ServiceDesk Plus Cloud Artificial Intelligence Related FAQ's

ServiceDesk Plus Cloud Artificial Intelligence Related FAQ's

1. What is Zia? Does Zoho have its own LLM?

Zia (Zoho's Intelligent Assistant) is Zoho’s in-house AI assistant integrated across various Zoho applications, including ServiceDesk Plus Cloud. It helps users with features like chatbot, solution suggestions, ticket field prediction, sentiment analysis, and a chatbot interface for self-service.
Yes, Zoho has its own Large Language Model (LLM) that is developed and maintained entirely by Zoho, ensuring data privacy, customization, and tight integration within its ecosystem. In addition, Zoho and other ManageEngine products also supports integration with external GenAI providers like OpenAI (ChatGPT), Azure OpenAI allowing flexibility based on customer needs.

The Zoho LLM is not yet exposed to internal applications. Current AI features are powered by internally hosted open-source LLMs, which enable these capabilities while maintaining strict data privacy. The good news is that Zoho has recently announced the launch of its own LLM, which will soon be integrated into applications. Since it is hosted internally, Zia ensures higher levels of security and privacy, without depending on external AI providers unless explicitly chosen (e.g., ChatGPT or Azure OpenAI).

2. I have enabled the Zia's Classic Chatbot, but whenever I try to create a request or perform any action within it, I receive the error message: “Something went wrong. Please try again later.” Why is this happening?

ServiceDesk Plus Cloud recommends enabling third-party cookies in your browser to ensure Zia works smoothly, especially for chat, session continuity, and embedded interactions. To know more, https://help.sdpondemand.com/enabling-third-party-cookies-for-zia
If third-party cookies are disabled or blocked, you may experience:
  1. Zia chatbot is not loading or crashing intermittently.
  2. Zia is not recognising logged-in users.
  3. Session timeouts when interacting with Chatbot.
This process is not required if you have enabled conversation chatbot (Ask Zia). Kindly click this link to explore more about Ask Zia, https://help.sdpondemand.com/conversational-bot.

3. What does the “Ask Question” feature do? Does it search for solutions again?

By default, when you interact with the Zia chatbot in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, it searches for answers within your organization’s knowledge base. However, if you want broader assistance (e.g., definitions, troubleshooting steps, or exploratory queries), Zia can also connect to an external AI provider configured under GenAI settings.

When a provider like ChatGPT is integrated and enabled, an "Ask ChatGPT" button appears in the chatbot. Clicking it sends your question to the selected AI engine for a response using its advanced language capabilities.

To enable this feature:
  1. Go to Setup → Zia → Artificial Intelligence → GenAI Features → Ask Questions, and toggle it on.
  2. Click the three dots to change the AI provider (Zia is enabled by default).
  3. Ensure the respective AI provider is integrated with your ServiceDesk Plus Cloud instance before selection.

4. Will my data be shared with other AI providers like ChatGPT and Azure OpenAI?

If you choose to integrate an external AI provider like ChatGPT or Azure OpenAi under GenAI settings, please note: You are subject to that provider’s terms and privacy policies.

For example, OpenAI's ChatGPT operates under different data policies depending on the plan (e.g., Free, Plus, Team, Enterprise).
By default, ChatGPT Enterprise, Team, Edu, and API platforms do not use your data (inputs or outputs) for training their models.

Their models are trained on public information, data from licensed sources, and input from their research team—not on your business data unless explicitly opted-in.

For more on ChatGPT’s data privacy, see: https://openai.com/business-data/

5. Do I have to pay for any AI-related features supported by ServiceDesk Plus Cloud?

By default, all AI features in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud are powered by Zia, the AI engine developed in-house by Zoho. These features are available at no additional cost to all SDP Cloud users, subject to the capabilities offered in their subscription plan.
However, if a customer chooses to integrate with external AI providers such as ChatGPT (OpenAI) or Azure OpenAI, they must:
  1. Set up and maintain that integration separately.
  2. Have a valid subscription with the external AI provider.
  3. Cover any usage-based costs associated with that provider directly.
Notes
ManageEngine/Zoho does not handle billing, support, or data control for third-party AI services integrated by the customer.

6. How does the training process work for the prediction feature in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud?

All predictive capabilities in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud are powered by Zia, Zoho’s in-house AI engine. Once enabled, Zia begins training using your service desk instance’s data to generate intelligent predictions.How Zia Training Works Initial Training: Begins immediately upon enabling prediction.
Retraining Schedule: Occurs every 7 days to incorporate newly added or updated records.
Scope: Predictions can be applied to requests created via:
  1. Email
  2. Web form
  3. Preventive Maintenance Tasks
  4. V3 API
If the initial training fails, the system automatically retries daily until successful. You can also manually re-initiate the training by toggling the prediction feature OFF and then ON again.

Training Requirements by Module
Module               Initial Training Requirement             Periodic Training Requirement
Requests             Minimum 100 requests                      Minimum 25 requests
Problems             Minimum 50 problem requests       Minimum 10 problem requests
Changes             Minimum 50 change requests           Minimum 10 change requests
Info
A maximum of 10,000 records will be used during each training cycle.
Notes
Zia is trained only with data from the specific service desk instance where it is enabled. No cross-instance or external data sharing occurs.

7. I am trying to enable the Zia Chatbot, but it automatically gets disabled as soon as I enable it. Why is this happening?

Kindly ensure that third-party cookies are enabled in your browser and try again. To learn how to enable third-party cookies, refer to the guide, https://help.sdpondemand.com/enabling-third-party-cookies-for-zia

Additionally, please check with other SDAdmins in your organization to see if they were able to enable the Zia Chatbot successfully.
If the issue persists across all admins, we recommend reaching out to ServiceDesk Plus Cloud Support for further assistance.

8. What are the current AI capabilities supported in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud?

ServiceDesk Plus Cloud offers a wide range of AI features, including both predictive and generative AI capabilities. The platform is also evolving toward an agentic AI structure, aimed at enabling more autonomous and intelligent operations.

Zia Help Guide – For Setup & Usage Instructions, https://help.sdpondemand.com/zia-for-servicedesk-plus-cloud

9. I have enabled Zia Request Closure, but have mandatory fields configured under Request Closure Rules. Will Zia still wait for the technician to fill those fields before closing the request?

No, if Zia Request Closure is enabled, it will automatically close the request as soon as the requester acknowledges the resolution via email, regardless of any mandatory closure fields defined in Request Closure Rules. Zia's closure configuration overrides these rules. However, any closure code and status comments added at the time of resolution will still be logged in the request history.

If you require technicians to fill in certain fields before closure, it is recommended to disable Zia Request Closure or implement a custom workflow to enforce field completion.

10. Is there a way to automatically predict problems based on the incidents created during outages?

Yes, ServiceDesk Plus Cloud offers a feature called Problem Prediction that proactively monitors incident requests to detect emerging trends and alerts you about potential problems.

How to Configure Problem Auto Prediction:
  1. Incoming Requests Threshold: Set the number of similar incoming requests (between 25 and 250) required to trigger problem identification.
  2. Technicians to Notify: Choose up to 100 technicians (with Edit Problem and Edit Request permissions) who should be notified when a problem is predicted.
  3. Click Save to apply the configuration.
Additional Options under Quick Actions (available after enabling problem prediction):
  1. Run Prediction: Manually initiate prediction. The system will scan the last 500 requests to identify patterns and trends.
  2. View Predictions: View all system-generated problem predictions. Click on any prediction to see more details.
Notes
Predictions will be displayed for a maximum of 48 hours.

11. Is there a way to show solution articles based on the prompt entered in the Zia Chatbot?

Yes, ServiceDesk Plus Cloud offers a predictive AI feature called Solution Assist, which uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). When a user enters a query in the Zia Chatbot, Zia can summarize and respond with content from relevant solution articles stored in the service desk plus cloud, delivering context-aware answers.
Notes
Availability: This feature is currently available only for the Enterprise edition of SDP Cloud in the US, EU, and IN data centers.

12. Can an individual ChatGPT account be integrated with ServiceDesk Plus Cloud to optimize AI features?

Yes, ServiceDesk Plus Cloud now offers native integration with ChatGPT, allowing organizations to leverage generative AI capabilities within the platform.

However, while native support is available, OpenAI's free-tier quota is limited and may exhaust quickly. To ensure uninterrupted performance, it is highly recommended to use a subscription-based ChatGPT (OpenAI) account—such as a paid API plan—when enabling the integration.

13. My ChatGPT or Azure OpenAI integration was working fine but suddenly stopped. What could be the issue?

The most likely reason is that your API quota limit has been reached, especially if you're using a free or individual account.
Quick Actions:
  1. Check usage and quota in your OpenAI or Azure dashboard.
  2. Verify API key validity and update if needed.
  3. Switch to an organization-level subscription for better reliability and higher limits.
  4. Check for rate limiting or connectivity issues.

14. Is there a way to approve requests without logging into ServiceDesk Plus Cloud every time?

Yes, ServiceDesk Plus Cloud offers a feature called Request Auto Approval, a GenAI capability that can automatically approve requests based on the email replies sent by approvers. It predicts approval actions and applies them to the requests without requiring manual intervention.

To enable this feature:
  1. Navigate to Setup → Zia → Artificial Intelligence → GenAI Features → Request Auto Approval and enable toggle.
  2. Click the three dots to choose the AI provider (Zia is enabled by default).
  3. Ensure your selected AI provider is already integrated with your ServiceDesk Plus Cloud instance.
Enable Azure OpenAI Integration → https://help.sdpondemand.com/azure-openai-integration

Additionally, ServiceDesk Plus Cloud supports Outlook Actionable Cards, allowing users to perform approval actions directly from their Outlook email client. With actionable messages enabled, technicians and end users can approve or reject requests from their mailbox in a single click, without logging into the application.
Info
To know more about Outlook actionable cards, https://help.sdpondemand.com/office-365-connector

15. I have configured Request Auto-Approval, but when I replied by email to approve the request, it didn’t work. What could be the reason?

One possible reason is that the GenAI service may not be functioning correctly. To verify this:
  1. Try using other GenAI features like Text Assist or Reply Assist within ServiceDesk Plus Cloud.
  2. If these features work as expected, it confirms that GenAI is active, and you can retry the auto-approval feature.
If the issue persists, ensure that:
  1. Your AI provider (Zia, ChatGPT, or Azure OpenAI) is correctly configured.
  2. The email reply format clearly indicates an approval action (e.g., "Approved", "Go ahead", etc.).
  3. You are replying from the approver's registered email address.

16. What are blended conversations?

Blended Conversations enable you to design and manage guided interactions by predefining Zia’s responses to common user queries.With a low-code GUI workflow builder, you can create intuitive conversation flows that help end-users with their queries and automate routine processes. These workflows are seamlessly integrated into the Zia Chatbot, significantly enhancing its self-service capabilities and improving user experience.

Kindly refer to this link to know more about blended conversations with a sample scenario, https://pitstop.manageengine.com/portal/en/kb/articles/blended-conversation-automation-sample-along-with-request-creation-via-webhook

17. Is there a way to track how AI features like Zia Chatbot, Predictive AI, and GenAI are being used in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud?

ServiceDesk Plus Cloud provides a dedicated Zia Dashboard, a centralized interface that offers detailed insights into the usage of various Zia-powered AI features such as Predictive AI, GenAI (Text Assist, Reply Assist), Solution Assist, Sentiment Analysis, and the Zia Chatbot. This dashboard helps administrators understand feature adoption, usage trends, and user engagement through visual widgets.

Additionally, for chatbot-specific metrics—like the number of conversations and most-invoked actions—you can navigate to Setup → Artificial Intelligence → Zia Chatbot → Usage Stats (Classic Chatbot).

These tools enable data-driven decision-making to enhance service operations.
To know more on Zia Dashboard → https://help.sdpondemand.com/dashboards$zia-dashboard To know more on Zia Chatbot usage stats → https://help.sdpondemand.com/zia-usage-stats

18. Is there a way to find out how many ChatGPT tokens were used by users in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud?

Yes, you can track ChatGPT token usage in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud by navigating to Home → Dashboard → Zia Dashboard and locating the “ChatGPT Usage by Users” widget. This widget displays each user’s total usage count and token consumption.

Additionally, the “GenAI Usage by Users” widget provides a consolidated view of usage across all GenAI providers. Provider-specific widgets—such as ChatGPT Usage by Users, Azure OpenAI Usage by Users, and Zia (GenAI) Usage by Users—are also available, and they mirror the data found under the Usage Statistics section in the respective integration settings.

19. I am getting this error message "You exceeded your current quota, please check your plan and billing details"whenever I am trying to connect with ChatGPT?

  1. If you are using a personal OpenAI account, the error may be due to limited credits or a capped spend threshold.
  2. If the integration is configured with your organization’s subscription account, please reach out to your OpenAI account administrator to review the usage limits and increase the monthly quota under the subscription settings, if necessary.

20. Is it possible to connect with operators directly from the Zia chatbot if the chatbot is unable to resolve the end user's query?

Yes, end users can connect directly with live technicians from the Zia chatbot if they are not satisfied with the bot’s response.
To enable this feature, please contact ServiceDesk Plus Cloud support.
This functionality is available only for organizations with the Live Chat add-on enabled.

21. Will Zia LLM use the customer’s data to train its models?

No, Zia LLM does not use customer data to train or fine-tune the global foundation models. However, the data may be utilized within the customer’s own instance to power features like predictions, auto-field suggestions, and contextual responses. This processing happens in a secure, isolated environment and is used solely to enhance the functionality of the instance, without contributing to any shared or global model training.

22. Can the Zia chatbot be accessed through Microsoft Teams?

Yes, the Classic version of the Zia chatbot actions can be accessed in the Microsoft Teams ServiceDesk Plus Cloud (SDPC) UI, provided you are still using the Classic chatbot in SDPC and not the conversational bot.If you want to perform Zia actions directly from the Teams chatbot, you can do so by enabling the Microsoft Teams card under the Integrations page in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud.

The Teams bot currently supports only the command-based (Classic Zia) version, not the conversational one.
Zia action commands are not suggested by default in the Teams bot and must be entered manually.

To simplify usage, you can create Loop components, add the required Zia actions, and pin them for your team’s reference.

Ask Zia (Conversational Bot) is not yet supported within Microsoft Teams.

23. What is the difference between a Conversational Chatbot and a Classic Chatbot?

Classic Chatbot → A traditional chatbot that works on predefined flows, buttons, and static decision trees, primarily using Zia actions and blended conversations.

Conversational Chatbot (Ask Zia) → An AI-driven chatbot that leverages NLP and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to enable free-form, natural conversations. It supports text, voice, and image inputs, providing a more dynamic and flexible way to interact with Zia.

24. When a ticket is created via Ask Zia, will the entire chat transcript be included?

As per the current design, only the latest 10 conversations are captured during request creation.

25. While creating requests or incidents through Ask Zia, will it display all templates together or only relevant ones?

If the Template Prediction feature is enabled and properly trained with data, Ask Zia will recommend templates based on the content of the user’s query.

To enable and learn more about the Template Prediction feature, click here: https://help.sdpondemand.com/zia-ai$template-prediction

26. Are all AI features available across every datacenter especially "Ask Zia" ?
Notes
Currently, the Zoho-hosted LLM (Zia) is available only in the US, IN, EU, and AU data centers. Users in these DCs can explore the Ask Zia feature. For other DCs, the feature will be available if they have integrated with ChatGPT or Azure OpenAI, except in the CN DC, where it is currently not supported.

27. Does Ask Zia support multiple languages?

As per the current design, Ask Zia supports German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese. Third-party LLMs, such as ChatGPT and Azure OpenAI, now support all languages. However, work is in progress to extend support for additional languages in the future.

Other Zia LLM–powered features currently support Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, and Korean.
Notes
Multi-language Support for Field Prediction : English (en), Croatian (hr), Czech (cs), Danish (da), Dutch (nl), Estonian (et), Finnish (fi), French (fr), German (de), Hungarian (hu), Icelandic (is), Indonesian (id), Polish (pl), Portuguese (pt), Spanish (es), Latvian (lv), Lithuanian (lt), Norwegian (no), Romanian (ro), Swedish (sv), Turkish (tr), Vietnamese (vi), Italian (it), and Welsh (cy).\

28. Does the voice input in Ask Zia provide multi language capabilities?

The voice input in Ask Zia currently supports only English.

29. Is Ask Zia included as part of the MSP Cloud?

Currently, Ask Zia is supported only in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud. However, we are working on extending support for both Ask Zia and the Classic Chatbot in MSP Cloud.

30. Can the Ask Zia feature be renamed to better align with our organization’s branding?

Yes, the Ask Zia feature can be renamed and customized with your own bot avatar by navigating to:
Setup → Zia → Zia Chatbot → Chatbot Customization → Customize

31. Our practice follows a structured, transactional chatbot flow that should also integrate with third-party solutions. Since Ask Zia follows a conversational flow, can it also be configured to capture static information in a defined manner?

Yes. You can leverage Blended Conversations by navigating to: Setup → Zia → Zia Chatbot → Ask Zia → Enable Blended Conversations.This allows you to either invoke existing blended conversations from Ask Zia or create new ones under the Blended Conversations tab.

32. I configured a few blended conversations under the Classic chatbot, but after switching to the Conversational bot, I’m unable to invoke them. What could be the reason?

When you move from the Classic Bot to the Conversational Bot, Blended Conversations are disabled by default. You will need to enable them manually by navigating to: Setup → Zia → Zia Chatbot → Ask Zia → Enable Blended Conversations

33. Are AI features available in the Sandbox environment?

Currently, predictive features are available in the Sandbox environment. However, we are working on bringing more AI capabilities, including Ask Zia, to the Sandbox for a complete experience.

34. At present, the Zia chatbot only triggers predefined actions. Can it be enabled to function as a conversational chatbot?

Yes. Conversational bot support (Ask Zia) is already available for Enterprise users with English setup. To enable the Conversational Bot, refer to this guide: https://help.sdpondemand.com/conversational-bot
Notes
Currently, the Zoho-hosted LLM (Zia) is available only in the US, IN, EU, and AU data centers. Users in these DCs can access the Ask Zia feature.
For other DCs, the feature is available through integration with ChatGPT or Azure OpenAI, except in the CN DC, where it is not supported.

35. What capabilities and limitations does the Workflow Assist feature have?

The Workflow Assist feature supports all workflow modules, including Request, Problem, Change, Release, and Asset. It is available exclusively in the Enterprise Edition and currently supports the English language (depending on the chosen AI model).

The solution integrates with three AI providers: Zia (Zoho-hosted LLM), ChatGPT, and Azure OpenAI. It accepts both text and image inputs, though Zoho-hosted LLM supports only text.
Notes
Data center (DC) availability varies by provider:Zia (Zoho-hosted LLM): Supported only in the US, EU, IN, and AU.
ChatGPT: Supported globally except in China (CN).
Azure OpenAI: Supported globally except in China (CN).

36. In ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, how do Predictive AI and Generative AI features differ in functionality, and how is organizational data stored and processed under each model?

Predictive AI → Helps automate or suggest outcomes based on historical data — i.e. make predictions or recommendations to reduce manual work.

Data Handling:

All data is stored only in Zoho’s servers and processed through Zoho internally hosted LLM.
Each organization has its own unique models (per org/entity).
No cross-organization training is performed.
Models are trained purely on your org’s historical data within SDP Cloud.

Generative AI → Generates content, summaries, responses, or new artifacts based on prompts and context. More “creative” or open-ended, can compose text, suggest resolutions, build workflows etc.

Data Handling:

Zia uses open-source LLMs (e.g., Qwen, LLaMA) hosted inside Zoho’s servers. (Other AI Providers like OpenAI or Azure OpenAI are supported too)

Only prompt engineering is applied — there is no pre-training or re-training on your data.
No cross-organization training — prompts and responses are used only to generate outputs.
Prompts sent to the model are not stored for future training.
Notes
Model training: We don't use customer data to train our global model(for genAI) . For prediction AI features , we will have our own models specific to each customer saved in their own organization space. It will not interact with other customers model. If you are using Third party AI providers , kindly check their respective privacy terms.
Info
AI Features – Datacenter Availability for Predictive Features
✔ US, EU, AU, IN, CA, SA, UK (except technician prediction)✘ CN, JP

ChatGPT / Azure OpenAI
✔ US, EU, AU, IN, CA, SA, JP, UK
✘ CN

Ask Zia
ChatGPT / Azure OpenAI: ✔ US, EU, AU, IN, UK, CA, SA, JPZia (Enterprise only): ✔ US, EU, AU, IN✘ CN

Solution Assist (Enterprise only)
✔ US, EU, IN
✘ AU, UK, CA, SA, CN, JP

Classic Chatbot / Blended Conversations
✔ US, EU, AU, IN, UK, CA, SA
✘ CN, JP
Notes
Retention of AI Data in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud: For the prediction feature, the customer data trained model will be deleted when the customer disables the specific features

For generative AI features, the AI-generated data will be held in your account as long as you choose to use Zoho Services. Once you terminate your Zoho user account, your data will be deleted from the active database during the next clean-up that occurs once every 6 months. The data deleted from the active database will be deleted from backups after 3 months. In case of your account is inactive for a continuous period of 120 days, we reserve the right to terminate it after giving you prior notice and the option to back up your data.


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