Working with live chats
The live chat feature enables end users of the Service
Desk and Self Service Center to chat with Service Desk agents about
issues or problems. Users can request a chat from the home page of
the Self Service Center or within the Solutions application; agents
who belong to one or more chat queues respond to the requests. Live
chats enhance and streamline the delivery of service solutions to
users across the enterprise.
Overview
A Service Desk manager or administrator configures the live chat feature to best fit the needs of the data center. In the product as shipped, the live chat feature provides a single chat queue that an administrator populates with Service Desk agents who respond to chat requests. If your data center requires a more complex live chat operation with multiple chat queues for different types of problems, you have the flexibility to set up such an environment. Five types of users in the data center use, configure, and manage ongoing live chat operation.
Configuring the chat timeout interval
To conserve resources in the chat server, it is necessary to disconnect and clean up idle chats. You can use a system property to set the number of minutes a chat session can be idle before it is disconnected.
Configuring single-queue live chat: Service Desk manager
This product provides a version of live chat that is simple, easy to use, and immediately usable with minimal configuration. With this single-queue chat configuration, end users specify that they want to chat, without selecting an issue or topic to chat about. To get this basic chat operation up and running, you populate the chat queue person group with Service Desk agents.
Configuring multiple-queue live chat: Service Desk manager
A Service Desk manager configures a more complex, multiple-queue live chat operation by designating person groups as chat queues, creating ticket templates for chat topics, configuring response plans to route chat requests that arise from solutions, and more. Users can be authorized to initiate live chats and granted the permission to create new chat queues.
Managing live chat operations: Service Desk manager
On an ongoing basis, the Service Desk manager can perform a number of operations to manage and oversee the operation of live chats across the enterprise. He can change the status of a chat queue, inspect the activity of agents in the queues, and perform other tasks that ensure efficient operation of the live chat service.
Requesting and conducting a chat: Self Service user
As a user of the Self Service Center, you can request a real-time chat with a Service Desk agent. Depending on how your live chat service is configured, you can do so in either or both of two contexts: when you are using the main Self Service Center page, or when a solution that you have selected does not fit your needs.
Requesting a chat from within a solution
After you search for and select a solution to your problem, you might discover that the solution does not fit your needs. If your administrator has configured the live chat service to enable you to do so, you can request a chat with an Agent to resolve your solution-related issues.
Requesting and conducting a chat: Self Serve user
As a user of the Self Serve, you can request a real-time chat with a Service Desk agent. Depending on how your live chat service is configured, you can do so in either or both of two contexts: when you are using the main Self Serve page, or when a solution that you have selected does not fit your needs.
Accepting and conducting a chat: Service Desk agent
As a Service Desk agent, you might belong to a chat queue person group whose members respond to end user chat requests. In a multiple-queue setup, chats are organized into queues according to agent expertise; you might belong to more than one queue. When a chat request is assigned to one of your queues, you are notified, and you can accept the chat.