Using standard chat on mobile

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Using standard chat on mobile

    Standard chat on mobile provides ServiceNow customers with an intuitive, text-based support experience accessible via a static chat window on their mobile devices. Enhanced by AI-powered Virtual Agent technology, it enables users to resolve issues, access knowledge articles, and request catalog items seamlessly within a single interface. This functionality is accessed through the Now Assist icon on the organization's mobile support portal or application.

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    Key Features

    • Virtual Agent Interaction: Users can type questions or describe problems in natural language. The Virtual Agent analyzes input and responds with synthesized answers, relevant knowledge articles, and suggested next steps, displaying inline citations to source information.
    • Suggested Actions: After addressing a chat topic, users receive actionable suggestions that can be initiated immediately within the conversation, carrying over relevant details.
    • Knowledge Base and External Content Citations: Responses are generated using the organization’s knowledge base, with inline links to source articles. If configured, users can also access external content connections such as Microsoft SharePoint, Confluence, Jira Cloud, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and predefined web sources, enhancing information retrieval.
    • Doc QnA: Users can upload supported document types (PDF, Word, JPEG, PNG) up to 5 MB to the chat. The Virtual Agent can then summarize or answer questions based on these documents.
    • ServiceNow AI Lens: Allows users to scan or select images from their device to extract and interpret data. Users can provide instructions on how the image should be analyzed, facilitating visual data input.
    • Web Search Mode: Enables users to search the internet directly from the chat, displaying external web results instead of internal company data. A banner indicates when this mode is active.
    • Feedback Mechanism: Users can rate Virtual Agent responses with thumbs up/down icons, helping improve support quality over time.
    • Escalation and Support Options: If issues remain unresolved, users can connect to live support agents, reset conversations, or create formal incident reports based on organizational configurations.
    • Push Notifications: Users receive notifications about progress on their submitted requests, which open the Virtual Agent chat directly when tapped.
    • People Citations: With Knowledge Graph enabled, users can find information about colleagues including profiles, contact details, and organizational relationships, accessible via inline citations within chat responses.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This mobile standard chat capability streamlines support by integrating AI-driven assistance, knowledge access, and action initiation in one place, accessible anytime via mobile devices. It enhances user productivity by providing quick, context-sensitive answers and actions, reducing the need for manual searches or multiple support channels. The inclusion of document analysis and image interpretation expands the types of user inquiries that can be handled directly within chat. Furthermore, the option to escalate unresolved issues ensures comprehensive support coverage.

    Standard chat on mobile delivers an intuitive, text-based support experience within a static chat window, enhanced by AI-powered responses and integrated knowledge resources. You can interact with a Virtual Agent to resolve issues, access knowledge articles, and request catalog items all in one place.

    Opening a standard chat

    To begin using standard chat, open your organization's support portal or application on your mobile device. Tap the chat option, which is indicated by a Now Assist icon () on your mobile home page, to bring up the chat window and initiate a conversation.

    Chatting with the Virtual Agent

    Figure 1. Standard chat
    standard chat window example with booking travel

    When chatting with the Virtual Agent, you can enter your questions or describe your issue in plain, natural language. The agent will analyze your input and respond with synthesized answers, suggest relevant knowledge articles, and provide you with suggested next steps.

    The generated responses display in-line citations to show where information was gathered from, as well as a list of any promoted actions you can take in response to the request. Only the first six lines of the response are shown, with the remaining lines accessible under the Read More button.

    If your request is unclear or ambiguous, the agent will prompt you with clarifying questions to better understand your needs, ensuring accurate and helpful guidance.

    Suggested actions

    Figure 2. Suggested actions in standard chat
    suggestions to check leave balance, block calendar, and notify teammates

    Suggested actions provide you with next steps you can take related to your Virtual Agent conversation. After completing a chat topic or request, these suggestions appear under a Here's what you can do next header. Selecting a suggested action initiates it directly in the same conversation, carrying over any relevant details such as your name.

    For more information on configuration, see Now Assist in Virtual Agent system properties

    Knowledge base citations

    Virtual Agent generates its responses using your organization’s knowledge base articles. You can tap inline citations to view the ServiceNow knowledge articles that were used to generate the response.

    External content connections citations

    Figure 3. External citations
    list of record citations
    If external search sources have been configured by your organization, you can search through external content connections. This can include information from attachments and knowledge blocks, or from the following list of content connections:
    • Microsoft SharePoint
    • Confluence
    • Atlassian Jira Cloud
    • Google Drive
    • Microsoft Teams
    • Predefined web sources
    • ServiceNow documentation
    • Slack

    Sources display with icons that indicate the type of record type each source is, such as a table, PDF, incident report, and so on For more information about external content connections, see External Content Connectors.

    Doc QnA

    Figure 4. Mobile Doc QnA
    Now Assist summary of an attached PDF

    Doc QnA enables you to upload documents to your Virtual Agent conversation. Now Assist can then generate a summary or answer questions using the document you provided.

    The assistant can analyze file formats including text and image files such as PDF, Word (.doc, .docx), JPEG, and PNG. The maximum file size of a file is 5 megabytes (MB).

    To attach a file to your conversation, tap the plus icon () in your search bar.

    ServiceNow AI Lens

    ServiceNow AI Lens leverages generative AI to scan, extract, and interpret data from your mobile device.

    When you start a new Virtual Agent chat, select Show all my options to view the option to open ServiceNow AI Lens. Now Assist then gives you the option to choose an existing image or open your camera app to take a new photo. Once an image is selected, Now Assist allows you to input additional directions for how the image should be analyzed.

    For more information, see ServiceNow AI Lens for mobile.

    Web search mode

    Figure 5. Mobile web search mode
    Virtual Agent displaying internet search results

    Web search mode in Now Assist enables you to search the internet directly from within your chat, displaying external results rather than internal company information. Select the Start web search mode icon () to enter web search mode.

    While active, all user queries are answered using internet search results, and a banner shows that web search mode is enabled. The identifying banner disappears once web search mode is ended. For additional information, see Using Now Assist web search on mobile.

    Feedback and additional support

    The chat experience is further enhanced by feedback mechanisms that invite you to rate the Virtual Agent responses with thumbs up or down icons. This feedback helps to continually improve the quality and relevance of the support provided.

    If you find that your issue can’t be resolved through the Virtual Agent alone, the system is designed to offer further assistance by connecting you to a live support agent, allowing you to reset the conversation, or enabling you to create a formal incident report, depending on how your organization has configured the support environment.

    Push notifications

    Figure 6. Virtual Agent push notifications
    Virtual Agent push notifications on a phone locked screen

    When progress has been made on a request submitted via Virtual Agent, you’ll receive a push notification. Tapping the notification opens the Virtual Agent chat in your mobile app.

    People citations

    Figure 7. People citations in standard chat
    User asking Now Assist for information on an employee named Alisa

    You can find information about people in your organization if you have Knowledge Graph activated. The system displays up to three possible matches, with inline citations and a Sources section for more details. Selecting a person's name takes you to their user profile, while selecting the numbered citation shows a popover with details like manager, location, email, teams, phone, and shared files.

    Additional resources

    For more detailed information on all of standard chat’s specific skills, see Standard chat.

    For information on configuring Virtual Agent, see Configuring assistants overview.