Integrating chatbots with Nexthink workflows

Without integration, chatbots cannot orchestrate complex multi-step IT resolutions. This leads to incomplete remediations, fragmented employee experience, and escalations to the service desk.

By integrating chatbots with the Nexthink Workflows API, your chatbot can:

Trigger full workflow executions directly from the chatbot conversation.
Offload orchestration to Nexthink workflows instead of programming it into the chatbot.
Use workflow thinklets—Connector, Service API or API Listener—to manage bidirectional communication with chatbot during automations
Deliver consistent, reusable remediation logic maintained inside Nexthink.

How does chatbot integration work with Nexthink Workflows?

Nexthink workflow–based chatbot integrations follow this structure:

The chatbot triggers the Workflow API to start execution.
Nexthink workflow executes orchestration: diagnostic and branching logic, API calls and remediations.
Nexthink workflow can communicate to the chatbot during automation and wait for the response to continue
The chatbot receives the workflow outputs and communicates them to the employee.

Chatbot flow using Nexthink Workflows API

Below is the typical flow for using the Workflows API in a chatbot-powered remediation scenario:

Required step or task – Chatbot

Workflow API integration approach

1. Authenticate communication

Workflow API credentials: token collection via Nexthink platform.

2. Trigger workflow execution

Chatbot calls Workflow API (/executions endpoint).

3. Pass input parameters

Chatbot provides user/device context as input variables.

4.Call chatbot API to ask questions to the user

Workflow calls chatbot to ask additional questions to the user if needed

5. Pause/resume logic

Workflow uses API Listener to wait for chatbot/user input mid-conversation.

6. Orchestration and remediation

Workflow handles branching, Connector and Service API thinklets, and triggers Remote Actions or notifications.

7. Return results to chatbot

Workflow outputs remediation results/status. Chatbot sends confirmation back to the employee.

Configuring Nexthink workflows to support chatbot integrations

Before implementing Workflow API calls within the chatbot’s logic, configure the following in Nexthink:

Set up Workflow API credentials

Configure API credentials to secure calls from the chatbot to your Nexthink workflow. Ensure that you have the Workflow API permissions activated in your API credentials.

Refer to the Workflows API documentation to confirm access to the Workflow execution endpoints.

Create a workflow with chatbot integrations in mind

In Nexthink, from the workflow designer:

Use Service API thinklets to define communication to chatbot.
Use API Listener thinklets for asynchronous chatbot input.
Define input/output variables that map cleanly to chatbot requests/responses.

Refer to the Use case: Moveworks service automation with Nexthink workflows documentation for a detailed example of how to set up a workflow-chatbot integration.

Using pre-built content to accelerate setup of chatbot-workflow integrations

Nexthink Library provides preconfigured workflows you can adapt for chatbot use cases. These allow you to:

Quickly enable common diagnostics and remediations.
Standardize orchestration across chatbot integrations.
Reduce development effort on the workflow design logic.

From the Nexthink Library, search for content by name. Writing "Assisted" lists the preconfigured workflows that address common and applicable use cases for chatbot requests.

For example, you can install the Assisted Outlook troubleshooting workflow and add the chatbot integration to its logic

Refer to the Nexthink Library documentation for more information.