---
sourceDocument: Australia Customer Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/customer-service-management

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Customer Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - csm

bundleId :

    - csm

workflow :

    - Customer and Industry


---

# AI summarization of email interactions

# AI summarization of email interactions {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated May 11, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read
Summarize  
![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI  
This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.  

## Summary of AI summarization of email interactions

AI summarization of email interactions leverages ServiceNow Otto generative AI to create concise summaries of email threads, work notes, and comments.
This feature helps agents quickly understand the essential details of lengthy email conversations, enabling faster and more efficient customer response times.
Summaries are generated on demand and provide a structured overview of key information without requiring agents to read the entire email history.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Features

* **On-demand summarization:** Agents can manually trigger summary generation by selecting the Summarize option while handling email interactions.
* **Comprehensive analysis:** The AI processes the full email activity stream, including work notes when available, to identify key topics, issues, actions taken, and recommended next steps.
* **Summary presentation:** Generated summaries appear in an Interaction Summary card on the email interaction page, displaying three main components:
  * **Issue:** A concise overview of the customer's primary concern or request.
  * **Key Actions Taken:** Summary of actions by both agent and customer during the email exchange.
  * **Next Steps:** Suggested follow-up actions identified from the conversation.
* **Refresh option:** When new work notes are added, agents can refresh the summary. However, this refresh feature is not available for email content updates.
* **Summary storage:** Summaries are generated on demand and not stored permanently on the interaction record.
* **Access requirements:** Customers should verify entitlement to AI summarization capabilities for email interactions.

## Practical Considerations and Limitations

* Summaries are AI-generated and may miss subtle nuances or complex technical details, so agent review and judgment remain essential.
* The AI relies solely on the available email content and may not incorporate context from other communication channels.
* The quality of the summary depends on the clarity and completeness of the original emails.
* Currently, only agent-initiated summarization is supported; automatic or system-triggered summaries are not available.

## Next Steps for ServiceNow Customers

To utilize AI summarization effectively, verify your organization's access to this feature and train agents to use the Summarize function as a time-saving tool. Encourage agents to treat summaries as an initial overview and to review original emails when necessary to ensure accuracy. Consider integrating this feature within your email interaction workflows to enhance agent productivity in Customer Service Management.  
Email Interaction uses AI to generate summaries of email threads, reducing the time agents spend reading full conversation histories. Summaries can be generated on demand.  
Note:  
Check your entitlements to determine whether you have access to AI summarization for email interactions.

## AI summarization capabilities {#eaai-ai-summarization-email-interactions__section_ai_summarization_capabilities}

AI summarization for email interactions uses ServiceNow Otto generative AI capabilities to analyze email conversation threads, work notes, and comments, and generate summaries. This helps agents quickly grasp the essential information from lengthy email
exchanges, reducing the time needed to understand customer issues and respond more efficiently.

The AI summarization feature processes email content, identifies key topics and action items, and presents this information in a structured format that agents can review quickly.

## How summaries are generated {#eaai-ai-summarization-email-interactions__section_how_summaries_generated}

The system generates a summary based on the full email activity stream of the interaction, including work notes when available. The summary is displayed in a summary card on the email interaction page.

When an agent is working on an email interaction and needs an on-demand summary, the agent selects Summarize. The system generates a summary of the full email activity stream and displays it in the
Interaction Summary card on the interaction page.  
Note:  
Currently, only agent-initiated summarization is supported.

## Summary storage and refresh {#eaai-ai-summarization-email-interactions__section_summary_storage_refresh}

Summaries are generated on demand and are not stored on the interaction record. Each time an agent selects Summarize, the system generates a new summary based on the current email thread.

A refresh option is available on the Interaction Summary card when new work notes are added after a summary has been generated. The refresh option for emails is not available.

## Summary components {#eaai-ai-summarization-email-interactions__section_summary_components}

The Interaction Summary card displays the following components based on the email thread content:

Issue
:   A concise overview of the primary customer concern or request based on the email content, as shown in the Interaction Summary card.

Key Actions Taken
:   Actions taken by the agent and customer throughout the email thread.

Next Steps
:   Recommended or identified next steps based on the email conversation.

## AI limitations {#eaai-ai-summarization-email-interactions__section_ai_limitations}

When using AI summarization for email interactions, consider the following limitations:

* AI-generated summaries may not capture all nuances of human communication and should be reviewed by agents for accuracy.
* Complex technical discussions or specialized terminology may not be fully interpreted by the AI model.
* Summaries are based on available email content and may not include context from other communication channels.
* The quality of summaries depends on the clarity and completeness of the original email content.
* Agents should use AI summaries as a starting point for evaluating email interactions while applying their professional judgment and reviewing original content when necessary.
{#eaai-ai-summarization-email-interactions__ul_ai_limitations}
**Related concepts**   

* [Using Email Interaction for Customer Service Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Pt7hAQvc_dSsFbnJpFJQsA "Email Interaction for CSM application enables agents to create interactions from customer emails, helping them resolve simple customer queries through these interactions. They can create a case from an interaction when further investigation is needed for resolving the customer query. This process provides clarity of the effort needed for customer query intake and actual investigation needed for query resolution.")  
**Related reference**   

* [System properties for configuring Email Interaction](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Ub9hSeMGizbfyL~dWptuBw "You can configure system properties to manage Email Interaction workflows, such as interaction creation, closure, rerouting, and reminder or notification settings.")

