Service Assistant Key Terms and Concepts

Service Assistant supports multiple objects, two plan types, and a set of capabilities. Each has its own availability and configuration requirements. Together, the object you use, the plan type available for that object, and the capabilities you configure create a Service Assistant experience. Because not every function applies to every experience, review these terms before you begin.

Service Assistant Basics

Service Assistant

A proactive Agentforce agent that gives service reps issue resolution guidance for cases and messaging sessions. Service Assistant monitors the record and orchestrates a set of Service Assistant capabilities and functions to help service reps work on the issue. These functions come together in the Service Assistant component, a Lightning web component that shows as a panel on the record page.

The primary capability of Service Assistant is to help a service rep resolve a customer issue by summarizing the record and providing step-by-step resolution guidance through a service plan. Service plans are grounded in your company data from sources like Agentforce subagents and instructions, knowledge articles, and related records.

To provide additional resolution guidance, Service Assistant supports additional capabilities that extend Service Assistant functionality beyond the service plan. These capabilities are optional and surface alongside the service plan in the component.

Service Assistant also provides access to an agent chat box for service reps to receive on-demand resolution support.

See Service Assistant and the Adaptive Experience.

Service Assistant Adaptive Experience

The set of agent functions that Service Assistant actively orchestrates in real time to help a service rep resolve a record: the service plan, agent chat, and agent capabilities, like Case Catch-Up & Insights and Service Replies.

The core of the Adaptive Experience is Service Assistant's proactive nature. The agent constantly monitors the record and keeps resolution guidance current as the record changes. Based on the record data and what capabilities and features you've turned on, the agent executes relevant capabilities in the component so service reps have everything they need to resolve the issue in one place.

Each capability is a single part of Service Assistant and the Adaptive Experience, so you choose which capabilities and features to set up and tailor Service Assistant to your business needs. For example, you can have a service plan without using Case Catch-Up & Insights, or use Service Replies without having a service plan.

The Adaptive Experience isn't the same as a Service Assistant experience. The Adaptive Experience is what the agent does during resolution. A Service Assistant experience is a specific configuration that you set up.

See Service Assistant and the Adaptive Experience.

Service Assistant Experience

An umbrella term for a specific Service Assistant configuration: the object you use, the plan type available for that object, and the capabilities you turn on. Each combination is one Service Assistant experience.

ServicePlanner User

The agent user that's automatically created when you create a Service Assistant agent in Agentforce Builder. Service Assistant accesses records and initiates service plan processing as the ServicePlanner User, which has a higher level of access to all record data than service reps. As a result, service reps can view information that they otherwise can't access directly.

See Grounding Data Access.

Service Plans

Service Plan

The core Service Assistant function. A service plan is a list of AI-generated steps that guides a service rep through resolving a case or messaging session. Service plans are grounded in your company data and tailored to your company's policies through grounding sources like subagents, knowledge, actions, and related records.

See Service Plans.

Plan Summary

An AI-generated summary of the record and issue produced before a service plan is created. The plan summary includes a list of summarized steps that outline the steps service reps take when the service plan is initiated. For a case, the summary is created when the case meets eligibility criteria. For a messaging session, the summary is generated after the session meets eligibility criteria and contains at least five messages.

Guidance Plan

A static, checklist-style service plan available for cases only. Plan steps are generated when the service rep opens the case. Service Assistant doesn't actively update the plan when there's new record information. To update the plan, a service rep redrafts it. Guidance plans are turned on by default when Service Assistant is set up.

Dynamic Plan

A real-time service plan available for cases and messaging sessions. A dynamic plan provides a conversational workflow where Service Assistant actively guides service reps through issue resolution step-by-step and adapts the plan as the record changes. Service Assistant can surface agent actions directly in plan steps to provide automation.

Service Plan Eligibility Criteria

A set of conditions that a case or messaging session meets before Service Assistant generates a plan. Eligibility criteria control which records receive service plans. Service Assistant for Case and Service Assistant for Messaging each require their own eligibility criteria set in an autolaunched flow.

See Eligibility Criteria.

Capabilities

Service Assistant Capability

Service Assistant provides resolution assistance through capabilities. A service plan is the core capability of Service Assistant. In addition, Service Assistant gives service reps more resolution assistance beyond the service plan as they work on a record through capabilities like Case Catch-Up & Insights, Agent Chat, and Service Replies. Each capability is independent and has its own setup steps and permissions.

See Service Assistant Capabilities.

Agent Chat

A capability that adds a chat interface to Service Assistant. Service reps can ask questions, request clarification on a plan step, or ask Service Assistant to perform an action. Service Assistant is reactive in Agent Chat and waits for rep instructions before acting. Agent Chat is supported for both dynamic and guidance plans. It's on by default for dynamic plans, and you turn it on manually for guidance plans.

See Agent Chat.

Case Catch-Up & Insights

An optional capability for Service Assistant for Case that provides AI-generated catch-up context and insights for service reps, including an account summary, case health score, and customer sentiment.

See Case Catch-Up & Insights.

Service Replies

An optional capability for Service Assistant for Messaging that surfaces Service Replies in the Service Assistant component during active messaging sessions. Setup, activation, and use are the same as the standard Service Replies feature.

See Service Replies.

Supported Objects

Service Assistant for Case

Service Assistant configured for case records. It supports guidance plans and dynamic plans, and includes optional capabilities such as Case Catch-Up & Insights and Agent Chat. It also supports several additional features to enhance a service plan's resolution guidance. See Extend Service Assistant for Case.

Service Assistant for Messaging

Service Assistant configured for messaging session records. It supports dynamic plans only. Guidance plans aren't available for messaging sessions. Service Assistant monitors the live conversation and generates a plan summary when the session meets eligibility criteria and contains at least five messages. This experience includes the optional Service Replies capability.