Deploying Virtual Agent topics in other channels

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Deploying Virtual Agent topics in other channels

    This guide details how to deploy Virtual Agent topics across different chat channels, allowing for enhanced interaction with end users. It explains how to specify channels during the conversation design process and the built-in guardrails that assist in tailoring conversations appropriately for each channel.

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    Key Features

    • Channel Specification: When creating or editing topics, you can define which chat channels the topic will operate in using the Additional channel support field.
    • Built-in Guardrails: Virtual Agent Designer provides checks to ensure that the controls used in conversation flows are valid for the specified channels.
    • Custom Channels: Supports custom channels through conversational custom chat integrations, allowing integration with third-party messaging providers.
    • Channel Availability: Administrators can view available channels via the Supported Channels filter in the Topics page or the Messaging Channels table.

    Key Outcomes

    By effectively deploying topics across various channels, ServiceNow customers can enhance user engagement and ensure that conversations are tailored to the specific capabilities of each chat interface. This results in a seamless user experience and maximizes the utility of the Virtual Agent across different platforms.

    When creating a topic or topic block, you can specify the chat channels in which the topic or topic block will run. During conversation design, Virtual Agent Designer provides built-in guardrails to help you tailor your conversations to those channels.

    In Virtual Agent, a channel is a chat interface or application in which Virtual Agent interacts with end users. Default channels are the chat applications natively supported by Virtual Agent, such as the Slack, Microsoft Teams, Workplace, and Facebook Messenger applications, and the web and mobile clients. Virtual Agent also supports custom channels created through the conversational custom chat integrations feature, which enables third-party applications (other chat providers) to work in Virtual Agent.

    For example, admins can build a custom conversational chat integration for a specific messaging provider, such as Skype. Admins also define the controls that can be used in topics that run in these channels. For details about creating channels for chat providers and specifying the controls used in a channel, see Conversational custom chat integrations.

    Specifying channels in your topics or topic blocks

    When you create or edit a topic or topic block, you can specify the applicable channels in the Additional channel support field of the Topic Properties page. Applicable channels are the custom channels created for your instance through the conversational custom chat integrations. Use this field to specify chat clients in which the topic or topic block will run.

    Figure 1. Additional channel support field in the Topic Properties page
    The Topic Properties page displaying the Additional channel support field along with the Additional channel support pop-up.

    During conversation design, Virtual Agent checks the various controls used to build the conversation flow to confirm that the control is valid for the channels in which the topic or block will run.

    Design checks for specified channels during conversation design

    When you're designing your conversation, built-in guardrails identify the Virtual Agent Designer controls that are not suited for the custom channels that you specified in the Topic Properties page. These messages are displayed in the following views:
    • Properties tab (Topic Properties page)

      In the following example, Skype and SMS are the additional channels in which the topic will run. The banner message identifies the controls that are not supported on the channels for the topic. As you develop the conversation flow, you can revise your conversation so that it does not use any of the specified controls for your selected channels.

      Figure 2. Topic Properties tab with defined channels
      Virtual Agent Designer topic properties page with banner message and defined channels.
    • Flow tab (Virtual Agent Designer canvas)

      In the following example flow, the banner message identifies the controls that are not supported for the specified channels. The property sheet for the affected nodes also displays a message indicating that the control is not supported. For example, when you highlight a particular node (control) in the flow, the associated property sheet for the node indicates that the control is not supported in the Skype and SMS channels.

      If you have controls that cannot be used, you can branch the flow so that you can continue building the flow with the controls that are supported.

      Figure 3. Topic Flow tab with channel warnings
      Virtual Agent Designer conversation builder interface, with unsupported controls for messaging channels flagged on the flow tab and detailed in a pop-up message.

    Finding the channels available in your instance

    To see a list of the available channels in your instance, use the Supported Channels filter in the Topics page in Virtual Agent Designer (Conversational Interfaces > Virtual Agent > Designer). The Messaging Channels [sys_cs_channel] table also shows the available channels.
    Note:
    If no channels are configured for the instance, this filter is not displayed.
    Figure 4. Supported Channels filter in the Topics page
    Virtual Agent Designer Supported Channels filter in the Topics page.

    The default channels in Virtual Agent are the web chat and mobile clients and also the Virtual Agent messaging integrations for the Slack, Microsoft Teams, Workplace, and Facebook Messenger messaging applications. In the previous example, SMS is an available chat channel that was created for your instance through a conversational chat integration. When you choose a channel, the Topics page lists your topics (cards) by channel type. For more information, see Conversational custom chat integrations.