\(Legacy\) Test NLU chat experiences

task australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read test-custom-experience.md

After you create or modify a Virtual Agent chat experience, you can test (simulate) it to verify that it works as expected.

Before you begin

Role required: virtual_agent_admin or admin

Procedure

Navigate to All > Conversational Interfaces > Settings, and select the Virtual Agent tab.
Under Custom greetings and setup, select View All.
Select the chat experience and view the profile.
In the header bar, select Test, which automatically opens the chat test window and the associated tabs that display processing details.

The items that you defined for the chat experience, such as custom setup topics or promoted topics, run in the test window. The following example shows the custom greeting setup topic and promoted topics defined for the ESC portal.

[Omitted image "va-cce-esc.png"] Alt text: Use the choose field list on the test chat window's Context tab to select the context. Specify the value in the value field.
To specify a different context, do the following:
1. In the Test this topic window, select Include topic discovery.
  
  The Context tab appears.
2. In the Context tab, choose a context from the list of variables (these context variables are defined in Chat Settings).
  
  For example, you could select portal from the list of variables and enter the portal name, IT Express.
3. Select Apply context and reload.
The items that you defined for the chat experience, such as custom setup topics or promoted topics, run in the test window.

[Omitted image "va-cce-it-express.png"] Alt text: Test window.

52 lines · 2.2 KB Wrap lines

---
title: \(Legacy\) Test NLU chat experiences
description: After you create or modify a Virtual Agent chat experience, you can test \(simulate\) it to verify that it works as expected.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/conversational-interfaces/test-custom-experience.html
release: australia
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Customizing an NLU chat experience, Configure NLU, \(Legacy\) Virtual Agent for NLU, Conversational Interfaces]
---

# \(Legacy\) Test NLU chat experiences

After you create or modify a Virtual Agent chat experience, you can test \(simulate\) it to verify that it works as expected.

## Before you begin

Role required: virtual\_agent\_admin or admin

## Procedure

1. Navigate to **All** &gt; **Conversational Interfaces** &gt; **Settings**, and select the **Virtual Agent** tab.

2. Under **Custom greetings and setup**, select **View All**.

3. Select the chat experience and view the profile.

4. In the header bar, select **Test**, which automatically opens the chat test window and the associated tabs that display processing details.

The items that you defined for the chat experience, such as custom setup topics or promoted topics, run in the test window. The following example shows the custom greeting setup topic and promoted topics defined for the ESC portal.

\[Omitted image "va-cce-esc.png"\] Alt text: Use the choose field list on the test chat window's Context tab to select the context. Specify the value in the value field.

5. To specify a different context, do the following:

1. In the **Test this topic** window, select **Include topic discovery**.

The **Context** tab appears.

2. In the **Context** tab, choose a context from the list of variables \(these context variables are defined in Chat Settings\).

For example, you could select portal from the list of variables and enter the portal name, `IT Express`.

3. Select **Apply context and reload**.

The items that you defined for the chat experience, such as custom setup topics or promoted topics, run in the test window.

\[Omitted image "va-cce-it-express.png"\] Alt text: Test window.