Agent help request for voice calls

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Agent help request for voice calls

    The agent help request feature enables agents to request supervisor assistance during active customer voice calls within ServiceNow. Agents can submit help requests with specific reasons and comments to provide context. Supervisors receive real-time notifications and can respond by silently monitoring, coaching, or barging into the call to assist. Agents can cancel requests anytime before supervisor engagement, and all help request interactions are recorded for reporting and analysis.

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    Key Features

    • Submit help requests with customizable reasons and comments during active calls.
    • Cancel help requests before supervisor intervention if the issue resolves.
    • Receive real-time notifications when supervisors coach or barge in.
    • View supervisor name and phone number clearly labeled as Coaching or Barge In.
    • Track detailed help request metrics including reason, frequency, duration, and supervisor involvement.
    • Automatic cancellation of help requests upon completing Consult or Blind transfers.
    • Configurable phone directory tabs (Agents, Queues, External) based on CCaaS provider settings to ensure supported transfer options.
    • Real-time availability status updates of agents during call transfers to support informed transfer decisions.

    Configuration and Dependencies

    To enable and use help requests effectively, customers must:

    • Enable call monitoring capabilities integrated with native call controls via Interaction Controls Component (ICC) and OpenFrame.
    • Engage in active calls with configured voice controls and supervisor actions through CCaaS platform integration.
    • Enable real-time UI updates for status and notifications.
    • Configure reporting infrastructure to capture help request metrics for analysis.

    Roles and Actions

    • Agent: Submits and cancels help requests during calls to get supervisor support.
    • Supervisor/Manager/Coach: Receives help requests and can silently monitor, coach, or barge into calls with appropriate permissions.

    Typical Usage Scenarios

    • Submitting a Help Request: Agent clicks Help Request button, provides reason and description, then submits to notify the supervisor.
    • Canceling a Help Request: Agent cancels the request if the issue resolves before supervisor engagement.
    • Silent Monitoring: Supervisor listens to the call without agent or customer awareness to assess the situation.
    • Coaching: Supervisor talks to the agent in listen-only mode with the customer unaware, providing guidance.
    • Barge In: Supervisor joins the call to directly assist agent and customer, ending the intervention when resolved.

    Supervisors can perform these actions sequentially during one interaction, completing one before moving to the next.

    Agents can request supervisor assistance during active customer calls by submitting help requests with context and reason. They receive real-time notifications when supervisors coach or barge in to help them resolve customer issues.

    Agent help request overview

    The help request feature lets agents request supervisor assistance during active calls. Agents can submit help requests with specific reasons and comments to provide context before the supervisors respond. They receive real-time notifications when supervisors join the call. Agents can cancel help requests anytime before a supervisor engagement. All help request events are recorded for reporting and analysis.

    The following are some key functionality:
    • Submit help requests with customizable reasons and comments
    • Cancel help requests before supervisor engagement if the issue resolves
    • Receive notifications when supervisors coach or barge in on your call
    • View supervisor name and phone number with clear Coaching or Barge In labels
    • Track help-request metrics including reason, frequency, duration, and supervisor involvement
    • Automatically cancel help requests when completing Consult or Blind transfer actions
    • Configure phone directory to show or hide Agents, Queues, or External tabs based on CCaaS provider settings. Agents see tabs enabled by the CCaaS provider, preventing transfers to unsupported numbers.
    • While handling a customer call, agents can now see accurate availability status for other agents, supporting informed transfer decisions. Agent availability status updates in the transfer list and phone directory in real-time during call transfers.

    Dependencies

    Enable the following capabilities to view and use the call monitoring features in the Active call and Global call windows:
    • Enable the call monitoring capability when integrating with the native call controls via Interaction Controls Component (ICC) and OpenFrame.
    • Engage in an active call.
    • Configure the integration with the CCaaS platform for voice controls and supervisor actions.
    • Enable real time UI update capability.
    • Configure a reporting infrastructure to capture help request metrics.
    Persona:
    Agent:
    Submits help requests during active calls to receive supervisor assistance.
    Supervisor/Manager/Coach:
    Responds to help requests and performs coaching or barge in actions with appropriate permissions.

    See Help Request API

    Review the following scenarios to understand how the feature works.

    Submitting a help request

    Follow these steps to submit a help request to your supervisor when you require assistance during an active call:
    1. Select the Help Request button on the call interface.
    2. Provide a reason and brief description of the issue in the dialog screen.
    3. Select Submit to send the request to the supervisor.

    Canceling a help request

    Follow these steps to cancel a help request, if the issue is resolved before the supervisor intervenes.
    1. Locate the Help Request button on the call interface.
    2. Select Cancel.
    3. Select Yes to confirm the cancellation in the dialog screen.

    Monitoring conversation

    Supervisors may follow these steps to provide silent monitoring during voice calls:
    1. Receive a help request from the agent, which opens the Interaction to establish the voice connection.
    2. Select Monitor in the supervisor Workspace.
    3. Listen to the conversation between the agent and customer.
      Note:
      During silent monitoring, the agent and customer aren’t aware that the supervisor is in the listen-only mode.

    Supervisor coaching

    Supervisors can follow these steps to provide coaching to agents during voice calls.
    1. Receive a help request from the agent, which opens the Interaction to establish the voice connection.
    2. Select Coach in the supervisor Workspace.
    3. Provide coaching by talking to the agent, as the agent is in a listen-only mode during the coaching.
    4. Select Send to deliver the coaching to the agent.

    Barge In participation

    Supervisors can follow these steps to participate in a voice call when an issue requires immediate attention.
    1. Receive a help request from the agent, which opens the Interaction to establish the voice connection.
    2. Select Barge In in the supervisor Workspace.
    3. Join the call and provide the necessary assistance to the agent and the customer.
    4. Select End Barge In when the issue is resolved.
    Note:
    Once a voice connection has been established with an Interaction, the supervisor can go through all or one of the preceding actions. An action must be completed before attempting a new one.