Configure Chat Queues in Oracle Service Cloud

Oracle Service Cloud Chat uses queues, chat rules, and agent profiles to route chats to the appropriate agents automatically. Chat rules define which queue to route a chat to and agent profiles identify which agents can accept chats from a queue.

Companies can choose to route all Oracle Service Cloud Chat requests to a default queue, but they typically create several chat queues and route each queue to the agents with expertise in that area. If your company hasn't configured a queue for your skill bot requests, an Oracle Service Cloud administrator can configure one.

For example, if you want all incoming skill bot chats about orders routed to an Order Support queue, then you create a chat rule that routes chats to the Order Support queue whenever a certain field value is set to order. Next, you add the Order Support queue to the agent profile that's associated with the agents who can handle those chats.

Here's an overview of the steps to configure a chat queue:

1. Configure a chat queue (for example, Order Support).
2. Configure the custom fields. The values in these fields are used to identify the chat requests that are routed to the queue.
3. Configure a chat rule. The rule specifies the conditions for assigning a request to the queue.
4. Configure the agent profile, and add the queue. Enable Agent Browser User Interface and Public SOAP API access.
5. Ensure that the agents who have the necessary expertise are associated with the agent profile.

Before You Begin

You must download the Agent Desktop console to your local system to install the components that you need to configure the Oracle Service Cloud interface.

1. Obtain the name of your Oracle Service Cloud interface.
2. Ensure that you have Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge and .NET framework installed. If you don't have .NET, install it from the Microsoft website.
3. Verify that your browser is set to accept cookies.
4. From Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, install the Agent Desktop console. This console is also known as the Service Console, the Oracle Service Cloud client, and the RightNow Desktop app.
   1. Go to http://<your-site-name>.<domain>/cgi-bin/<your-interface>.cfg/php/admin/launch.php.
   2. Click Install Oracle Service Cloud.
   3. Click Install.

      After the application is downloaded, the Login window opens.

   4. Select the interface.
   5. Sign in with an administrator user name and password, and click Login.
5. Ensure that you have the Administrator role to configure an interface. The administrator must be associated with a profile that enables Agent Desktop access to view and manage the following areas:
   • Profiles
   • Staff members
   • Queues
   • Custom fields
   • Chat rules

   If you don't have access to these areas, then ask an administrator to configure the interface for you or associate your user name with an administrator profile that has access.

Create a Chat Queue

If your interface doesn't have the chat queue that you need, then use the Agent Desktop console to create one.

Before you begin, ensure that your profile enables you to configure queues.

1. In the Agent Desktop console, click Configuration to display the Configuration menu in the Navigation pane.
2. Expand Application Appearance, and then double-click Customizable Menus.
3. Expand System Menus, and then select Chat Queues.
   A list of chat session queues is displayed.
4. On the Home tab, click New.
   A row with the New Chat Queue label appears in the list of chat session queues.
5. Click the label and change its name (for example, enter Order Support).
6. On the Home tab, click Save & Close.

Add a Custom Field

When you transfer a chat session from a skill bot to Oracle Service Cloud Chat, you can use Chat Customer Information and custom fields of the Incident type to pass information that enables the chat rule base to route the chat session to a specific queue.

The WSDL at https://<hostname><domain>/services/soap/connect/chat_soap?wsdl=server describes the Chat Customer Information.

Identify the values that you want to use to indicate which queue to route a skill bot's chat sessions to. If there isn't an existing Chat Customer Information or Incident field for a value, then you can add an Incident custom field to store it. For example, you can create an Incident custom field named botsubject and use it in a chat rule to route a chat request to the Order Support queue whenever that field's value contains order.

Before you begin, ensure that your profile enables you to configure custom fields.

1. In the Agent Desktop console, click Configuration to display the Configuration menu in the Navigation pane.
2. Expand Database, and then double-click Custom Fields.
3. From the list of custom field types, select Incident, and then on the Home tab, click New. Incident is the only field type that you can use for passing custom fields from a skill bot.
4. Enter the name, data type, and column name, as well as any other required values for the selected data type. The column name can't have spaces, punctuation, or start with a number.

   The column name in the database is appended with the prefix c$. For example, if you add a custom field with the column name botsubject, it appears in the database as c$botsubject.

5. In the Interface Visibility section, select Display in the Chat column.
6. On the Home tab, click Save & Close.

Create a Chat Rule

When used with chat rules and profiles, queues enable automatic sorting of incoming skill bot conversations based on Chat Customer Information and Incident custom field values.

If your interface doesn't have a chat rule for routing the transferred skill bot conversations to the knowledgeable agents, then use the Agent Desktop console to create one.

Before you begin, ensure that your profile lets you access and configure chat rules.

1. In the Agent Desktop console, click Configuration to display the Configuration menu in the Navigation pane.
2. Expand Site Configuration, and then double-click Rules.
3. On the Home tab, click Chat to display the chat states, and then click Edit to add rules to the states.
4. Right-click 01.Initial and select New Rule.
5. On the Edit Chat Rule page, enter a rule name (for example Bot Order Routing).
6. In the Add Options section, click Add IF Condition Based On, and then do one of the following:,
   • Select Incident and select an Incident custom field (for example, Bot Subject).
   • Select Contact and select one of these fields:
     • Last Name
     • First Name
     • Email - Primary
7. Select an operator such as contains or equals, and then enter the condition value (for example, order).
8. Click Add Action - Then and select Chat Queue ID.
9. Select the chat queue to assign the conversation to. For example, Order Support.
10. (Optional) Add an else action.
11. Click Save.
12. Click Compile.
13. Click Activate.

Here's an example of a configured chat rule:

Description of the illustration edit-chat-rule.png

Configure an Agent Profile

After a chat queue is set up, configure the agent profile that is best able to handle the incoming requests.

To route a skill bot's conversation to the appropriate agents, use the Agent Desktop console to add its queue to the associated profile. Ensure that the profile enables browser interface access and chat permissions. Agents also need Public SOAP access so that they can see chat requests from the skill bot.

Before you begin, ensure that your profile enables you to access and configure profiles.

1. From the Agent Desktop console, click Configuration to display the Configuration menu in the Navigation pane.
2. Expand Staff Management.
3. You can use the following tools to find the profile that's associated with the agents who have a particular expertise.
   • Staff Accounts by Group
   • Staff Accounts by Manager
   • Staff Accounts by Profile
4. If a useful profile doesn't exist, double-click Profiles, right-click a similar agent profile that includes Chat permissions, and then select copy.
5. To open a profile, double-click Profiles, and then double-click the profile.
6. On the Profile Interfaces - Edit page, in the Interfaces section, enable Access for the interface and verify that the navigation set is suited for the agents.
7. On the Home tab, click Permissions.
8. Select the following options:
   • Account Authentication in the Agent Browser User Interface section.
   • Account Authentication and Session Authentication in the Public SOAP API section.
9. Click the Service tab and select Chat in the Chat section. Then select other Chat options that are suitable for the associated agents, and enter the required settings, such as the maximum active chats, maximum total chats, and the delay between chats.
10. In the Chat Queues section, select the skill bot's queue and click Add +.
    The queue should appear in the queue list.
11. In the Chat Agent Statuses section, ensure that Available - Unrestricted is assigned
12. (Optional) Select Available - Unrestricted as the default status.
13. On the Home tab, click Save and Close.

Assign an Agent to an Agent Profile

To route a skill bot's request to an agent, the agent must be assigned to a profile that includes the skill bot's queue.

You use the Staff Management tools in the Agent Desktop console to assign an agent to an agent profile.

Before you begin, ensure that your profile enables you to access and configure staff accounts.

1. From the Agent Desktop console, click Configuration to display the Configuration menu in the Navigation pane.
2. Expand Staff Management, and then click either Staff Accounts by Group or Staff Accounts by Manager.
3. Select the agent's group or manager, right-click the agent, and then click Open.
4. On the Agent Details - Edit page, select the appropriate profile.
5. Click Save & Close.