Chat allows Customers and Technician Users to interact in real-time, regarding Customer requests. When the system Chat facility has been activated for the application, and if a User has enabled their availability for chat sessions, Customers with an active request can initiate a chat with the User assigned to the Customer’s request. Or, if the Privilege is selected within the application Setup, the Customer can chat with any Technician within the Team assigned to their request.
The Administrator can enable the system Chat facility for the application within Setup>Privileges>System.
If the Chat feature is active for the application, a User must set their availability to Available for Chat, in order for a Customer to access the functionality within the Customer Portal. A Customer can only initiate a chat with the User, if the User is logged into the application and the Available for Chat option is active.
If the User is Available For Chat and the Customer logs onto the Customer Portal to access a request update, the Customer is able to initiate a chat session with the User from within the Chat menu.
To activate the User availability:
Select the Home tab
Move to the My Account Option
Select Edit
Select Yes within the
Available For Chat option
When the option is set to No, Customers will not be able to initiate
a chat with them, from the Customer Portal.
Click Save.
With the availability option enabled, Customers can initiate chat sessions with the User from the Customer Portal.
When a Customer has initiated a chat, their chat request is placed within
a User's chat queue. is displayed
next to the logged in User Name (on the right hand side of the sub-menu
bar) to alert the User that a Customer has requested a chat session.
For Users to accept a chat session initiated by a Customer:
Click the icon
Or, go to Home > Chat to view the chat queue
At the chat queue, select
a chat request by clicking the Accept icon
The chat window opens.
The User/Customer chat can commence.
A copy of the chat transcript can be emailed to the Customer by selecting the Email button within the chat window.
To end a chat session, close the chat window. When the window is closed a message is displayed to notify the User that the chat transcript was saved as a request Note.
A chat session request Note is created when a chat commences. The Note is continually updated as messages are posted by chat members. When the chat ends, a chat transcript is accessible to Users and the Customer within the Notes tab of the request.
It is advised that a chat session not be refreshed, as refreshing a chat window will effectively close the chat.