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Contextual Search and Agent Assist

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • What contextual search is
  • Where agents see results
  • What sources it can search
  • How to check and tune it for incidents

🔁 Quick look back: Last time: Configuring Workspace Lists and the Record Page. You learned how to add columns to workspace lists and tidy the record page without UI Builder.

1 “Didn’t we fix this last month?”

Sam’s VPN shows error 809. Abel doesn’t know it.

  • He spends 20 minutes searching.
  • Ravi fixed the same error last month, and wrote a knowledge article.
  • Abel never found it.

🎯 The problem: The answer already exists, but agents don’t find it in time.

👉 The fix: show matching answers automatically, while the agent types.

Key term: Contextual search

ServiceNow searches for you, using what’s typed on the record, like the short description.

Key term: Agent Assist

The panel in Service Operations Workspace that shows these results next to the ticket.

Agent Assist in Service Operations Workspace. Abel types VPN error 809 in the short description. The side panel shows a knowledge article KB0010201, Fix VPN error 809 by resetting the client profile, and a similar resolved incident INC0010077, VPN error 809 after update, with its resolution notes. Notes: 1 Results update as Abel types. 2 He can attach the article to the incident in one click.
Figure 1. Answers appear while Abel types.

3 What it searches

Source Helps with
Knowledge articles Step-by-step fixes
Similar incidents How someone solved it before
Open problems and known errors “This is a known issue, here’s the workaround”

Admins control what’s searched, and which field triggers it, in the contextual search settings for the incident table.

💡 Good to know: Good results need good articles. That’s why the next lesson turns fixes into knowledge.

4 Let’s try it: check contextual search for incidents

  1. In the All menu, search Contextual Search and open the table configuration list.
  2. Open the configuration for the Incident table. Note which field triggers the search.
  3. Look at the search sources. Is knowledge included? Are similar incidents included?
  4. In Service Operations Workspace, start a new incident and type a few words that match an article.
  5. Check that results appear in the side panel.

5 Quick recap

  • Contextual search searches for you, from what’s typed
  • Results show in Agent Assist, in the workspace side panel
  • It can search articles, similar incidents and known errors
  • Admins set the trigger field and sources per table
  • Good results need good articles

6 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 What starts a contextual search on an incident? Show answer

What’s typed in a field, like the short description.

2 Where does Abel see the results? Show answer

In Agent Assist, in the workspace side panel.

3 Name two sources it can search. Show answer

Knowledge articles and similar incidents (also known errors).

4 Why might results be poor? Show answer

There aren’t enough good articles to find.

Nice work! Abel now sees answers while he types. 🎉
Next up: Creating Knowledge from Incidents

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