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Setting up Live chat

Setting up Live chat

The integration of ServiceNow and Kbot Live Chat allows users to speak to ServiceNow operators in the Konverso Kbot for Snow virtual agent chat sessions. Operators can use the standard Live Chat back office to accept chat requests and communicate with end-users. This page describes how to set up the integration and explains its key points.

 

New versions and sys_cs_provider

Note that starting with San Diego, ServiceNow will not let you create the sys_cs_provider object, it will ask you to contact a sales representative. We strongly recommend you vote on the on-going discussion with ServiceNow to correct this point.

Prerequisites

  • The sys_id of the related Chat Queue is known and available.

  • Supported live chat application should be installed and properly configured.

For the Live Agent Transfer, it will be required for you to have AWA setup and at least one queue available for testing.

Supported live chat applications

As a live chat application Virtual Agent for IT ServiceDesk supports two options: Connect Support and Live Agent/Agent Workspace. You can find a short description of each option below. Once you decide which application you plan to use, you can install and configure it following the instructions.

 

Connect Support

Live Agent / Agent Workspace (AWA)

Microsoft Teams

 

Connect Support

Live Agent / Agent Workspace (AWA)

Microsoft Teams

Description

This is the "historical" interface of the ServiceNow Live Agent. It is well-known and proved to be popular.

The new customer and backoffice interface to handle chat, both live or chatbot. 

Microsoft Teams is a persistent chat-based collaboration platform complete with document sharing, online meetings, and many more extremely useful features for business communications.

Teams supports chatbots, which allows you to integrate Konverso Kbot for Snow.

Integration

This module is no longer available on the Application Store. If you have never installed it, ServiceNow will deny a new installation. Clients who have already installed it can keep using it.

It is considered “Legacy” by ServiceNow. Connect Support can still get maintenance, but no more functional updates are expected.

As this is a new module, it will keep getting improvements over the ServiceNow releases.

Integration with Konverso (or any other chatbot) requires at least the "Virtual Agent Lite" free plugin in the Quebec build. In Paris this plugin is not free, so you can install it only after purchasing it.

 

If you are using Microsoft Teams, the only thing you must provide your users with is the link to the dialog with the bot. To learn more about it, see the Integration with Microsoft Teams page.

Agent communicates with user using regular chat in Microsoft Teams.

However, each agent must have the “Operator” role in Kbot in order to access agent’s functionality. Learn more about options on the User roles page.

User details visibility

Displaying a name, first name, and avatar of the agent in the bot.

Displaying names and avatars in the agent’s chat.

Displaying names in the agent’s chat.

Agent chat interface

Simple and efficient interface; very robust, used by a large number of ServiceNow accounts, and by our customers.

It might be complicated for users to close a conversation, as the procedure is not very intuitive.

Microsoft Teams has its own message formatting in the chat, which means that some messages in the Teams channel might look different from the ones in the local chat.

Assignment

Chats displayed and agents pick them up (manual assignment).

Chats are automatically assigned to the first available agent.

Also there is a possibility to set up Assignment Rules and choose a status.

Chats are automatically assigned to the first available agent. This does not always correspond to the most available agent.

Agents have to manually set up their availability with #on and #off commands.

Attachments

Supported, from user to agent

Users can attach files while creating tickets and to send files to operators. Learn more about the proper settings on this page.

Speech-to-text and text-to-speech

For users: this functionality is supported in Kbot widget and application.

For operators: this functionality is supported by the platform this operator is using.

Debugging

Easy to debug (well documented and open environment).

Debugging might be difficult, as it is poorly documented. The environment is very closed.

All events are logged in our Apache, so it is possible to explore Microsoft’s documentation in order to solve possible issues.

Kbot compatibility

Konverso Kbot for Snow virtual agent is completely compatible with this module.

This module is new for everyone, and, of course, it is new for us too.

Kbot support Teams as a channel and can manage the message exchange outside ServiceNow.

Conversation history in agent chat

Agent receives the conversation history between a user and the bot, which helps to understand the context and which steps the user tried to take.

Settings

To apply this option, follow the instructions on the Configuring Connect Support page.

To apply this option, follow the instructions under the Configuring Virtual Agent page.

To apply this option, follow the instructions under the Integration with Microsoft Teams page.

Connect Support

Operator view:

User view:

Live Agent

Operator view:

User view:

Microsoft Teams

Operator view:

User view:

To learn more about configuring operators in Microsoft Teams, see the Setting up operators in Microsoft Teams page.

Konverso Kbot for Snow virtual agent setup

Make sure your Konverso Kbot for Snow virtual agent configuration includes the following:

  • The Operator Talk intent is enabled and available.

  • The primary configuration parameters. You can add these settings in Development > Configuration Business Unit if you need to redefine default values:

Parameter

Description

Sample

Parameter

Description

Sample

snow_chat_queue

The snow_chat_queue configuration variable is set to the sys_id of the related chat queue.

snow_chat_queue = d34cc972db*******4c99ee3db961980

snow_operator_base_api_url

Set up the ServiceNow base API path for an operator transfer.

snow_operator_base_api_url = /api/name/name

Troubleshooting

Accessing Konverso Kbot for Snow virtual agent debug information

If you have SSH access you can enable the debug. To do so, run the following command:

bin/core.sh debug add operator 3

It allows you to view messages regarding any API calls made to and from ServiceNow, and to study error details.

Managing log information

To understand what is happening in the Konverso Kbot for Snow virtual agent, study the core.log file. To see the latest process log information, go to DevOps > Errors > Process log.

Common errors

Permission error on message sending

You might get the error of the following kind:

WARNING:Send:Problem with sending message to operator : {"error": {"detail":"User does not have permission to add messages to this group", "message":"User does not have permission to add messages to this group"}, "status":"failure" }

This error means that a ServiceNow user has no access to the specified queue (see the snow_chat_queue group that is configured in Development > Configuration Business Unit). Provide access to a user on the ServiceNow side and try again.

Missing API endpoint

You might get the error of the following kind:

DEBUG:_make_request:https://your_portal.service-now.com:443 "POST /api/veefr/koperator/join HTTP/1.1" 400 None 2020-09-18 13:43:22,820 - SNowOperator::__OnDutyError(94) - operator - ERROR - 139976004073216 - Cannot join to ServiceNow chat queue ERROR:__OnDutyError:Cannot join to ServiceNow chat queue

This means that the Inbound REST API endpoints are not defined. Check that the API path (in the sample above it is /api/veefr/koperator/join) is the same for the snow_chat_queue variable (stored in Development > Configuration Business Unit) and the ServiceNow script.

Accessing Snow debug information

To view logs and see the details on the Konverso Kbot for Snow virtual agent interactions, navigate to Script Log Statements.

 

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