ServiceNow Launches Flow, an AI Service Desk That Works Inside Slack and Teams

IT teams spend much of their time solving the same problems again and again, from password resets to questions about company policy. ServiceNow’s new service, Flow, is built around a simple idea: once someone resolves one of those requests in a Slack or Microsoft Teams conversation, they can click a single button, and Flow will handle that request on its own the next time it comes up, without the need for knowledge base articles.

Flow is built to help organizations adapt to workflows that have changed because of artificial intelligence. “New ways of working means employees expect help in the conversations they’re already having and get answers back the same way,” ServiceNow said in a release. That means having all interactions in the same app, not forcing employees to switch over to a portal or ticketing system. “Flow solves this by having the conversation act as the interface. Support happens where work happens, natively within chat channels.”

ServiceNow claims Flow is easy to set up—nothing is deployed, no infrastructure is needed, and employee training isn’t required. And the barrier to entry is low, as anyone can buy and activate Flow. Customers don’t need a pre-existing ServiceNow relationship, nor do they need to already be using the platform. ServiceNow said Flow results are just as “reliable” as what’s provided through its service management apps. Pre-built integrations also enable Flow to connect to more than 100 systems. 

“Technology leaders today want simplicity. They want their teams empowered to solve problems quickly without adding complexity,” Stephen Elliot, IDC’s group vice president for software development and IT operations, said in a statement.

Employees would use Flow similarly to asking a coworker for help. They post their query or request in a conversational AI interface like a Slack or Teams channel, and Flow answers using information an organization has already written down. If it can resolve the request, then it does. But if it can’t, it passes the transaction to a person on the team. Flow appears to replicate the experience provided through ServiceNow’s L1 IT Service Desk AI Specialist, an autonomous agent first introduced in February 2026, except it’s part of where the work happens.

Most of the requests are likely password resets, access requests, and policy questions. These are simple, repetitive, and don’t require formal processes or an in-depth project. However, some support teams don’t always want to personally respond to these repetitive tasks. That’s why, with Flow, teams can automate workflows without a developer—just ask something like “automate IT onboarding to provision new employee email and Okta access,” and Flow will find available integrations, choose actions for the automation, and save it for future reference. It identifies the trigger, validates employee details, and provisions both the email and Okta access before notifying the new employee.

“Flow is for companies that want to work in a completely new way. It’s automation built for speed and simplicity,” said Jeffrey Hausman, ServiceNow’s executive vice president and general manager for technology workflow products, in a statement. The company markets this new offering as being ideal for satellite teams and smaller organizations, groups that may not necessarily have dedicated IT professionals on staff or at their locations.

“It’s not a replacement for enterprise ITSM,” ServiceNow said in a fact sheet. “Teams running full-scale ITSM deployments can also use Flow for specific departments, remote teams, or newly acquired business units that need rapid deployment or prefer a different operational model.”

To reduce the chances of hallucinations, Flow lets organizations specify where they want formal governance applied, balancing accurate conversational resolution with speed.

The IT focus is only temporary because ServiceNow plans to expand Flow’s model to other areas, including CRM, support, and procurement. Flow is currently available in early access, but will become generally available for current ServiceNow customers in North America starting October 6. By the end of the company’s fiscal year fourth quarter, it’s expected to be open to all users in North America and EMEA.

Once it’s generally available, ServiceNow said it will charge for Flow usage on a consumption basis. However, customers will have a free trial period to experience Flow before committing to a purchase.

Embracing conversational AI isn’t new for ServiceNow. In May, the company introduced Otto, its chat layer across its platform. Workers detail what they want done, and Otto handles the rest—routing requests, crossing systems, and completing work without humans needing to know which system is involved. With Flow, ServiceNow is extending itself to team communication apps. It’s also not powered by Otto, a company spokesperson told The AI Economy.

Companies like Salesforce and Adobe have made this shift over the past year, as AI has made it possible to get work done by typing a request into a chat window. Salesforce’s Agentforce IT Service—a rival product—answers employee requests inside of Slack and Teams, and last month, Adobe began letting Slack users call on more than 70 of its professional-grade creative tools, including Photoshop, Firefly, Acrobat, Illustrator, and Lightroom, without leaving the conversation. Flow appears to be ServiceNow’s proverbial toe in the water as it explores how to capitalize on this new central place where employees access the software they rely on at work.