Now Assist in Virtual Agent conversations with Microsoft Copilot

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated June 16, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Now Assist in Virtual Agent conversations with Microsoft Copilot

    Now Assist integrates with Microsoft Copilot to enhance generative AI conversations by connecting Virtual Agent bots or plugins directly within Copilot. This integration allows ServiceNow customers to leverage AI Search-based synchronous responses rather than a traditional conversational flow, streamlining access to knowledge and catalog items within Microsoft Teams.

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    Key Features

    • Non-Conversational AI Search Responses: Input search terms are passed to Now Assist’s AI Search, returning relevant results such as Knowledge Base articles and catalog items that can be shared as cards within Microsoft Teams.
    • Bot Invocation and Interaction: Users can initiate conversations by @-mentioning the bot name or selecting it from the Agents panel in Copilot, receiving consistent responses regardless of interaction method.
    • Knowledge Base Article Retrieval: Ask Copilot questions and receive detailed answers accompanied by related Knowledge Base articles for further information.
    • Catalog Item Requests: Users can request catalog items through Copilot. While Copilot itself uses a non-conversational flow, requests for conversational catalog items trigger a handoff to Virtual Agent to continue the interaction.
    • Live Agent Transfer: Copilot can connect users to Now Assist Live Agent support when live help is required.
    • Declarative Agent Support: Customers can add self-configured bots as declarative agents within Copilot to deliver personalized and consistent experiences aligned with unique business needs. This no longer requires a Copilot license but does require the bot’s manifest package to be uploaded to Microsoft Teams.

    Key Outcomes

    • Improved efficiency in accessing ServiceNow Knowledge Base articles and catalog items directly within Microsoft Teams via Copilot.
    • Flexible interaction modes with Now Assist bots—both through chat mentions and the Agents panel—offering seamless user experiences.
    • Ability to handle conversational catalog requests by transitioning smoothly between Copilot and Virtual Agent, maintaining context and continuity.
    • Enhanced support options through live agent escalation from Copilot when needed.
    • Empowered customization of virtual agents in Copilot, enabling tailored service delivery without additional licensing requirements.

    Use Now Assist plugins in Microsoft Copilot to connect with the Copilot by providing your bot or plugin name during your generative AI conversations.

    Copilot Conversations

    Figure 1. Now Assist and Microsoft Copilot demo

    The Copilot integration doesn’t follow a conversational flow like the Virtual Agent. It uses a non-conversational flow and provides synchronous responses with Now Assist that are primarily built on AI Search. Therefore, any search term that you input is passed to AI Search and the results are returned from AI Search. You're then able to render the response and share it as a card in Message Extension.

    Sample prompts that you can use within Copilot:
    • What is my laptop replacement policy?
    • Can you help me order a laptop?

    To initiate a chat with Microsoft Copilot, you can @-mention the bot name and based on the input utterance, Copilot verifies that your request in the chat reaches the respective plugin's instance and a response is received.

    User using the @-mention feature in Copilot to invoke the bot.

    You can also interact with the bot directly by selecting it from the Agents section on the right panel within Copilot instance. Interacting with the bot this way provides you with the same results or responses as you would receive them while you invoked it.

    Select your bot to interact with it directly within Copilot.

    You can use Now Assist to search for Knowledge Base articles, catalog items, and so on, and it provides results based on your input for the search. For example, if you searched for iPhone, you're presented with the list of generative AI Search results. You can pick an item from the list and share it with the user of your choice. The user who receives the catalog item shared by you can view it by selecting View item.
    Note:
    You can configure the viewing experience of an item to either open it in a browser or within the Microsoft Teams tab if you're using Copilot only with your Self-configured bot.
    Figure 2. View item
    Catalog item shared with a user from Virtual Agent through Microsoft Copilot with an option to view.

    Now Assist capabilities in Copilot

    With the Microsoft Copilot integration, you can initiate generative AI chat with Copilot. The following capabilities are available:

    Retrieve a Knowledge Base article
    You can ask the Microsoft Copilot your questions and Copilot responds with detailed information about the questions asked along with a relevant Knowledge Base article for more information.
    Figure 3. Retrieving a Knowledge Base article
    Microsoft Copilot, providing the Knowledge Base article in response to the questions asked.
    Note:
    Any input request to Copilot that takes more than 15 seconds to respond will time out.
    Request a conversational catalog item
    Use Microsoft Copilot to request a catalog item.
    Figure 4. Requesting a catalog item
    Microsoft Copilot helping out with the Catalog item search.

    With Copilot, there’s no conversational flow, but when a conversational catalog is requested, Copilot hands off the chat to the Virtual Agent bot (the Now Assist in Virtual Agent plugin that you used to connect with Copilot) for continuing the conversation. When Copilot hands off the request to Virtual Agent, it sends a Continuing the conversation from Copilot message and invokes the conversational catalog that you requested from Copilot.

    Figure 5. Continue conversation from Copilot
    Virtual Agent completes the request submission by continuing with the Copilot conversation.
    Transfer to a Live Agent chat
    You can ask Copilot to connect you to a Now Assist Live Agent.

    You’re directed to the Now Assist Live Agent for live agent support.

    Microsoft Copilot responding to your request to connect to a live agent.

    Declarative Agent experience in Copilot

    You can add your Self-configured bot to Copilot and use them as declarative agents to meet your unique business needs and establish consistent and personalized experiences.
    Note:
    • A Copilot license is no longer required in order to use the declarative agent. See the new licensing model for more information.
    • Only bots for which the manifest package file is uploaded to Microsoft Teams can be enabled for use as declarative agents.
    To add a bot to Copilot, login to your Microsoft Teams tenant and navigate to Apps > Features > Agents and select Add against the bot that you would like to add. Once the bot is added, it’s available for quick access from the Agents section within Copilot.
    Figure 6. Declarative Agent
    Adding a bot to Copilot as a declarative Agent to use it for unique business needs.