--- sourceDocument: Brazil Conversational Interfaces sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/conversational-interfaces Release : - brazil ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Brazil Conversational Interfaces ft:clusterId : - convint bundleId : - convint workflow : - Platform --- # Customizing an NLU chat experience # (Legacy) Customizing a Virtual Agent NLU chat experience {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Brazil Updated September 10, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 5 minutes to read Create different chat experiences for your end users based on the context in which they initiate a conversation with Virtual Agent. ## How chat experiences work {#va-conversation-settings-nlu__section_xk1_whr_4nb} A chat experience defines the structure of a bot conversation (setup topics), an initial set of topics displayed to users (promoted assets), and the AI Search configurations for displaying search results in conversations. Virtual Agent provides a preconfigured, default chat experience that you (admins and topic authors) can use to control the user experience with Virtual Agent. You can configure the default chat experience and also create custom chat experiences, tailored to the context in which different users run Virtual Agent, such as the service portal or channel that they're using. Custom chat experiences inherit the default chat experience settings, but you can override the defaults as needed for a given context. Note: If you're using Virtual Agent Lite, you can configure certain setup topics in the default chat experience but you can't create custom chat experiences. A chat experience consists of setup topics, promoted assets, and a search profile: Setup topics : Virtual Agent provides common conversational elements, such as a welcome greeting to begin a conversation and a conversation closing, and automatically includes them in virtual agent conversations. These pre-built elements, called setup topics, are part of a basic conversation structure that is applied to all your conversations. They are installed with Virtual Agent and Virtual Agent Lite. These setup topics run automatically at appropriate points in a conversation, based on the context, utterances (if NLU is enabled) or keywords that users enter during the conversation. Virtual Agent provides the following types of pre-built setup topics: {#va-conversation-settings-nlu__table_sgn_hts_yhb__entry__2} | Setup topic | Description | |-|-| | Greeting | Presents a welcome greeting to users, and asks users to enter a request or see what items it can assist with. | | Provide Virtual Agent Feedback | Displays a survey to get user feedback on the conversational experience, before the conversation ends. | | Live Agent Support | Enables users to request a live agent transfer and view items that the live agent can assist with. | | Virtual Agent Capabilities | Presents a list of what the virtual agent can help with. | | Error Handling Topic | Displays a standard error message when an unrecoverable system error occurs and transfers the user to a live agent. | | Closing Conversation | Displays a closing message that ends the conversation. | | AI Search Fallback | Generates AI Search results for a user when Virtual Agent can't find a matching intent and topic or keyword. | | Fallback Topic | Presents standard messages that ask the user to enter another request or select a different topic when the virtual agent does not understand a user entry or selection. | | Anything Else Topic | After completing a task or request, virtual agent asks if the user needs further assistance with another request or task. | [ ] {#va-conversation-settings-nlu__table_sgn_hts_yhb} In NLU conversations, setup topics have corresponding intents (set in the pre-built NLU model for setup topics) and also keywords. Virtual Agent recognizes the utterances or keywords that users can enter to run certain setup topics, such as the Virtual Agent Capabilities (help) topic or the Live Agent support topic. You can preview (test) the pre-built setup topics to see how they work. On the Virtual Agent Designer home page, use the filter icon ![Filter icon.]() to sort only for Setup Topics, and then select the setup topics to test. Pre-built topics are read-only, but you can duplicate, customize (modify) if needed, and publish them. Promoted topics : You can display a collection of up to six topics that are relevant to your users, displayed before the Show me everything button in the chat window. You can use these promoted assets in a chat experience to give your users quick and convenient access to the topics used for a given context. Note: Promoted topics may not be supported on all clients. Search profile : A search profile defines how Virtual Agent search results are generated for an AI Search application. The search application's configuration specifies a search profile to use, and also determines how the generated results are displayed to users. Virtual Agent uses a default search application configuration and search profile that controls the data sources used for searches. Its UI configuration (set in the Entity View Action Mapping application) controls the search results displayed in Genius Result answer cards and multi-link output. These configurations also apply to search results generated as a fallback when Virtual Agent can't determine the appropriate topic. For more information, see [(Legacy) Implementing AI Search in NLU](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/QH5KxPYEAp39SZF09EQ6_w "Virtual Agent uses the ServiceNow AI Platform AI Search application to return search results in bot conversations as a fallback when there are no relevant topics to display to end users. Virtual Agent also provides a Run AI Search topic block that topic authors can use to generate search results in a topic."). ## Get started with chat experiences {#va-conversation-settings-nlu__section_u2r_tfz_vnb} Navigate to AllConversational InterfacesSettings, and then select Virtual Agent. Use the Custom Greetings and Setup tile to manage the default and custom chat experiences. You can do the following: * Configure the default chat experience, including the setup topics, promoted assets, and search criteria used. For example, you can activate the Virtual Agent Feedback setup topic so that it is applied to all your bot conversations. * Create different custom chat experiences based on the context in which your end users run Virtual Agent. The settings that you define in a custom chat experience override the default chat experience. {#va-conversation-settings-nlu__ul_gk2_3lz_tnb} {#va-conversation-settings-nlu__table_kbf_kxv_fsb__entry__2} | I want to... | See these topics | |-|-| | Display options || | Branding | [Branding your chat client](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/KI2Ck6G4ZPhtVJL8eQv8NA "Customize your chat interface with your own brand, including company logo and bot avatar, UI color schemes, fonts, and the chat support menu displayed to your users.") | | Message preview | [Enable message preview on the chat widget](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ZhzgyHF42E~i~h0ANKRCqQ "Admins can allow their end users to see a preview of any new or unread messages waiting for them when the chat window is minimized.") | | Public access | [Enable public access to the chat widget](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/jwoQSRtyJiXPmPgAvBnm0A "Enable public access to the standard chat Virtual Agent chat widget for portals.") | | Channels and routing || | Channels | [Integrating Virtual Agent with messaging apps](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/eRb4LPJNa9y6FL3hhZ_vnA "Enable users to run Virtual Agent bot conversations in supported third-party messaging apps. Use the Conversational Integration apps for Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Workplace that are available from the ServiceNow Store to configure these messaging apps on your ServiceNow instance."). | | Pre-chat surveys | [(Legacy) Define pre-chat survey configurations](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Y87UE61DD8yhDCdPHJ~0fg "Use pre-chat surveys to capture preliminary information from a customer. You can define a configuration that determines the pre-chat survey to be presented to your customers. From the responses received, Advanced Work Assignment routes chat conversations to appropriate queues and groups.") | | Context variables | [Configure context variables for storing chat-related information](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/gQUwT6EIEDTAjEgJUIgo1g "Specify chat context variables, also called Live Agent chat variables, for storing chat-related information, such as pre-chat survey responses. These variables contain contextual information that can be used to determine topic intent or control how chats are routed to live agents. You can also define variables to capture contextual information passed in Virtual Agent topic scripts to share with live agents.") | | Topic context intent | [(Legacy) Define topic context intent configurations](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ujvAz0suhEhJBcIKnDl24A "Use pre-chat survey information to determine the appropriate Virtual Agent conversation topic automatically displayed to end users (requesters), rather than prompting them to choose from a list of conversation topics.") | | System actions || | System messages | [Change Virtual Agent and Agent Chat system messages](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/pZ2ectRudPMGApqT6EvIpA "Customize the default system messages displayed during Virtual Agent conversations and Agent Chat.") | | URL navigation | [(Legacy) URL navigation in NLU](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Qb4uBLM635d857Dyj5QKZw "Use URL navigation settings to specify where and how chat links open. You can configure certain links to open in a specific portal. You can also specify the link target, such as a popup window.") | | Sensitive data detection | [(Legacy) Configuring sensitive data handler](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/LctQhj~tOGW94dkePda9Yw "Detect and mask sensitive information that is shared in Agent Chat or Virtual Agent conversations.") Note: This feature is being prepared for future deprecation. It will be hidden and no longer available for installation but will continue to be supported. For details, see the [Deprecation Process \[KB0867184\]](https://hi.service-now.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0867184) article in the Now Support knowledge base. Install the Data Privacy application as a replacement. For more information, see [Data Privacy](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=data-privacy-landing&version=brazil&pubname=brazil-platform-security&ft:locale=en-US). | | Missed activity emails | [Sending missed chat activity emails](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/yBMciXSkTZKoVDa7849LCg "Send email to users with summaries of chat messages sent to them while they were offline.") | [Table 1. General chat settings] {#va-conversation-settings-nlu__table_kbf_kxv_fsb} {#va-conversation-settings-nlu__table_grb_xf4_swb__entry__2} | I want to... | See these topics | |-|-| | Get recommendations for Virtual Agent topics based on my data | [(Legacy) Quick start for Topic Recommendations](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/qECRNya8xKBu6OX9Yq~GSw "To get recommended topics based on your data, configure analysis reports, run the reports, and then review the results. You can either add new topics to Virtual Agent or link a recommendation to an existing topic.") | | Configure performance tracking for Virtual Agent topics | [(Legacy) Create deflection configurations and patterns](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/NoXomIDiLsOrfqmtNsvmqw "Set up deflection settings to create deflection configurations and deflection patterns that you can map to deflection topic blocks in Virtual Agent conversation topics. These deflections help you to track the issues that Virtual Agent helped to resolve or actually resolved for a user.") | | Use Natural Language Understanding (NLU) for topic discovery | [(Legacy) Configure Natural Language Understanding in Virtual Agent](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/qnRA9WMcaqVE_ZYRpT9bVQ "Configure Natural Language Understanding (NLU) in Virtual Agent to identify the NLU service provider for your instance. You can also specify the languages of NLU models used during conversation design, based on the languages supported by your NLU provider and the ServiceNow AI Platform.") [Creating models](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=creating-models&version=brazil&pubname=brazil-intelligent-experiences&ft:locale=en-US) (using NLU Workbench) | | Create custom greetings and setup topics | [(Legacy) Configure a Virtual Agent NLU chat experience](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/t8lGEJO0DoLGd22Y826l~g "Change the preconfigured Virtual Agent default chat experience or create a custom chat experience for your users. You can configure setup topics, specify promoted topics, and if needed, change the search profile.") | | Determine which issues are routed to Virtual Agent first | [(Legacy) Configure and run an Issue Auto Resolution simulation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/IYFBO82CAP~OSjfA3vsopw "Use the incident data from your organization to run simulations from the matching intents that the Issue Auto Resolution application based its predictions on from the case descriptions.") | | Send notifications to users in Virtual Agent | [Configuring Virtual Agent notifications](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/DepL_oRO50kc_GMqn0nVsw "Send ServiceNow notifications directly to users via the Virtual Agent chatbot on supported messaging channels. Notifications can be simple informational messages for review, or actionable messages with buttons that users can select to perform certain actions.") [Enable Virtual Agent notifications](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/h3Cu9bWtXpdr4k2CpSWTdw "Enable Virtual Agent notifications so that your end users can receive notifications in supported Virtual Agent channels.") | | Use AI Search to return fallback results for Virtual Agent | [(Legacy) Implementing AI Search in NLU](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/QH5KxPYEAp39SZF09EQ6_w "Virtual Agent uses the ServiceNow AI Platform AI Search application to return search results in bot conversations as a fallback when there are no relevant topics to display to end users. Virtual Agent also provides a Run AI Search topic block that topic authors can use to generate search results in a topic.") | | Detect and dynamically translate Virtual Agent topics into a different language | [Language detection and dynamic machine translation in Virtual Agent in enhanced chat](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/JmcHc2dDrR4pyvO2tPfiaQ "Enable a combination of language detection and machine translation for Virtual Agent to improve the chat experience for diverse users. You can designate fallback languages for locales or dynamically translate languages that are not professionally localized or are not supported in topic discovery.") | [Table 2. Virtual Agent settings] {#va-conversation-settings-nlu__table_grb_xf4_swb} *[\>]: and then