Conversations

Conversations allow you to manage and respond to customer messages across all connected channels in one unified inbox. Using skill-based routing, channel permissions, and agent capacity limits, conversations are automatically assigned to the most suitable available agent.

Written By Thando Nomvungu

Last updated 20 days ago

How Conversations Are Assigned

  • Conversations are automatically routed using skill-based routing rules

  • Agents receive chats based on:

    • Channel permissions (e.g. SMS, Live Chat, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram)

    • Maximum conversation limits per channel

  • Each agent has a defined capacity for how many conversations they can handle per channel at a time

Example: An agent can be configured to handle:

  • 3 SMS conversations

  • 2 Live Chat conversations

  • 4 Facebook conversations

Once these limits are reached, the agent will not receive additional conversations for that channel until capacity becomes available.

Queueing & Availability

  • If all eligible agents have reached their maximum capacity:

    • New conversations are placed in a queue (unassigned state)

  • Conversations remain unassigned until:

    • An agent becomes available, and

    • They have capacity for that specific channel

Conversations are not assigned until an agent is available, ensuring no agent is overloaded beyond their configured limits.

How to Handle Conversations

  1. From your dashboard, navigate to Active Conversations.

  2. Select an assigned conversation from the inbox.

  1. Review the message and customer details:

    • View previous interactions and history

    • Identify the channel (e.g. SMS, Live Chat, Socials)

  2. Respond to the customer:

    • Type your reply in the message box

    • Use saved replies or templates where applicable

    • Send the message

  1. Manage the conversation:

    • Use the Knowledgebase to view notes and important client information

    • Request a transfer if the conversation needs to be handled by another agent or team

  1. Update conversation status:

    • Mark as resolved once the query is complete

    • Apply dispositions if required

Response Expectations

  • Once a conversation is assigned, agents are expected to respond as soon as possible

  • There is currently no enforced response time limit, but timely replies are important for:

    • Customer experience

    • Agent performance and efficiency

Permissions & Controls

  • Super Admins can:

    • Join any conversation at any time

    • Transfer conversations, including to client users

  • Agents cannot manually assign conversations to themselves or others

For more details and more information on other roles kindly read our roles and permissions article.

Why this matters: Restricting manual assignment ensures conversations are distributed fairly and handled by the most appropriate agent based on skills, channel access, and availability.

Customer Experience Notes

  • Customers can request to be transferred to another agent via message

  • There is currently no built-in rating or feedback system for agent performance

  • Transfers must be initiated internally by the team

Key Features

  • Unified Inbox – Manage all channels in one place

  • Skill-Based Routing – Intelligent conversation distribution

  • Channel Capacity Control – Set limits per agent per channel

  • Queue Management – Handles overflow when agents are at capacity

  • Knowledgebase – Access client-specific notes and information

Conversation History – Full visibility into past interactions

Best Practices

  • Respond quickly once a conversation is assigned

  • Use the Knowledgebase to personalize and improve responses

  • Trust the routing system to distribute conversations fairly

  • Request transfers when another agent is better suited

  • Keep conversations moving to free up capacity

  • Close conversations promptly once resolved