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Configure chat inactivity timeout / Handle inactive chats

Chat inactivity
When a chat is assigned to an agent but neither the agent nor the customer has responded for a certain period of time, the chat is considered inactive and will eventually "timeout".
Inbox admins can enable the inactivity trigger setting to identify these inactive chats.
This can then be captured as an event called ticket-inactivity and further actions can be taken based on this event.

Use case of chat inactivity trigger​

The inactivity trigger setting can be useful in cases where customers do not respond to a chat, as it helps to prevent wasted time spent on manual follow-ups by agents. This can lead to increased productivity for agents.

Configure event to identify chat inactivity​

Open inactivity trigger settings

  1. Open Settings > Inbox.
  2. Search and select Inactivity trigger. image

Features of inactivity triggers

The following are some key features of the chat timeouts which can be customized for different channels:

  • Inactivity from customer
  • Inactivity from agent
  • Auto ticket closure
  • Do not close ticket

SettingDescription
Inactivity from customer(optional) This is a built-in setting to automatically trigger a customer inactivity event to timeout a customer if they have not responded to the agent's (bot's) reply on the chat for a while. You can check the box and set the duration in minutes.
Inactivity from Agent(optional) This is a built-in setting to automatically trigger an event to timeout an agent if they have not responded to the customers's reply on the chat for a while. You can check the box and set the duration in minutes.
The event trigger for agent inactivity can be enabled and then configured within Automation to notify the customer when the agent is under heavy workload and there might be a delay in their response.
Auto Ticket closureChecking this box will automatically close the chat (when there is no activity identified within the time period entered in the Channels settings below).
Do not close TicketThis box can be set based on the tags present in the chat. A set of customised tags are available which you can choose from. You can choose not to close the ticket based on the presence or absence of a tag.
  • The default value is applicable to all the channels. The period set in it will be considered for Auto Ticket closure (when it is enabled).

Add/Delete inactivity triggers for different channels​

  • Click +Add channel and add different channels like WhatsApp, Slack etc for which the above settings can be applied.

  • Click the delete icon next to the channel name, to delete any channel.

Send a message to an inactive bot user​

Use case
The bot asks the user if he is still on the chat if the user has not responded for more than one minute.

Follow the bellow steps:

  1. Configure the inactivity trigger on the settings page by following the above steps.
  2. When inactivity is identified (after 1 minute), ticket-inactivity event is generated.
  3. Open Automation module. Go to Events.
  4. Search for ticket-inactivity in Inbox events.
  5. Select Activate.
  6. Create a new flow.
  7. Set Start trigger as Event.
  8. Select /ticket-inactivity from the drop down.
  9. Connect the start node to any nodes to continue the flow. Connect to the text node to display "Hey! Are you still there?"