---
sourceDocument: Australia Conversational Interfaces
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/conversational-interfaces

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Conversational Interfaces

ft:clusterId :

    - convint

bundleId :

    - convint

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Configuring Virtual Agent notifications

# Configuring Virtual Agent notifications {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 5 minutes to read

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## Summary of Configuring Virtual Agent notifications

Virtual Agent notifications allow ServiceNow users to receive notifications directly through the Virtual Agent chatbot across various messaging platforms.
These notifications can be simple informational messages or actionable messages with interactive buttons, enhancing user engagement and responsiveness.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Features

* **Notification Types:** Users can receive simple notifications (immediate and informational) and actionable notifications (involving user actions). Virtual Agent Lite users can only access simple notifications.
* **Customizability:** Admins can define notification layouts, customize message headings and content, and incorporate dynamic content through parameter substitution.
* **Queue Management:** Actionable notifications are stored in a queue for up to eight hours and are delivered when users are not actively chatting with a virtual or live agent.
* **Dynamic Content:** Notifications can include dynamic elements sourced from multiple data sources and can utilize scripts for enhanced personalization.
* **Processing Controls:** There are limits on the number of recipients and notifications per day, which can be adjusted through system properties.

## Key Outcomes

By configuring Virtual Agent notifications, customers can:

* Enhance user experience by providing timely and relevant notifications.
* Encourage user actions through interactive notifications.
* Manage notification subscriptions effectively for end users.
* Customize notifications to align with organizational needs and improve engagement.

Next steps include creating and defining notification content, configuring delivery channels, and ensuring notifications are enabled for users in supported messaging environments.  
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.

Notifications are sent to recipients via the Virtual Agent bot in the chat widget, pre-built messaging integrations (for example, SMS Twilio, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Workplace from Facebook services, and Facebook Messenger messaging platform), and custom chat integrations.

Notification functionality is included with the Glide Virtual Agent
(com.glide.cs.chatbot) plugin and also with Virtual Agent Lite, which is
included with the ServiceNow AI Platform. However, Virtual Agent Lite
users can receive only simple notifications, while Virtual Agent users
can receive both actionable notifications and simple notifications. Users with no
associated ServiceNow profiles in the \[sys_user\] table can receive
non-actionable Virtual Agent notifications.

## How Virtual Agent notifications work {#configuring-va-notifications__section_xjg_h12_h4b}

As an admin, you can define different types of notifications that have specific layouts and content. You can also customize certain aspects of notification content, such as the message heading and message content.

Simple notifications
:   The content can be a standard informational message, record card, or an
    image card. Simple notifications are delivered to users immediately,
    even when they're engaged in a conversation with a virtual or live
    agent.

Actionable notifications

:   These notifications have buttons that enable the recipient to perform
    certain actions, such as adding a comment or requesting a live
    agent. When you create an actionable notification, you associate an
    action with a published Virtual Agent topic, a
    scriptable action, or a flow action that handles the action to be
    performed. To encourage users to act on a notification, admin users
    can choose to remove the Skip option. If the
    user still doesn't act, the conversation will be completed as
    inactive.

    Note:  
    The notifications are actionable only when there is an associated link action to its content.

    Actionable notifications are delivered to users when they're not in
    an active conversation with a virtual or live agent. A queue stores
    actionable notifications that are waiting to be delivered, for up to
    eight hours by default.  
    Actionable notifications are best suited for conversational purposes, such as:

    * Password reset
    * Incident update
    * Approval request
    * Course survey
    * Service follow-ups and surveys
    * Employee onboarding follow-ups
    {#configuring-va-notifications__ul_spl_h2k_yqb}

    When a topic conversation completes, Virtual Agent
    automatically prompts the user to view pending notifications (if
    any). Admins can suppress this prompt by setting the com.glide.cs.show_pending_notifications_prompt
    property on the System Properties table to false.

Notifications with dynamic content
:   You can personalize Virtual Agent notifications by adding
    dynamic content to message headers and messages. For record- and
    event-based notifications, you use parameter substitution to specify the
    variables that identify the record values (from the notification table)
    to be included in the content.

Advanced notifications with dynamic content
:   You can create Virtual Agent notifications that use a
    script to add dynamic content in message headers and messages. The
    content can come from multiple data sources and include third-party
    services, such as URL shortening.

Variables in notifications
:   You can pass information to a completed survey when the notification is triggered. Context is defined by the script found in the notification topic. This script cannot be
    modified.

        vaVars.global_notification_context = 
          JSON.stringify({
            'tableName': table_name, 
                'tableSysId': sys_id, 
                'actionId': actionId, 
                'eventParm1': eventParm1, 
                'eventParm2': eventParm2});

    Notifications are triggered by records updates or by creating a platform event in the event queue. `actionId` is the ID number for the action. The platform
    event takes in the `eventParm1` and `eventParm2` parameters. If a notification is triggered, the parameters are passed to the topic. To capture the notification incident number in your
    topic, use the following script.

        var notificationContext = JSON.parse(vaVars.global_notification_context);
        vaVars.sysId = notificationContext.tableSysId;
        varVars.tableName = notificationContext.tableName;

## Notification processing {#configuring-va-notifications__section_q2n_xyt_hsb}

Virtual Agent notifications have certain processing controls and
limitations, such as the maximum number of recipients allowed per notification and
the number of notifications that can be sent per day. The following table identifies
these processing controls and the system properties that can be used to change their
default values.  
{#configuring-va-notifications__table_ly5_b15_hsb__entry__3}

| Notification processing control or limitation | Default value | Associated system property |
|-|-|-|
| Maximum number of recipients per notification per channel | 100,000 recipients | com.glide.cs.per_notification_user_limit Max limit: None Note: * If there are more recipients than the configured number, warning messages are displayed to reduce the recipient list while you're configuring the notification and when the notification is delivered. The warnings are displayed only when there is Virtual Agent content associated with the notification. * Recipient limits may apply to third-party delivery channels based on the level of service or subscription. {#configuring-va-notifications__ul_k5n_z34_vwb} |
| Maximum number of notifications per day, per channel | 100,000 notifications | com.glide.cs.daily_notification_limit Max limit: None Note: Rate limits may apply to third-party delivery channels based on the level of service or subscription. |
| Lifespan of actionable notifications (a queue stores actionable notifications that are waiting to be delivered) | 8 hours | com.glide.cs.idle_actionable_notification_timer Note: You can specify a maximum value of 72 hours. |
| Allow access to notification card content and parameter substitutions in notification headings and messages | False (not enabled) | com.glide.cs.notification_record_access_check Note: This property does not apply to advanced notifications. |
[Table 1. Virtual Agent notification processing controls and limitations]

{#configuring-va-notifications__table_ly5_b15_hsb}

## Notification experience for end users {#configuring-va-notifications__section_okn_c5d_h4b}

The notification experience for end users depends on the type of notification that they're receiving. End users can also manage how their notifications are delivered by subscribing to or unsubscribing from notifications.

* Simple message notifications - These notifications are delivered immediately to the end user, even when the user is chatting with a bot or live agent. The user sees the incoming message but can continue with the current conversation.
* Actionable notifications - These notifications are delivered only when the user is not in an active conversation with a virtual or live agent. When users complete their conversation with a bot or live agent, they can use the Show notification command to view a list of pending notifications, which displays the heading of each notification. Users can select a pending notification to review, then perform the appropriate action for the notification, or skip the action.
{#configuring-va-notifications__ul_frc_fzd_h4b}

## User subscriptions for notifications {#configuring-va-notifications__section_myv_45d_h4b}

End users can subscribe or unsubscribe to notifications on the channel that they're
using. For example, the chat menu provides a toggle switch that users can use to
subscribe or unsubscribe to notifications on the web channel.

In the conversational integrations for Slack, Microsoft Teams, Workplace from Facebook services, end
users manage their notification subscriptions by using the
Subscribe and Unsubscribe
commands.

## What to do next {#configuring-va-notifications__section_yyc_wdl_h4b}

* **[Create Virtual Agent notifications](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/F~_4ocuEmbKhCE4kFH5fKA)**   
  Create a notification that is sent directly to users via the Virtual Agent chatbot. The notification specifies when users receive the notification (triggers for the notification) and who receives it (recipients with and without accounts in the User \[sys_user\] table).
* **[Create additional recipients for Virtual Agent notifications](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/4cM396JWi0u2ThoqhiU~Iw)**   
  Create and define additional recipients for a Virtual Agent notification to be delivered on chat channels or messaging channels.
* **[Define Virtual Agent notification contents](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/7pV7~QZVPTSRoMxCdnJBcQ)**   
  Create the content for a Virtual Agent notification delivered in a chat or messaging channel.
* **[Configure a delivery channel for Virtual Agent notification](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ClSwGIzKbxx3ewzybbuPJA)**   
  Configure a delivery channel for Virtual Agent notifications by specifying the messaging channel information to send notifications to users.
* **[Define Virtual Agent notification actions](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/VAjpSB19t__DRZbMAnpj5w)**   
  Create the actions for a Virtual Agent chat or messaging channel to send actionable notifications.
* **[Define the Virtual Agent link actions to notification content](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Rmemh00mtsaFOXPXOycHCA)**   
  Create the link actions for Virtual Agent notification content to be delivered in a chat or messaging channel as actionable notifications.
* **[Enable Virtual Agent notifications](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/hYicjZqk1IgicQ6tVL_o9A)**   
  Enable Virtual Agent notifications so that your end users can receive notifications in supported Virtual Agent channels.