This section of the user guide is focused on the live chat active conversation page. To help you navigate the article we have broken it down into the following sections:
- What is the Active Conversations page?
- Who has access to the Active Conversations page?
- How do I navigate to the Active Conversations page?
- How does a chatbot end user engage in live chat?
- How do I operate as a live chat agent?
What is the Active Conversations page?
The Active Conversations page is where a live chat agent will interact and manage live chat conversations. Within the Active Conversations page, agents can view and assign live chat conversations, interact with live chat end users, and transfer conversations to other agents, as needed.
Who has access to the Active Conversations page?
The Active Conversations page is available to individuals with the following permissions:
For more information on user permissions, review the User Roles & Permissions article.How do I navigate to the Active Conversations page?
Under the Live Chat section, select Active Conversations. The Active Conversations tab is where you, the agent, will interact with live chat end users through live chat.
How does a chatbot end user engage in live chat?
Live chat will be offered to a chatbot user during two different scenarios.
- If a chatbot end user asks to chat with a live chat agent (the chatbot is programmed to understand variations of this request.)
- If the chatbot is unable to answer the current question.
In both cases, there needs to be a live chat agent available to speak with, or the chatbot will function in the typical way (either a contact form or custom response).
Things to keep in mind:
- If you have more than one office setup on the chatbot, the chatbot end user will be asked which office they want to talk to.
- If an office is selected that does not have a live chat agent available or is not utilizing live chat, the end user will not be offered live chat and the chatbot will operate as usual (with either a contact form or custom message).
- As an agent, to activate live chat, the agent will need to turn their chat status to available in the admin.
Once a live chat end user has entered the queue, they will receive a message stating they are in the queue and someone will be with them shortly. This message will be displayed every two minutes to the live chat end user.
- There is no "position" of live chat end users in the live chat queue. This is because live chat agents can select specific live chat conversations that are waiting/unassigned (i.e., the live chat conversations do not flow in first in/first out).
- Live chat end users will not be notified of the amount of time that remains to wait OR whether they are 'next' up in the queue.
- If the end user selects leave a message, they will be given the contact form that will be submitted to the office they selected.
- If the end user selects take me back to [chatbot name], they will be taken back to the chatbot.
How do I operate as a live chat agent?
On the Active Conversations page, a new live chat conversation will appear in the Inbound (Unassigned) category.
The agent will need to select the conversation for the conversation to appear.
To assign the conversation to yourself, as an agent, you can do this in one of two ways.
- You can respond to the end user, such as typing “Hi” in the text box.
- You can select your name in the Assignee dropdown.
Either of these options will move the conversation to the Assigned to Me category.
This category will only appear if you have active conversations.
You will also be able to see any conversations assigned to others if they are available in the Assigned to Others category.
As you engage in the conversation, the live chat end user will be notified who they are speaking with.
If you ask the live chat end user their name, you can update the Speaking With field at the top of the conversation panel.
This will enable you to track who you are having conversations with or search for the conversation later if needed.
Using suggested responses
As you engage with the live chat end user and they ask a question that is in the knowledge base, you will be given suggested text, videos, and links that you can easily add to the conversation to send to the end user.
For example, if the end user asks “What is SAP?”, you will be given suggested responses in the knowledge base window.
To add one of these suggestions, you can select the plus button or drag and drop it into the text box.
Editing a response
You can edit the response if needed before you send it to the live chat end user.
Editing features are available, such as bold, italicize, you can also send images, links, or attachments. The character limit for a response is 5,000 characters.
As a live chat agent, you can send the live chat end user attachments such as forms.
The live chat end user will need to return documents via the usual submission process for your office.
Conversation preview
As a live chat agent, you can view what the end user is typing.
This is to help you preemptively be able to answer their question quicker.
On the other side, as the live chat end user, they will only see in-progress typing ellipses from the agent.
Transferring a live chat conversation
Live chat agents can transfer conversations to another live chat agent in your office or to another department (if you have other departments utilizing the Ocelot Live Chat platform).
To transfer a conversation, select another agent from the Assignee dropdown.
Live chat agents will be listed under each department an agent is available in the Assignee dropdown.
Once the conversation has been transferred, the live chat end user will be notified which agent they are now speaking with.
Keep in mind, if you transfer the conversation to another department, the new live chat agent may not be able to see the previous conversation history due to agent permissions.
Ending a live chat conversation
If the live chat end user ends the conversation, the live chat agent will receive a notification, but the agent will still need to actively end the conversation, by clicking the End Conversation button.
This is to allow you to continue to make notes if needed in your student information system.
If you, the agent, end the conversation first, the live chat end user will be notified and given the option to download the conversation. If the end user continues to ask questions, the bot will respond.