--- sourceDocument: Yokohama Conversational Interfaces sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/yokohama/conversational-interfaces Release : - yokohama ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Yokohama Conversational Interfaces ft:clusterId : - convint bundleId : - convint workflow : - Platform --- # Quick start for Virtual Agent # Quick start for Virtual Agent {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Yokohama Updated January 30, 2025 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Quick start for Virtual Agent This guide helps ServiceNow customers quickly activate, configure, and start using Virtual Agent on their portals using the Conversational Interfaces console. It supports both the full Virtual Agent (licensed) and Virtual Agent Lite (preinstalled). The quick start covers installation, portal integration, branding customization, and topic recommendations to enable meaningful ITSM conversational experiences. Show full answer Show less ## Initial Activation and Plugin Installation Activate Virtual Agent by navigating to **All \> Conversational Interfaces \> Home**. If not installed, use the "Get Virtual Agent plugin" option to install it and required plugins such as the ITSM Virtual Agent Conversations plugin. Licensed customers should select "Install/Update All" and opt-in to plugins from the ServiceNow Store to enable full capabilities. ## Adding Virtual Agent to Portals Add Virtual Agent chat to your portal menu via the Conversational Interfaces console by selecting "Add to portal." Configure the portal(s) and the order of the chat entry. Note that you cannot simultaneously use Now Assist in Virtual Agent and Virtual Agent with NLU discovery on the same portal. This step ensures users can access Virtual Agent conversations from the portal interface. ## Customizing Look and Feel Personalize the Virtual Agent experience by configuring branding such as colors, logos, and bot icons. Branding settings are accessible from the Conversational Interfaces console. Customers utilizing Now Assist in Virtual Agent can also customize appearance during assistant setup. These customizations enhance user engagement and align the bot with corporate identity. ## Getting Recommended Topics Use the Topic Recommendations app to identify common use cases Virtual Agent can address, helping optimize topic creation. This supports both keyword-based and NLU topic discovery approaches. Access this from the Conversational Interfaces console and follow the Quick start for Topic Recommendations to tailor topics based on your company's data. ## Next Steps and Expansion * Configure Now Assist in Virtual Agent for generative AI capabilities. * Set up enhanced chat experiences for users. * Create and manage new Virtual Agent topics for specific organizational needs. * Modify system messages for Virtual Agent and Agent Chat for better communication. * Enable AI Search integration and implement Natural Language Understanding (NLU) for improved interaction quality. * Integrate Virtual Agent with live agents for seamless escalation. * Utilize language detection and dynamic machine translation for multilingual support. * Localize Virtual Agent topics to support diverse user bases. Using the Conversational Interfaces console, you can quickly add Virtual Agent to a portal, configure branding, personalize the greeting, and begin to use pre-built ITSM Virtual Agent conversations. If you have a license for a Now Assist product, you can also quickly deploy Now Assist skills in Virtual Agent in a matter of minutes. For details, see [Configuring assistants overview](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/Iq8pGh6Fvy4~YMEuJyerJQ "Use Assistant Designer to build and optimize large language model (LLM) assistants for your conversational needs. Assistant Designer is a centralized assistant administrator experience that allows you to create and manage both chat and voice assistants."). ## Before you begin {#va-quick-start__section_klz_kkl_lrb} If you have a license for Virtual Agent, the following sections will help you get started and create conversations for your organization quickly. If you do not have a license for Virtual Agent, you can try Virtual Agent Lite, which comes preinstalled. For information about getting started with Virtual Agent Lite, see [Quick start for Virtual Agent Lite](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/9ansEfLBdX8D1KmuezXazg "Virtual Agent Lite comes pre-installed, so all you have to do to try it is activate the ITSM Virtual Agent Conversation Topics Lite plugin and set it up."). Use the Conversational Interfaces console application to activate and configure Virtual Agent quickly. For more information about the Conversational Interfaces console, see [Conversational Interfaces Console](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/UjMjxEnIvbPudma_0M9PjA "Explore, implement, and maintain your Conversational Interfaces using a home-page or console experience. All the settings and configurations you need to set up and launch your interfaces, such as Virtual Agent and Agent Chat, are consolidated in the ServiceNow Conversational Interfaces console."). ## Step 1: Activate Virtual Agent and recommended store plugins {#va-quick-start__section_yp5_ddl_nrb} If Virtual Agent has not been activated on your instance, you will need to install it.Figure 1. Conversational Interfaces console page when Virtual Agent is not installed 1. Navigate to AllConversational InterfacesHome. 2. If Virtual Agent is not installed, select Get Virtual Agent plugin on the home page. 3. When prompted, select Start install. The Applications page opens with Virtual Agent (com.glide.cs.chatbot) selected.Figure 2. Install the Virtual Agent plugin 1. If you have a Virtual Agent license, select Install/Update All. 2. In the dialog box, select Install to begin. {#va-quick-start__ol_dxv_l3k_prb} 4. Under Choose what type of requests you want your bot to support, select Get ITSM plugin.Figure 3. Install the ITSM Virtual Agent Conversations plugin 5. Follow the directions in the ServiceNow Store and select Opt-in when prompted. 6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to install additional plugins. Otherwise, continue to the next section. {#va-quick-start__ol_wl2_scl_nrb} ## Step 2: Make Virtual Agent available to users {#va-quick-start__section_lrg_12l_nrb} Add a chat entry to the menu of your web portal. You can add Virtual Agent to additional portals later. For conversations based on generative AI large language models (LLMs), you can quickly set up Now Assist in Virtual Agent and add it to a portal. For information about adding Now Assist in Virtual Agent to a portal, see [Configuring assistants overview](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/Iq8pGh6Fvy4~YMEuJyerJQ "Use Assistant Designer to build and optimize large language model (LLM) assistants for your conversational needs. Assistant Designer is a centralized assistant administrator experience that allows you to create and manage both chat and voice assistants."). Note: You cannot use both Now Assist in Virtual Agent and Virtual Agent using NLU discovery in the same portal. 1. Navigate to AllConversational InterfacesHome. 2. Under Add your bot to a portal, select Add to portal.Figure 4. Add your bot to a portal tile on the Conversational Interfaces console page 3. Fill in the form for Service Portal Agent Chat Configuration. Type a name and unlock the Portal(s) field to specify one or more portals for your virtual agent. Type a number in the Order field to specify where to include Virtual Agent on the menu. 1. In the Name field, type a name for the configuration. 2. Select the Portal lock icon to open it. 3. Select the search icon, and then select a portal. 4. In the Order field, type a number to indicate the order that the configurations should run. Only one configuration applies per portal. If there are multiple configurations on a portal, the system runs the first configuration found from lowest to highest. {#va-quick-start__ol_i1w_pwg_4rb} 4. Select Submit. {#va-quick-start__ol_kk5_12l_nrb} For more detailed information, see [Add your bot to a portal](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/L_osihteflgVYRsMEWQVKw "Give your users a place to interact with your bot and human agents. Choose a Service Portal chat configuration provided with your base system, such as the Service Portal Agent Chat configuration used for Agent Chat and Virtual Agent. Your end users can initiate and maintain a bot or Agent Chat conversation in any page of the portal."). ## Step 3: Customize the look and feel of Virtual Agent {#va-quick-start__section_y5y_ffl_nrb} You can change the way Virtual Agent looks to the end user. You can change the colors, add your company logo, and change the icon that represents your bot. If you're using Now Assist in Virtual Agent, you can customize the look and feel during the configuration process. For more information, see [Configuring assistants overview](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/Iq8pGh6Fvy4~YMEuJyerJQ "Use Assistant Designer to build and optimize large language model (LLM) assistants for your conversational needs. Assistant Designer is a centralized assistant administrator experience that allows you to create and manage both chat and voice assistants."). 1. Navigate to AllConversational InterfacesHome. 2. Under Edit your bot's look and feel, select Set up branding. Figure 5. Edit your bot's look and feel tile on the Conversational Interfaces console page The Branding settings page opens. 3. Select New or the name of an existing branding record. 4. On the form, fill in the fields. 5. Select Save. 6. Apply the branding configuration as described in [Set up your Virtual Agent bot's branding](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/0kXs7PWGK1wGMa~MooDomw "Create different Virtual Agent branding configurations for the various organizations that use your instance. These configurations apply to the web-based chat and mobile clients only."). {#va-quick-start__ol_jtv_gfl_nrb} ## Step 4: Get recommended topics {#va-quick-start__section_rbl_pzl_lrb} The Topic Recommendations app lets you evaluate the common use cases that Virtual Agent can help resolve or deflect. You can use Topic Recommendations with Virtual Agent topics that use either keyword or NLU topic discovery. 1. Navigate to AllConversational InterfacesHome. 2. Under Set up Topic Recommendations, select Get Recommendations.Figure 6. Set up topic recommendations The Topic Recommendations page opens. 3. Use the [Quick start for Topic Recommendations](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/dKsah09lOlpDFlSLejKjYw "To get recommended topics based on your data, configure analysis reports, run the reports, and then review the results. You can either add new topics to Virtual Agent or link a recommendation to an existing topic.") to configure and get topic recommendations based on your company's data. {#va-quick-start__ol_ads_f14_trb} ## Explore further {#va-quick-start__section_w2n_p3g_hsb} As you work with Virtual Agent, you can expand its capabilities by implementing other features. For example, you can do the following: * [Configure Now Assist in Virtual Agent](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/Iq8pGh6Fvy4~YMEuJyerJQ "Use Assistant Designer to build and optimize large language model (LLM) assistants for your conversational needs. Assistant Designer is a centralized assistant administrator experience that allows you to create and manage both chat and voice assistants.") * [Set up chat experiences for Virtual Agent users](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/PZtZdH0sCnoPnRgUx6lX2A "Create different chat experiences for your end users based on the context in which they initiate a conversation with Virtual Agent.") * [Create new Virtual Agent topics](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/P~llhfRcn4ibg40rUOYk~Q "Use Virtual Agent Designer to create and modify Virtual Agent topics (conversations). Build your topic to meet a specific objective or goal, such as fulfilling a user's request or helping a user complete a task.") * [Change Virtual Agent and Agent Chat system messages](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/H2HvzmD1SfEms8EMW9UFFw "Customize the default system messages displayed during Virtual Agent conversations and Agent Chat.") * [Enable AI Search](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/x~YNIooc6hVuWyEARqixDA "Virtual Agent uses the ServiceNow AI Platform AI Search application to return search results in bot conversations as a fallback when there are no relevant topics to display to end users. Virtual Agent also provides a Run AI Search topic block that topic authors can use to generate search results in a topic.") * [Implement Natural Language Understanding (NLU)](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/su_QiWG1ltaUZjXiZqe9iQ "Natural language models help Virtual Agent to process human language based on context and your company's data. In this way, what the user needs can be more accurately matched with a corresponding topic. Virtual Agent supports large language models (LLMs) and Natural Language Understanding (NLU).") * [Use Virtual Agent with a live agent](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/yw6T~evKd4dZlChL8wrHRg "Sometimes a conversation requires human intervention. When this occurs, you can transfer the user to a live agent in Agent Chat.") * Use language detection and dynamic machine translation in Virtual Agent * [Localize Virtual Agent topics](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/jxlvhrkNiSMWC1iYlFcJpg "The ServiceNow platform provides several methods for localizing Virtual Agent conversations, depending on your needs. Use the Localization Framework to manage all aspects of the translation process, whether you are using machine translation, a third-party provider, or both.") {#va-quick-start__ul_wql_y3g_hsb} *[\>]: and then