---
sourceDocument: Yokohama Finance and Supply Chain
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/yokohama/source-to-pay-operations

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    - yokohama

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Yokohama Finance and Supply Chain

ft:clusterId :

    - stpop

bundleId :

    - stpop

workflow :

    - Employee


---

# Use the ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) skills in a Virtual Agent chat

# Use the ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) skills in a Virtual Agent chat {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Yokohama
* 
* Updated January 30, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 5 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 Use the ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) skills in a Virtual Agent chat

ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) integrates with Virtual Agent chat to provide a conversational interface for procurement-related self-service tasks.
This enables requesters to efficiently buy products, check the status of purchase requisitions, sourcing requests, procurement cases, and purchase orders through guided chatbot conversations.
The solution leverages generative AI capabilities to deliver contextual assistance and reduce the need for manual support.
Show full answer Show less  

## How to Use the SPO Skills in Virtual Agent

* Access the Virtual Agent chat via **All \> Self-Service \> Employee Center** and click the chat icon.
* Start conversations by selecting predefined topics such as **Request to buy something** or **Track purchases or procurement requests**, or by typing your instructions directly.
* Use the chatbot to search the product catalog, display available products, and submit purchase or sourcing requests through a conversational intake process.
* If products or services are not found in the catalog, the chatbot routes users to off-catalog intake forms or allows submitting questions to procurement teams (requires `snspendpsd.requestor` role).
* Track the status of procurement records by querying purchase requisitions (PR), sourcing requests (SR), and procurement cases (PC), including filtering by time periods.

## Key Features

* **Conversational Buying:** Guided dialogues help requesters submit purchase and sourcing requests with summary review and editable responses before submission.
* **Catalog and Off-Catalog Handling:** Automated routing depending on product availability, including quote checks and off-catalog form completion.
* **Status Tracking:** Real-time inquiry into the status of PRs, SRs, PCs, and purchase orders, including the ability to specify timeframes.
* **Contextual AI Assistance:** Genius Results and Now Assist provide intelligent utterance detection and relevant topic suggestions to improve interaction quality.
* **Role-Based Access:** Ability to submit procurement questions and cases through the Virtual Agent requires specific user roles.

## Handling Unsuccessful Searches and Additional Interaction Details

* The Virtual Agent prompts users up to two times to rephrase requests if no relevant results are found.
* Conversations automatically end after 900 seconds of inactivity.
* Virtual Agent provides guidance to supply additional context when needed to refine searches.

## Additional Resources for ServiceNow Administrators and Users

* **Now Assist Analytics:** Administrators can monitor chatbot performance and deflection rates to optimize self-service effectiveness.
* Documentation is available for configuring ServiceNow Otto for SPO and exploring its capabilities within Source-to-Pay Workspace and Shopping Hub.
* Related tasks include generating AI-driven email responses, summarizing procurement records, and sentiment analysis in procurement cases.

This integration streamlines procurement processes by enabling requesters to quickly complete common tasks conversationally, improving user experience and operational efficiency in sourcing and procurement operations.  
Request the contextual generative AI capabilities by using the conversational interface in the ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) in a Virtual Agent chat.

As a requester, you can use the predefined topics (chatbot conversations) that are designed to help you complete common self-service tasks, such as buying a product or knowing the status of a purchase requisition, sourcing
request, or procurement case.

As a requester, you can use the ServiceNow Otto for SPO skills in a Virtual Agent chat to search against the existing products in the product catalog or to display the available products. You can also inquire about the status of the procurement records, such as sourcing
requests, purchase requisitions, procurement cases, and purchase orders.

To start a conversation, navigate to AllSelf-ServiceEmployee Center and select the Virtual Agent chat icon (![Chat icon.]()).

## Using a predefined topic to buy a product {#now-assist-spo-va-using__section_kr2_kfl_zcc}

As a requester, you can start by selecting Show all my options as shown in the following example.  
Figure 1. Starting screen for the ServiceNow Otto for SPO in a Virtual Agent chat  
Then, select the Request to buy something topic as shown in the following example.Figure 2. All topics in the ServiceNow Otto for SPO in a Virtual Agent chat

You could also directly start entering the instructions. The utterance detection mechanism uses Genius Results to retrieve Virtual Agent topics, catalog items, and Q\&A results, and displays them to the requester within a card carousel. The following example shows the available products in the search results.
Figure 3. Products available based on search results

For details, see [Using Now Assist in Virtual Agent](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=using-now-assist-in-va&version=yokohama&pubname=yokohama-conversational-interfaces&ft:locale=en-US).

Virtual Agent engages you in a guided conversation, asking you relevant questions to help you submit your purchase, sourcing, and off-catalog requests, as well as procurement cases, without the need to
reach out to fulfillers. You can then review and track these request records from Shopping Hub, Employee Center, or Platform.

If a product is found with or without a price in the catalog, the requester can then fill out the intake questions through a simple conversation and then submit the purchase request after reviewing the summary of responses.
They can also edit a response before submitting. The following example shows a catalog conversation.  
Figure 4. Catalog conversation

If a product or service isn't found in the catalog, the chatbot gathers more information, such as checking for availability of quotes, and routes the requester to the corresponding off-catalog intake form as shown in the
following example.  
Figure 5. Off-catalog conversation  
It also provides the requester with the option to submit a question to the procurement team about the required product or service, with relevant attachments, if any, all through a conversation.  
Note:  
You can ask a question to the procurement team, and create a corresponding procurement case, only if you have the sn_spend_psd.requestor role. Verify that your administrator has assigned that role to you.

To learn more about quick checkout and sourcing checkout processes, see [Order a product with quick checkout](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/DMNwbFntKeProXjuFFnecg "Order a product or service that you want to purchase from the product catalog available on Shopping Hub Home.") and [Complete sourcing checkout](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/dX3cDunV7m5fKhGhyS8ZEg "As a shopper, you can request pricing or more information about a product or service in the Shopping Hub catalog that doesn’t have contractual pricing."). For more information on off-catalog intake forms, see [Requesting for products or services that you don't see on ShoppingHub](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/mlENjCybqk6v8dVDqyMRLA "As an employee, shopper, or business owner, you can place requests for one or more products or services that are currently not listed on the ShoppingHub portal. You can do this from ShoppingHub Home or directly from Employee Center.").

## Using a predefined topic to track requests {#now-assist-spo-va-using__section_edj_4fl_zcc}

As a requester, you can inquire about the status of your recent purchase or request by selecting the Track purchases or procurement requests topic as shown in the following example.  
You can inquire about the following records to the virtual agents:

* Purchase requisition (PR)
* Sourcing request (SR)
* Procurement Case (PC)
{#now-assist-spo-va-using__ul_q2g_cmv_vcc}

For example, let's say that you ask whether the purchase requisition PR0001002 has already been approved as shown in the following example.  
Figure 6. Purchase requisition status inquiry

The following example shows that the chatbot has provided you with the current status of the purchase requisition that you inquired about.  
Figure 7. Purchase requisition inquiry response

You can choose either to close the conversation or check the status of another record.

## Searching for requests by specifying a time period {#now-assist-spo-va-using__section_ok5_b4l_zcc}

The ServiceNow Otto for SPO in a Virtual Agent chat also enables you to search for requests by specifying the time period when the request was opened. Here are a few examples:

* What's the status of the purchase I made last month
* Just send me the status of my purchases made 3 weeks ago
* Can I get an update on the purchase I requested in August 2024
{#now-assist-spo-va-using__ul_ycf_d4l_zcc}

## When Virtual Agent requires more information about your request {#now-assist-spo-va-using__section_jvv_wqx_dfc}

If the Virtual Agent requires more information to search for your specific request, the following event occurs:

* The ServiceNow Otto for SPO in a Virtual Agent chat provides you options to understand your requirement.

  For example, let's say you want to buy something as shown in the following example.
* The ServiceNow Otto for SPO in a Virtual Agent chat displays the results based on your request:

{#now-assist-spo-va-using__ul_kvv_wqx_dfc}

## When Virtual Agent has no results for your request {#now-assist-spo-va-using__section_rry_y4l_zcc}

If the Virtual Agent is unable to search for your specific request, the following event occurs:

* The ServiceNow Otto for SPO in a Virtual Agent chat instructs you to provide more context if the results don't meet your needs.

  <kbd class="ph userinput">I'm sorry, I couldn't find what you needed. Could you rephrase your request or provide more context?</kbd>
* The ServiceNow Otto for SPO in a Virtual Agent chat instructs users up to two times to rephrase their request before displaying the following message:

* If there's no chat activity for 900 seconds, the ServiceNow Otto for SPO in a Virtual Agent chat ends as shown in the following example.

{#now-assist-spo-va-using__ul_ecf_4tl_zcc}

## Additional Information {#now-assist-spo-va-using__section_cfx_z4l_zcc}

Now Assist in Virtual Agent provides your users with an interactive generative AI experience. A friendly, natural language conversation is easier to understand and makes requesters more comfortable with talking to a
bot. To learn how a conversation that is powered by generative AI might look in Virtual Agent, see [Using Now Assist in Virtual Agent](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=using-now-assist-in-va&version=yokohama&pubname=yokohama-conversational-interfaces&ft:locale=en-US).

As an administrator, you can use the Now Assist in Virtual Agent Analytics dashboard to monitor the performance of Now Assist in Virtual Agent as a self-service deflection tool. To learn more, see . Now Assist in Virtual Agent Analytics calculates the conversation deflection rate that is based on the resolution status associated with Now Assist query responses. For more information, see .

For detailed information on Now Assist in Virtual Agent in general, and ServiceNow Otto for SPO in particular, see [Explore ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO)](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/m5FpCCKUIsYd1pYsZAPd6Q "ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) is an application that adds generative AI capabilities to the Source-to-Pay Workspace to help requesters and procurement teams work more efficiently.").

For information on configuring ServiceNow Otto for SPO, see [Configure ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO)](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/hpjtUqZ51KoJhLz6ZPtcvg "If you have the admin role, you can configure the ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) application so that your requesters, procurement specialists, and sourcing managers can use the generative AI skills in Source-to-Pay Workspace, Shopping Hub, and Core UI.").
**Related tasks**   

* [Summarize a record by using ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) in Source-to-Pay Workspace](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/IXKi~Kz83MCPeHJ88_Ay5w "As a fulfiller, summarize procurement-related records to know about their status, progress, and action items by using the record summarization skills in the ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) application.")
* [Summarize a record by using ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) in Shopping Hub](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/6SKBNumi7Lb8GRjsw09wyQ "As a shopper, summarize sourcing request, purchase requisition, and purchase order records to know about their status, progress, and action items by using the record summarization skills in the ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) application.")
* [Request the generative AI capabilites in ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) by using Now Assist panel](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/FL~AzvhV9P6Pt4FleGeZGw "Request the contextual generative AI capabilities to summarize procurement-related records in the ServiceNow Otto for Sourcing and Procurement Operations (SPO) application by using the conversational interface in the Now Assist panel.")
* [Generate email responses](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/XlGRhQknmZc4wgsxqofggA "Enables procurement specialists and buyers to generate professional, accurate email responses using Now Assist. By minimizing manual drafting and review, it helps procurement specialists and buyers respond to requester inquiries more efficiently and focus on higher-value procurement tasks.")
* [Analyze sentiment in procurement cases](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/HRQ9gxbYKLJm5~VYZnXENw "Analyze requester sentiments on active procurement cases to help procurement specialists quickly identify, prioritize, and track sensitive requests.")

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