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Agent-Facing Chat Process Flow

The steps involved in a typical agent-facing chat process flow are shown in Figure 1 as follows:

1. The agent logs in to the Siebel Call Center application.
2. The agent logs in to Siebel Chat by clicking the Log in button on the communications toolbar.

   To use Siebel Chat, agents must be set up for the application, as follows:

   1. A user account must be set up for each agent in the third-party chat server.

      For information about setting up user accounts for agents, see the documentation provided by the third-party chat vendor.

   2. Each agent must be added to at least one chat communications configuration.

      For more information, see Configuring Communications in Siebel Call Center for Siebel Chat and Adding Agents to the Communications Configuration for Siebel Chat. For information about configuring agents after an agent has been added to a communications configuration, see Siebel CTI Administration Guide.

3. The agent clicks the flashing Accept Work Item button on the communications toolbar to accept an incoming chat request.

   For more information about accepting a chat, see Accepting an Incoming Chat.

4. Siebel Call Center attempts to identify the customer requesting a chat using the information provided on the chat request form.

   The information on the chat request form determines whether an activity event or a service request is created, and consequently the application view that the agent is directed to in the Siebel Call Center application. For example, if the customer provides only a Contact ID on the chat request form, then the agent is directed to the Contact screen in Siebel Call Center. However, if the customer provides a valid Service Request ID that Siebel Call Center can identify, then the agent is directed to the Service Requests screen in Siebel Call Center. For more information about how Siebel Call Center identifies the customer requesting a chat, see Chat Standard Accept Process Workflow.

5. The agent is directed to an appropriate application view in Siebel Call Center and engages in a chat conversation with the customer.

   For more information about how an agent handles a chat, review the following:

   • Responding to an Incoming Chat
   • Reviewing Inbound Siebel Chat Activities
   • Handling Siebel Chat Sessions
6. The agent releases the chat session, see Releasing Chat Sessions.

Figure 1 describes an agent-facing chat process flow.

Figure 1. Agent-Facing Chat Process Flow

Chat Request Form

Figure 2 shows an example of a chat request form.

Figure 2. Example Chat Request Form

The callouts in Figure 2 show the following:

1. Profile information. First name, last name, phone number, email address, which is prepopulated if the user is logged in to the self-service Web application.
2. Service request information. Service request number, product name, problem summary, problem description, which is prepopulated if the chat is requested from a Service Request Detail page.