Managing Chat Status for Effective Workflow
Learn about the eight chat status types in Agent Assist and how to use them effectively for streamlined workflow management and performance tracking.
Managing Chat Status for Effective Workflow
Overview
Agent Assist provides eight distinct status types to facilitate effective chat management. Each status serves a specific purpose in the system, ensuring smooth chat handling and optimal workflow organization.
Chat Status Types
Status: New
Whenever a chat is created and is either handled by a bot or not assigned to an agent, its status will be automatically set to "New."
Key Characteristics:
- Automatically assigned to new chats
- Indicates chat is in initial processing stage
- System manages transitions automatically
- Default status for unprocessed chats
Status: No Rules Matched
This is an independent status that occurs when a chat doesn't match any configured assignment rule in the system.
Typical Scenarios:
- Chat criteria don't align with existing rules
- Assignment rules need reconfiguration
- System awaits rule updates for reassignment
Important Note: Chats automatically close after 24 hours of inactivity in this status.
Status: Waiting for Assignment
This is an independent status applied when a chat has matched assignment rules but no agents are currently available or all agents are busy.
System Behavior:
- Automatically reassigns when agents become available
- Assignment wait timeout configurable in team settings
- Prevents premature chat closure
- Maintains chat in queue until assignment possible
Status: Open
When a chat is successfully assigned to an agent, its status changes to "Open." This status is crucial as it indicates the number of chats actively awaiting the agent's attention and response.
Key Benefits:
- Tracks active agent workload
- Indicates response priorities
- Measures agent capacity
- Supports performance monitoring
Status: Awaiting Response
Agents can manually change a chat's status to "Awaiting Response" when waiting for a customer reply.
Strategic Advantages:
- Track customer-dependent metrics
- Provide insights to team leads
- Manage response expectations
- Differentiate agent vs. customer delays
Status: Pending
Users can manually set chats to "Pending" when progress depends on internal team actions or coordination.
Common Use Cases:
- Internal escalations required
- Cross-department coordination needed
- Resource allocation delays
- Technical issue resolution pending
Status: Resolved
Agents mark chats as "Resolved" after successfully addressing customer queries or completing sales transactions.
System Benefits:
- Records resolution time automatically
- Enables comprehensive performance tracking
- Supports detailed analytics and reporting
- Triggers closure workflow
Status: Closed
The system automatically closes resolved chats based on the re-open time configured in settings.
Important: Users cannot manually change chat status to "Closed" - this is system-controlled based on configuration.
Chat Status Overview
Best Practices
Operational Excellence
- Use appropriate status for each situation
- Update status promptly during interactions
- Monitor pending and awaiting response chats regularly
- Configure proper timeout settings for optimal flow
Analytics & Insights
- Leverage resolved status for comprehensive metrics
- Analyze status transition patterns for optimization
- Track team efficiency through status data analysis
- Use insights for continuous workflow improvement
Resource Management
- Monitor "No Rules Matched" for rule gaps
- Track "Waiting for Assignment" patterns
- Adjust team availability based on queue data
- Optimize assignment rules for better distribution
Service Quality
- Minimize time in waiting statuses
- Use "Awaiting Response" to manage expectations
- Track resolution times across all statuses
- Maintain communication during pending states
Status Transition Guidelines
Manual Status Changes
Agent-Controlled Transitions:
- Open → Awaiting Response: When expecting customer input
- Open → Pending: When requiring internal action
- Awaiting Response → Open: When customer responds
- Pending → Open: When internal requirements are met
- Any Status → Resolved: When issue is successfully addressed
System-Controlled Transitions:
- New: Automatic for newly created chats
- No Rules Matched: Automatic when no assignment rules apply
- Waiting for Assignment: Automatic when rules match but agents unavailable
- Waiting for Assignment → Open: Automatic when agent becomes available
- Resolved → Closed: Automatic based on re-open time configuration
Key Takeaways
Summary
These eight distinct chat statuses enhance workflow management by ensuring each chat is appropriately tracked and acted upon throughout its entire lifecycle. Each status - New, No Rules Matched, Waiting for Assignment, Open, Awaiting Response, Pending, Resolved, and Closed - serves a specific purpose in the system. Proper status utilization contributes to more efficient and effective chat handling, improved customer experience, and better team performance insights.
Updated 8 months ago