Customize the Alloy Self-Service Assistant bot configuration

Updated in 2022.1

This article describes what the Alloy Self-Service Assistant bot configuration includes and how to customize it.

Where to find the bot configuration?

You can find the bot congratulation in your Settings App, under Services > Mobile Applications. Its name is TeamsBot.

INFO: For details, see Configure the Alloy Self-Service Assistant bot in Alloy Navigator Express.

What does the configuration include?

The XML bot configuration in Alloy Navigator Express specifies the address of your Self Service Portal for direct links from Teams, controls the availability of direct links, defines which workflow items the bot uses in commands, and controls the availability of those commands.

• Self Service Portal links

  The bot uses the URL of your web-based Self Service Portal to built direct links to objects. Clicking such a direct link in a bot chat opens the object (i.e., the ticket, approval request, or knowledge base article) in the Self Service Portal.

  Replace the example value https://www.example.com/hd in the bot configuration with your actual Self Service Portal address. Otherwise, bot users will not be able to navigate to the Self Service Portal using those direct links.

  TIP: You can view the Self Service Portal URL in the Settings App. Go to Workflow and Business Logic > Advanced > System Macros and copy the contents of the Self Service Portal Link field. For details, see Settings App Help: Customizing links to Alloy web applications.

  If you do not want the bot to display links to the portal, disable Self Service Portal links. When links are disabled, the bot doesn't show Open in Self Service Portal buttons in chats.

  

• Workflow form for creating tickets

  The bot creates tickets using a workflow New Ticket Form for the Self Service Portal. By default, it is the "New Request (Self Service Portal)" form #797 from the default workflow. However, the bot shows only two fields: Summary and Description. Other form fields are hidden.

  The form assigns initial values to some Ticket's fields as specified in the form definition and performs workflow operations, such as auto-assignment and sending notifications, as the Self Service Portal workflow dictates.

  

  IMPORTANT: You can customize the default form, if needed. In any case, the workflow form must contain the Summary and Description Ticket's fields because these are the only fields the bot uses to request user input, and assign values to other mandatory fields, if any. For details, see New Ticket Form for the Alloy Self-Service Assistant bot.

• Workflow item for updating tickets

  The bot updates tickets using the built-in workflow item for updating Tickets in the Self Service Portal. The user adds a comment to the Details field, and the bot adds that comment to the Ticket's Activity Log.

  

• Workflow items for approving and rejecting requests

  The bot approves and rejects requests using the built-in workflow items for updating Approval Requests in the Self Service Portal.

  

New Ticket Form for the Alloy Self-Service Assistant bot

By default, the bot uses the same workflow that the web-based Self-Service Portal and the Self-Service mobile app. However, user input in a chat format is constrained to a limited set of options. That's why the bot doesn't use the full New Ticket Form to request user input when creating tickets, but shows only several absolutely necessary fields.

INFO: For details about the Self Service Portal workflow forms, see Settings App Help: Customizing object forms for the Self Service Portal.

For example, of all the fields that the default "New Request (Self Service Portal)" form #797 has, the bot displays only the top two: Summary and Description. The rest of the fields and elements are ignored. This works, because there are no other mandatory fields. Otherwise, users would not be able to complete the action in Teams because mandatory fields can't be left blank.

Related Information:

Configure the Alloy Self-Service Assistant bot in Alloy Navigator Express

Settings App Help: Customizing object forms for the Self Service Portal.