Exploring other Virtual Agent features

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Exploring other Virtual Agent features

    This guide outlines advanced features available in ServiceNow Virtual Agent beyond basic topic creation and scripting. These features help ServiceNow customers enhance conversation design, improve user experience, and expand Virtual Agent’s deployment and integration capabilities across channels and workflows.

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    Key Features

    • Deploy Virtual Agent in multiple channels: Virtual Agent can run not only in the default chat widget but also in other channels. While some controls like carousel input may be limited, conversation flows can be customized per channel.
    • Link unfurling: Virtual Agent supports generating rich content previews when sharing supported links within chat widgets, mobile devices, and other channels, improving conversational context and engagement.
    • AI Search integration: When user input does not match any keyword or intent, AI Search can be enabled as a fallback to provide relevant search results, enhancing the end-user experience.
    • Reusable topic blocks: Create centralized, reusable topic blocks to avoid duplicating common functionality across multiple topics, simplifying maintenance and consistency.
    • Custom controls: Develop custom input and response controls when built-in Assistant Designer Asset library controls do not meet specific conversation requirements.
    • Workflow Studio integration: Incorporate secure workflows created in Workflow Studio within Virtual Agent topics, supporting sensitive inputs such as passwords via the password2 data type.
    • Agent Chat handoff: Configure Virtual Agent to seamlessly escalate conversations to live agents when necessary for complex interactions.
    • Incident Auto-Resolution: Automatically initiate Virtual Agent conversations to resolve incidents submitted via email or Service Portal if applicable topics exist.
    • Localization: Use the ServiceNow Localization Framework to translate topics and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) models for multilingual support.
    • NLU Workbench Advanced Features: Enhance the management and improvement of NLU models by leveraging advanced capabilities available through the ServiceNow Store.
    • Integration with portals, apps, and REST API: Extend Virtual Agent’s reach by embedding it into existing portals, applications, or any chat interface using the Virtual Agent REST API for standalone or multi-bot environments.

    Practical Benefits

    • Expand Virtual Agent’s availability beyond ServiceNow’s chat widget to meet users where they are.
    • Improve conversational relevance and engagement with link previews and AI-powered fallback search.
    • Streamline conversation design and reduce maintenance effort using reusable topic blocks and custom controls.
    • Securely handle sensitive data and integrate complex workflows to automate business processes.
    • Enhance customer support with live agent escalation and automated incident resolution.
    • Support global users through localization and multilingual NLU capabilities.
    • Build versatile chatbot solutions by integrating Virtual Agent with existing tools and platforms via REST API.

    Additional Resources

    ServiceNow offers community forums, Virtual Agent Academy, and access to advanced NLU Workbench features via the ServiceNow Store to support customers in customizing and maximizing Virtual Agent capabilities.

    After creating topics with the basic Assistant Designer Asset library controls and scripting, you can also enhance conversation functionality and topic maintenance by using additional Virtual Agent features.

    After learning the basics, here are some other Virtual Agent features that may help you improve your authoring and end-user experience.

    Deploy Virtual Agent in other channels
    By default, Virtual Agent runs in a chat widget, but you can also run it in other channels. While some features may not be available in certain channels (such as the carousel user input control), you can customize your conversation flow to accommodate these differences.
    Use link unfurling in Virtual Agent
    Virtual Agent supports link unfurling on the chat widget, mobile devices, and various channels. Link unfurling generates a content-rich preview when a supported link is shared in a conversation with a user, a virtual agent, or in a text-based bot response.
    Improve the user experience with AI Search
    What happens when a user utterance isn't matched to a keyword or intent? Enable AI Search as a fallback so that the user sees a list of search results as a response when no other match is found.
    Maximize code reuse with topic blocks
    Rather than duplicate common functionality in multiple topics, you can create reusable topic blocks that you can reference in many topics. This allows you to maintain frequently used functionality in one central location.
    Customize Virtual Agent with custom controls
    If a Assistant Designer Asset library control doesn't quite work for what you want to achieve, create a custom control. You can create your own controls to accept input from the conversation, as well as custom response controls to handle the output. Use these controls within topics to handle specialized tasks.
    Integrate Virtual Agent with Workflow Studio workflows
    If your company is using Workflow Studio to create workflows, you can integrate them into Virtual Agent. You may need to do this if your conversations require you to pass secure inputs, such as a password. Workflow Studio actions and subflows support the password2 data type, which lets you pass the input securely.
    Use Virtual Agent with Agent Chat
    Customize Virtual Agent to hand off some conversations to a live agent when needed.
    Use Virtual Agent for Incident Auto-Resolution
    Initiate a Virtual Agent conversation with an end user after they submit an incident through email or the ServiceNow® Service Portal if an existing Virtual Agent topic can resolve the issue.
    Localize Virtual Agent topics
    Use the ServiceNow Localization Framework to translate topics and NLU models into other languages.
    NLU Workbench - Advanced Features
    Expand the functionality of NLU Workbench to help you manage and improve your models. NLU Workbench - Advanced Features is available from the ServiceNow Store.
    Integrate Virtual Agent with other portals and apps
    Integrate and extend the capabilities of Virtual Agent by connecting to your employees and customers where they already are.
    Use Virtual Agent REST API in a standalone or multi-bot environment
    Integrate any chat interface or bot using this REST API that is available in the ServiceNow Store.

    Additional resources

    Take advantage of the following ServiceNow® resources to help you customize your Virtual Agent: