Ability to automatically or force assign Chat work offers

In this release, we are introducing three new Profile Options that allow administrators to customize the behavior of chat assignment notifications. These options, which support the auto-assignment and forced assignment features, allow administrators to tailor the chat work offer assignment process to their specific needs. The details of these new Profile Options are as follows:

If the profile option for auto-assignment of chat is enabled, when the chat timer reaches the notification timeout, the chat will be auto-assigned to the agent instead of expiring the chat request. The agent still has the option to accept or decline the chat offer before the timeout. The existing behavior will be the same for chat transfers and conference scenarios.

With the forced assignment feature, administrators can configure a forced timeout value. The forced assignment will be enabled if this value is set to a value greater than 0 (the recommended minimum is 5 seconds). In this scenario, the agent will not have the option to decline the chat offer. When the configured forced timeout value is reached, the chat will be assigned to the agent. This feature is applicable only for normal chat and transfer to queue. To enable the force assignment for transfer and conference, an additional PO ORA_SVC_CHAT_TRANSFER_CONFERENCE_FORCED_ASSIGN needs to be enabled.

If both chat offer auto-assign and forced assignment are configured, which is not recommended, then chat offers will follow the forced assignment process.

Automating or forcing chat assignments can reduce missed or abandoned chat requests.

Steps to Enable

This feature allows an administrator to configure the auto-assignment or forced assignment of chat work offers. Three new profile options have been created to support this behavior, and the details are below.

To access the profile options, navigate to the Setup and Maintenance page:

  • Click on the Task icon located on the right side of the Setup UI
  • Then select the Search option menu.
  • In the search field, enter Manage Global Search Profile Options
  • Select the Manage Global Search Profile Options
  • In the Profile Option Code field, enter the profile option you want to configure and search.
  1. ORA_SVC_AUTO_ASSIGN_WORK_OFFER_ASSIGNMENT
    • A new profile option to opt-in for auto-assignments for new work.
    • Values could be Yes or No, with a default of no
    • On assignment of work, agents should receive a notification, as they do today, with the option to join the chat or decline the chat
    • The notification timer that is defined in SVC_CHAT_OFFER_NOTIFICATION_TIMEOUT_VALUE (currently 60 seconds) will count down, and upon expiration, the work will be auto-assigned to the agent
    • This applies only to normal chat offers and not to transfer and conference chat offers.
  2. ORA_SVC_FORCED_ASSIGNMENT_NOTIFICATION_TIMEOUT_VALUE
    • This new profile option will allow administrators to define the forced assignment of chat when the timeout value has been set to a number greater than zero; the suggested min value is 5 seconds.
    • This profile option notification timer will be used for chat offers with the forced assignment timeout offer greater than zero. Also, the agent will not have the option to reject the chat offer.
    • If the  ORA_SVC_CHAT_TRANSFER_CONFERENCE_FORCED_ASSIGN profile option has been set to No, then the chat conferences and transfers will continue to operate as they do today, using the SVC_CHAT_OFFER_NOTIFICATION_TIMEOUT_VALUE (currently 60 seconds)
  3. ORA_SVC_CHAT_TRANSFER_CONFERENCE_FORCED_ASSIGN
    • A new profile option will be required for administrators to define if chat transfers and conference work offers should be forced-assigned once the SVC_FORCED_ASSIGNMENT_NOTIFICATION_TIMEOUT_VALUE has expired
    • If the ORA_SVC_FORCED_ASSIGNMENT_NOTIFICATION_TIMEOUT_VALUE is set to zero and SVC_AUTO_ASSIGN_WORK_OFFER_ASSIGNMENT is set to No, then the chat conferences and transfers will continue to operate as they do today, using the SVC_CHAT_OFFER_NOTIFICATION_TIMEOUT_VALUE (currently 60 seconds)
    • If the ORA_SVC_FORCED_ASSIGNMENT_NOTIFICATION_TIMEOUT_VALUE is set to zero and SVC_AUTO_ASSIGN_WORK_OFFER_ASSIGNMENT is set to Yes, then the chat conferences and transfers will auto-accept upon expiration of SVC_CHAT_OFFER_NOTIFICATION_TIMEOUT_VALUE (currently 60 seconds)

Tips And Considerations

  • If auto-assign and forced assignment have been configured, then the forced assignment process will be followed.
  • For forced assignment it is recommended to set the value to 5 seconds.

Key Resources

See the Chat With a Customer section of the Using Service Center in the Redwood User Experience guide

Also, see Implement Web Chat section in the Overview of Web Chat for Service guide.

Access Requirements

An Administrator will need the appropriate privileges to:

  • Enable profile options
  • Provision the Chat Agent role to chat agents