtual Agent chat widget. [Conversational Catalog Request](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/nLhsr2hY3th0KpcDyTRuog "Speed up and provide a conversational and streamlined experience based on generative AI while submitting a catalog item request in Virtual Agent. Your organization can increase self-service and reduce operating costs.") : This ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent in Virtual Agent skill is available in the AI Admin Hub console. For full catalog functionality in the chat window, enable the generative AI experience for catalog item request submissions. [Agentic conversations in Virtual Agent](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/S5FVYXBT1XdRupum_gjxdQ "When you query a Virtual Agent, it reasons, plans, and executes across a wide variety of options. The Virtual Agent can use AI agents, virtual agent topics, conversational actions and subflows, catalogs, KB articles, custom skills, and any ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent supported skills to help you.") : AI agents can reason, plan, and execute using additional AI agents, Virtual Agent topics, conversational actions and subflows, catalogs, KB articles, custom skills, and any ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent in Virtual Agent skills. [Conversational subflows](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/1PKEj4bikoR3DxiuaXahMA "View and manage conversational subflows through Assistant Designer.") and [conversational actions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/QVaxUBvuo2Xnfn0HtwVuwQ "View and manage conversational actions through Assistant Designer.") : Create conversational subflows and actions in Workflow Studio and use them in Virtual Agent conversations. [Integrating ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent with Microsoft Teams](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/eCGV45e~rBcj3gzbKypIjw "ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent uses large language models (LLMs) and generative AI to improve deflection rates and reduce the amount of work that Natural Language Understanding (NLU) topic discovery once required.") : Configure ServiceNow Otto for Virtual Agent in Virtual Agent to use Microsoft Teams as the delivery channel. [Use the deflection topic block](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/5oMghmpIuhBexVn2OaYu9w "Use the pre-built deflection topic block in ServiceNow Virtual Agent to track the issues that Virtual Agent helped to resolve or actually resolved for a user. Incident deflection patterns and metrics can help you optimize and analyze the effectiveness of Virtual Agent.") : Use the pre-built deflection topic block in Virtual Agent to track the issues that Virtual Agent helped to resolve or actually resolved for a user. * **[Using Issue Auto Resolution](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/5r3wBbdRuDbhyzZ6QWf5rA)** You can proactively deflect issues and expedite the resolution process for your agent and user with the Issue Auto Resolution (IAR) application. Through machine learning and Natural Language Understanding (NLU), users get immediate self-service and can access Virtual Agent topics, Knowledge articles, and catalog items. * **[Using the deflection topic block to track deflections in Virtual Agent](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/5oMghmpIuhBexVn2OaYu9w)** Use the pre-built deflection topic block in ServiceNow® Virtual Agent to track the issues that Virtual Agent helped to resolve or actually resolved for a user. Incident deflection patterns and metrics can help you optimize and analyze the effectiveness of Virtual Agent.