Live Conversation Authentication

This section of the user guide is focused on configuring live assistant authentication. To help you navigate the article we have broken it down into the following sections:

• Live Conversation Authentication Overview
• Configuring the Require Live Conversation Authentication Settings
• Virtual Assistant User Experience
• Transferring to an office that requires Live Conversation authentication
• Using Live Conversation Authentication as a Live Agent 
  

Live Conversation Authentication Overview

Live conversation authentication requires the live conversation participant to authenticate (log in) using their school SSO credentials so that a live agent can share confidential information. There are two methods to do this: requiring authentication or prompting authentication. For required authentication, offices can choose to require live conversation participants to authenticate in order to start a conversation with a live agent. If the office chooses not to require authentication to connect with an agent, then agents have the option to prompt the live conversation participant to authenticate any time during the conversation

To utilize live conversation authentication, you will first need to set up your single sign-on authenticator via the admin portal on the Connectors>Authentication Providers page.  

For information on how to set up a new authentication provider, please review the Adding An Authentication Provider article.

If choosing to require authentication to connect with an agent, then after you have set up your authentication provider(s), you will need to configure the Behavior Settings tab. 

Configuring the Require Live Conversation Authentication Settings

There are three steps to enabling the live conversation authentication feature which requires students to log in before they can be connected with a live agent.

Under the Virtual Assistant section, select the Behavior Settings tab.

1. Select Edit for the office for which you want to enable the setting. In the Live Conversation Authentication dropdown, select On.

Note: On the Office tab, in the Live Conversation Authentication dropdown, you will have the additional option of Default/No Office. Selecting this option will refer to the settings on the Default/No Office tab.

2. In the SSO Authentication Provider field, from the dropdown select your SSO authentication provider that was set up on the Authentication Providers page.

3. Set the Display Student ID toggle as either Off or On. If the toggle is on, the Student ID will display in the live assistant Active Conversation Details pane and in conversation details in the transcript. 

Virtual Assistant user experience

If the require live conversation authentication setting has been enabled, the live conversation participant must agree to log in to be added to the queue. Live conversation participants will also be required to log in to leave a message as well (i.e. fill out the contact form). 

The virtual assistant message displayed to the live conversation participant is slightly different if require live conversation authentication is turned on: 

• If a live assistant agent is available, the live conversation participant will receive the following message: “I have someone available now to chat. Would you like to log in to connect to them?"
• If a live agent is not available, the live conversation participant message will depend on the communication opportunities settings.
  • If the communication opportunities settings are set to contact form, the live conversation participant will receive the following message: “Would you like to log in to leave a message?"
  • If the communication opportunities settings are set to custom response, the live conversation participant will receive the custom response configured in the communication opportunities section.

Live Conversation First will work the same as if the live conversation were initiated after engaging with the virtual assistant in that the live conversation participant is asked if they would like to log in to connect to a live agent. 

• Once a live conversation participant chooses to authenticate (whether it’s to enter the live conversation queue or leave a message), they are automatically redirected to the SSO login site configured by the institution. 
• Upon successfully logging in, they are automatically redirected back to the virtual assistant. 
• If the live conversation participant is already logged into the SSO in the browser in which they are engaging with the virtual assistant, then they are not required to re-authenticate and will automatically be redirected back to the virtual assistant. 

Transferring to an office that requires live conversation authentication

If a live conversation participant is engaged in a live conversation with an office that does not require authentication and is transferred to an office that does require authentication, the live conversation participant will receive the following message: “You are being transferred to an office that requires you to log in to connect to an agent. Would you like to log in to continue?”. 

In the admin portal, the live agent is prevented from sending messages until the user successfully logs into the SSO.

• If the live conversation participant is required to authenticate but is unsuccessful, they can start a new conversation in a different window or clear the conversation to start a new one. 
• If the live conversation participant selects the back button, they will eventually be returned to the secure virtual assistant and will no longer be able to engage with the virtual assistant unless they perform one of the options just mentioned. 
• If the live conversation participant selects to log in but does not attempt to log in (for example, they changed their mind and do not wish to log in), and then select the “back” button, they are returned to the virtual assistant and can engage with the virtual assistant.

Using Live Assistant Authentication as a Live Agent

Once the live conversation participant logs in, the agent is notified. If the participant has already authenticated, the agent will receive a message stating this when they prompt for authentication.