Getting work from chats

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Getting work from chats

    ServiceNow's agent inbox enables agents to efficiently manage incoming work items such as chats, cases, and incidents from a centralized interface. Agents access the inbox via the navigation bar and handle work routed through designated service channels. When a chat is accepted, an interaction record is created to capture the session’s details and activities.

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    Agent Responsibilities

    • Monitor your inbox: Agents track incoming work items routed to them, including chat requests and case assignments.
    • Start a chat session: Agents accept chats within a time limit before rerouting occurs. During chats, agents can add attachments, transfer or add agents, create incidents or cases, and use workspace tools like the ribbon and activity stream to access relevant information.

    Agent Inbox Features

    • Agent inbox: Displays queues assigned to the agent, showing active chat counts and average wait times.
    • Active chat panel: Presents the current chat session with action options including attaching files, transferring chats, and adding agents. It can show conversation history restricted to prior interactions with the requester or cross-channel histories from platforms like Facebook Messenger, Slack, WhatsApp, and others.
    • Customer sentiments: Visual indicators of the customer’s emotional tone help agents proactively address negative shifts.
    • Toolbar: Provides quick access to actions such as transferring to queues or agents, attaching files, dynamic translation (if enabled), and other overflow actions, tailored by configuration.
    • Interaction record (IMS): Captures initial customer and communication details. Agents can archive these records or escalate the interaction by creating incidents or cases.
    • Action buttons: Enable common tasks like creating incidents, ending conversations, saving progress, ending chats, or assigning work to oneself; availability depends on setup.
    • Attachments panel: Facilitates adding supporting files and templates to enrich the interaction record.
    • Ongoing messages tab: Tracks messaging-based service channels with unread message indicators and provides quick access to active conversations via cards.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    Using the agent inbox streamlines work assignment and chat management, ensuring timely responses and efficient handling of customer interactions. The integrated interaction records and workspace tools help agents maintain context and escalate issues appropriately, improving service quality and customer satisfaction. Cross-channel conversation histories and sentiment analysis empower agents to deliver informed and empathetic support.

    Use the agent inbox to manage your incoming work items, such as chats, cases, incidents, and more.

    To open the agent inbox, select the Inbox Inbox icon in the Navigation panel icon in the navigation bar. When you accept a chat, an interaction record is automatically created and captures the work done in that session.
    Table 1. Inbox responsibilities
    Agent responsibilities Description
    Monitor your inbox Use designated service channels to route work items to available agents, such as incoming chat requests, case assignments, and incidents.
    Start a chat session Accept a chat from your inbox. You have a time limit to accept a chat before it reroutes to another agent. The chat associates to an interaction record that captures the conversation and work done during the session.
    During a chat session, you can:
    • Add attachments using the Action toolbar.
    • Transfer the chat to another agent.
    • Add another agent to the chat.
    • Perform other support tasks, such as create an incident or case.
    • Use workspace tools, such as the ribbon to glance at information or the activity stream to review related work.

    Agent inbox features


    Inbox screenshot with callouts for inbox, toolbar, active chat panel, interaction record, attachments, and buttons.
    Feature Description
    (A) Agent inbox Display the queues that are assigned to you, the number of active chats in each queue, and the average wait time for chats in the queue.
    (B) Active chat panel
    Display your active chat session. Chat actions appear beneath the chat and allow your agents to attach a file, add an agent, transfer the chat, and more. Depending on your configuration, these may display:
    • Conversation history: messages from previous conversations appear. Only previous conversations between you and the requester appear.
    • Cross-channel conversation history: messages from all channels (including Facebook Messenger, LINE, Slack, Twilio SMS, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, and Voice) will appear.
    • Customer sentiments: feelings of the customer (positive, neutral, negative, null (no value assessed)). Customer sentiments let you identify if a user's sentiment is moving from neutral/positive to negative so you can take action to move them back to a more positive sentiment.
    • Start and end messages that include icons indicating the channel used for the conversation (chat, phone, or messaging):
      Types of channels.
    (C) Toolbar Display buttons for available actions:
    • Quick actions Quick action icon - select to display the quick action menu.
    • Transfer to queue Transfer to queue icon - select to transfer the conversation to the queue.
    • Transfer to agent Transfer to agent icon - select to transfer the conversation to an agent.
    • Attach Attachment icon - select to add an attachment to the conversation.
    • Dynamic Translation for Agent Chat enabled Globe icon for dynamic translation - displays if DTAC is enabled.
    • Overflow Overflow button - select to display any additional actions.
    Note:
    Not all buttons may be available.
    (D) Interaction record Display the interaction record (IMS). The IMS initiates from a chat or phone call and lists the initial information about the customer and the communication. You can archive this interaction as a log of communication, or you can create an incident or a case that is based on the customer needs.
    (E) Buttons Perform an action by selecting a button:
    • Create Incident
    • End Conversation
    • Save
    • End Chat
    • Assign to Me
    Note:
    Not all buttons may be available.
    (F) Attachments panel Add attachments to the interaction. For example, you can add supporting information to a customer issue. If templates are available, they appear in the template section of this panel.

    Ongoing messages

    The Ongoing messages tab displays when you have access to at least one presence state which includes a messaging-based service channel.
    Screen shot with ongoing messages.

    Select the clock Clock icon icon to display cards for ongoing messages. If the clock icon has a number in the upper right-hand corner Clock icon, this number indicates the number of messaging conversations with unread messages. If a card has a green dot, there is a new message for that messaging conversation. The card also displays the interaction number and when the last update was made on the conversation.