Managing Chat Sessions

Effectively managing chat sessions is critical to providing excellent service while maintaining efficiency. This section covers the essential techniques and processes for handling conversations from beginning to end.

Accepting Chats

When a new conversation is routed to one of your assigned queues, you'll receive a notification in your interface. To accept the chat:

1. Review the brief preview information to understand the nature of the inquiry
2. Click the "Accept" button to begin the conversation
3. The chat will open in your interface, showing any context transferred from the bot
4. Send a greeting to acknowledge the user

Best Practice: Try to accept chats promptly, as quick initial response times significantly impact user satisfaction.

Conversation Flow

Effective chat conversations typically follow a consistent structure:

1. Greeting: Acknowledge the user and establish a positive tone
2. Clarification: Ensure you fully understand the issue (if not already clear from bot escalation)
3. Resolution Process: Work through the issue methodically, explaining steps along the way
4. Confirmation: Verify that the solution meets the user's needs
5. Closure: Properly end the conversation with appropriate follow-up

Handling Multiple Conversations

Managing multiple concurrent conversations requires specific techniques:

• Prioritization: Address urgent issues first while maintaining reasonable response times for all conversations
• Context Switching: Quickly reorient yourself when moving between conversations
• Status Updates: Provide periodic updates if resolution is taking time
• Workload Management: Be realistic about your capacity and request assistance when needed

Best Practice: When handling multiple complex issues, consider resolving one completely before accepting new conversations.

Transferring Chats

Sometimes a conversation needs to be transferred to another agent or queue:

1. Click the "Transfer" option in the conversation
2. Select the destination (specific agent or queue)
3. Add notes explaining the reason for transfer
4. Complete the transfer

The conversation will leave your queue and appear for the receiving agent or queue. Transfers should be used when another agent has specific expertise needed or when workload balancing is required.

Closing Conversations

Properly closing a conversation ensures appropriate documentation and metrics:

1. Confirm the user has no further questions
2. Select the appropriate resolution category
3. Add any relevant notes for future reference
4. Click "Close Conversation"

The system will offer the user a satisfaction survey, and the transcript will be stored for future reference.

Escalation Procedures

Some issues require escalation beyond the chat channel:

• Ticket Creation: Create a service ticket for issues needing additional work
• Supervisor Involvement: Request supervisor assistance for sensitive situations
• Alternative Channels: Transfer to phone or email for complex issues