Boost Portal Search Adoption: Connect Your Search Bar to AI Assistant

Instead of leaving portal search and AI Assistant as two separate things, you can connect them with a URL parameter and a bit of JavaScript.

Check out this customer post with impressive results. Spoiler alert: 150% adoption increase, 5,000+ weekly active users, and a 4.0 CSAT. Thanks ​@Dan Keith for the write up and sharing your win!

Here's how you can do this too.

How It Works

Take your AI Assistant on Web URL and append a parameter that pre-fills the user's prompt. Then intercept your portal's search form to open that link instead of doing a regular search.

Step 1: Build the URL

Your standard Assistant on Web URL:
https://[yourinstance].moveworks.com/assistant

Add the message parameter with the search query:
https://[yourinstance].moveworks.com/assistant?message=how%20much%20pto%20can%20I%20take

The ?message= parameter passes whatever the user typed straight into the conversation.

Step 2: Wire It Up in Your Portal

Use JavaScript to capture what users type in your portal's search box, URL-encode it, and open a new tab with the parameterized link.

Here's the concept:

On search form submit:

1. Get the user's search query from the input field
2. URL-encode it
3. Construct the Assistant URL with ?message=[encoded query]
4. Open that URL in a new tab

Step 3: Test & Deploy

Test with a few users. If they're finding answers faster and searches are getting smarter, you're done.

Things to Know

No backend integration needed. No CAPI configuration, no API calls, no complex setup. The message parameter means users jump straight into a conversation about their question instead of staring at search results. And it opens in a new tab, so it doesn't break anything that's already working.

Once you get it working in one portal, you can repeat it everywhere.

Additional Details

• Opens the dedicated Moveworks for Web page (not an embedded widget)
• Requires the ability to add JavaScript to your portal
• Works with any search input field, not just ServiceNow portals
• The message parameter accepts URL-encoded text, so special characters need proper encoding

Have You Done This?

If you've connected your portal search to AI Assistant, or tried this technique, drop a comment. Share your adoption numbers, CSAT scores, or any lessons learned.