Virtual Agent feature support in Microsoft Teams conversations

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated August 6, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Virtual Agent feature support in Microsoft Teams conversations

    The Virtual Agent integration with Microsoft Teams enhances conversational capabilities by supporting various Virtual Agent features within Teams chats. This enables ServiceNow customers to deliver interactive, AI-driven conversations, notifications, and search results directly inside Microsoft Teams, improving user engagement and operational efficiency.

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    Key Features

    • Emojis and Text: From Version 4.0.1, emojis sent by users in chats appear on the agent workspace, though emoji rendering may differ between platforms.
    • Message Pagination: Microsoft Teams limits message size; administrators can configure character limits to control pagination via system properties.
    • AI Search Results: Virtual Agent can display AI Search results as Genius cards and multi-link outputs, primarily for Q&A content like Knowledge Base and catalog items, with user feedback options.
    • URL Navigation in Chat Links: Links to ServiceNow records open in base system portals by default, with administrator-configurable options to change target portals.
    • Masking Sensitive Data: Starting Version 2.0.0, user-entered passwords in password reset dialogs are masked in Teams conversations to enhance security.
    • File Uploads: Since Version 2.0.0, users can attach files using the paper clip icon in Teams chats.
    • Trusted Domains: Trusted media domains configured in the Provider Channel Identities table override values in the Connections table, affecting media handling.
    • Catalog Item Requests: From Version 4.1.0, users can request catalog items directly within Teams via a pop-up Task Module, allowing item viewing and request submission without leaving Teams.
    • Custom Branding: Administrators can customize the Now Virtual Agent bot branding within Microsoft Teams to align with organizational identity.
    • HTML Rendering: Only Microsoft Teams-supported HTML tags in Virtual Agent messages are rendered properly, ensuring message consistency.
    • Message Streaming: Introduced in Version 5.1.0, streaming allows partial real-time message delivery with loading indicators for long responses, enhancing user experience; enabling requires a change request and incurs additional transaction costs.
    • Virtual Agent Designer Controls: User input and bot response controls, including table, card (with images), and image responses, are supported within Teams conversations.
    • Virtual Agent Notifications: Teams supports Virtual Agent notifications during conversations to keep users informed.

    Important Considerations

    • There are unsupported Virtual Agent features within Microsoft Teams; customers should refer to specific documentation for details.
    • The Custom Control utility is not supported in Microsoft Teams conversations and will cause failures.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    This integration enables ServiceNow customers to seamlessly extend Virtual Agent capabilities into Microsoft Teams, facilitating more interactive and secure conversations, enhanced search, file sharing, and catalog management directly within Teams. Administrators have control over message handling, branding, and portal navigation to tailor the experience to organizational needs. The message streaming feature improves responsiveness for users during longer interactions, though it requires explicit enablement and consideration of transaction costs.

    The Microsoft Teams app supports Virtual Agent features, such as Virtual Agent Designer controls for creating conversations, notifications, AI Search results, and more.

    Emojis and text

    Starting with Version 4.0.1, when a user chats with a live agent and sends a message that contains emojis, the text gets delivered and the emoji is displayed on the agent workspace.
    Note:
    Due to the difference in the platforms (app or web browser) used by the end user and the live agent, there's a difference between the emojis that are sent by the end user and the emojis that are received by the live agent.

    A user can understand how emojis look like in a chat conversation and in the Agent Workspace from the following examples.

    Figure 1. Emojis in a chat conversation
    Emojis appear in line with text as the user enters them.
    Figure 2. Emojis in Agent Workspace
    Live agents may see slightly different emojis in Agent Workspace.

    Message pagination

    Microsoft Teams has a limit on the maximum message size before paginating the message. You can adjust the number of characters allowed in a message before paginating by going to the system properties [sys_properties] table and setting the number in the system property sn_va_teams.picker_char_limit.

    AI Search results

    Now Assist in Virtual Agent can generate AI Search results that are displayed as Genius result cards and multi-link outputs in conversations. For details on how Virtual Agent generates AI Search results, see Improving the user experience with AI Search. The default AI Search configuration for Virtual Agent enables search results for Q&A (Knowledge Base and catalog items). The user has the option to like or dislike the information presented in the card. For more information, see Genius Results.

    URL navigation for chat links

    In the Virtual Agent and Live Agent conversations on the Microsoft Teams app, the links to ServiceNow records open automatically in base system portals, including the links that are displayed in the output cards, Virtual Agent notifications, and AI Search results. If needed, as the administrator, you can change the portals where these links are opened in. For configuration details, see Configure URL navigation for chat links.

    Masking of sensitive user data

    Starting with Version 2.0.0, passwords that are entered by users and confirmed in bot responses are masked during the password reset conversations in the Microsoft Teams app.

    A user can understand how a password is masked in Microsoft Teams from the following example.
    Figure 3. Example of password masking
    When the user enters their password in a Microsoft Teams conversation, the characters are hidden by dots.

    Support for file uploads

    Starting with Version 2.0.0, users can upload their file attachments with the paper clip icon Paper clip icon. in the Microsoft Teams conversations.

    A user can learn to attach an icon in the Microsoft Teams chat window from the following example.
    Figure 4. File attachment support
    User selects the paper clip icon in the chat window to upload a file.

    Trusted domains

    The values that are specified in the Trusted media domains field of the Provider Channel Identities table [sys_cs_provider_application] take precedence over the Connections table [sys_cs_provider] and overrides its values.

    Catalog opening experience in Microsoft Teams conversations

    Starting with Version 4.1.0, users can request a catalog item from the Microsoft Teams app during a conversation.

    A user can select the Request this item button in a conversation with Microsoft Teams that opens the catalog item in a pop-up window, the Task Module, where the user can view the information of the item and submit the request within Microsoft Teams.

    The following examples show how a user can request and then view a catalog item.

    Figure 5. Request Catalog item
    Catalog item displays on a card in the conversation. Users can select "Request this item" to open the pop-up window where they can complete the request.
    Figure 6. View Catalog item
    Catalog item displays in a pop-over window, where the user can view details and make the request.

    Custom branding in the Microsoft Teams application

    Microsoft Teams supports app customization, which enables you, as the administrator, to customize the branding of the Now Virtual Agent bot in the Conversational Integration with Microsoft Teams. To learn more about app customization, see these resources:

    HTML rendering in Microsoft Teams

    When a Virtual Agent sends a message in Microsoft Teams with HTML tags, only those HTML tags supported by Microsoft Teams are rendered as normal tags.

    For more information about the Microsoft Teams supported HTML tags for bot messages, see Formatting bot messages.

    Message streaming in Microsoft Teams

    Starting with Version 5.1.0, the new message streaming feature is available for Microsoft Teams. With this capability, when a user submits a query in Microsoft Teams, they receive status updates of their requests, if the response time is longer.

    A loading indicator is displayed to let the user know the response is being generated. Once ready, the response is delivered in real-time, appearing in smaller chunks as it's processed. This allows the user to start reading the message immediately, instead of waiting for the entire message to load, and enhances the user experience.

    Note:
    • To enable the streaming feature, raise a change request for Virtual Agent integration with Microsoft Teams.
    • Enabling this feature will result in additional iHub transaction costs.

    Custom controls in Microsoft Teams

    Using the Custom Control utility will cause failure in Microsoft Teams conversations with the message channel is not supported. See Custom control utility for more information on the utility.