How the distribution of conversations works

The iAdvize routing engine enables you to send questions to the customer support agent best suited to respond, no matter what channel you use. You can configure it in a few clicks. Find out how to use our routing engine.

The video below summarizes how the distribution rules work in iAdvize:

 

You should know that:

⚠️  All the targeting rules activated must be associated with a routing rule.
⚠️  Routing groups are crucial for you to define which agents or experts will receive the conversations collected by your routing rules. Thus, you need to create one routing group for each type of respondent.

 

1. The overall functioning of the routing engine

illu-explanation-routing_EN__1_.png

2. Routing groups: organise your teams in perfect simplicity

Thanks to the new routing groups available on our platform, you can organise your teams much more flexibly by grouping agents by role (agent, supervisor or administrator), group (i.e: contact centre) or skills (i.e: mobile, photography).
This way, you have a clear and scalable vision that enables you to organise your teams according to your needs.

Find out more about routing groups

 

3. Routing rules: distribute your conversations

Our routing engine allows you to direct conversations from all your channels (Chat, Call, Video, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Text Messages) according to their targeting rules, to one or more routing rules.

Find out more about routing rules.

4. Assignation methods: personalise your conversations distribution 

Routing rules are flexible and personalised. They enable you to accurately define how and to which respondent your conversations should be distributed via the assignation method.

 

Find out more about the assignation methods.

5. Synchronous and asynchronous routing

5.1 Synchronous routing

A synchronous distribution corresponds to a direct connection from a visitor to an agent as soon as the first visitor message is sent.

If the distribution fails, the conversation is dropped.

The visitor's first message disappears from the chatbox when the web page is refreshed.

It does not appear anywhere in the reports.

 

5.2 Asynchronous routing

An asynchronous distribution allows a conversation to be held, even if the first distribution fails. The conversation is then put on hold, and remains in that state until an agent from the distribution group with the language of the conversation is available.
The visitor's first message remains visible in his chatbox.

Find out more about FAQ - asynchronous conversation

 

5.2.1 asynchronous configuration

The configuration is to specify the number of conversation that can be queued in each distribution group
Find out more about routing rules
(under the title "Select one or more targeting rules and add them to your routing rule") and Assignation methods between routing groups for more info and impacts of asynchronous conversations on assignations methods.

 

6. Routing of conversations

A created conversation carries several pieces of information:

  •  Targeting / filtering rule (at the origin of the notification)
  • Visitor's language (browser language or language forced by the integration of the iAdvize code applied on the website)
  • Distribution rule (linked to the targeting rule)

 

Based on this information, the distribution engine routes the conversation

  • The routing of conversations is done in two steps:
  • Selection of the distribution group
  • Selection of an agent within this distribution group

 

6.1. Routing group election

The conversation, via its targeting rule, is associated with a distribution rule.

The group is chosen according to the routing mode (cascade / fair / custom) and availability (either a place in the queue or agent availability).

Once the distribution group is elected, the conversation is then assigned to it.

 

The conversation now carries the information associated with the distribution group:

  • targeting rule (the one that issued the notification)
  • visitor's language (Browser language or forced language when integrating the iAdvize tag in a website)
  • routing rule (linked to the targeting rule)
  • routing groug

The conversation is queued, whether the configuration is synchronous or asynchronous.

If the election of a distribution group fails (none of them have availability), then the conversation is dropped and the visitor receives an error message that corresponds to the one customized in the iAdvize administration. By default, it is "Please try again later".


The election of a distribution group, and the registration in the queue of the latter, generates an event that triggers the election of an agent.

 

6.2 The agent's election

The conversation therefore has a distribution group which contains a list of agents.

The agent is chosen according to the date of its last conversation. This prioritizes agents who have not received a conversation lately.

 
NB : A priority agent will receive priority conversations even if they have recently received a conversation.
Below: an agent becomes a priority when the box "address discussions in priority" is ticked.priorite__pour_les_conversations_chat_dans_la_fiche_agent.png

 

Synchronous

 

This is the nominal case for a synchronous configuration.

If the agent election or the conversation push fails, then the conversation will be dropped. The visitor will receive a "Please try again later" error message.

 

Asynchronous


In the case of asynchronous, if the conversation cannot be distributed as soon as it arrives, it will wait until an agent becomes available to take it.

 

processus_de_distribution.png

7. Routing of pending conversations

Pending conversations are automatically routed to available agents.

 

How does an agent become available?

  • by logging on to the desk and checking that their status is "available" (=green).
  • if their status is "Busy" (=orange), by taking an action to obtain a new slot for a conversation:
    • close
    • transfer
    • pause
Once available, the agent will be allocated the oldest conversation in the queue, with priority given to the one he has decided to keep, if he has used this option.

8. Snooze of conversations

It is possible for an agent to snooze a conversation, and keep the conversation.


Keep_this_conversation_.png

 

This has the effect of allowing the agent to optimise his or her work by not suffering the response time of the visitor.
This has the consequence of creating a queue for the agent. 
Find out more about Snooze a conversation.

9. Transfers

9.1 transfers to routing rules

A transfer to a routing rule restarts a routing process.
This process seeks to elect a routing group of the routing rule to which the conversation is transferred.
Then an agent election is attempted and a distribution attempt is made to an agent that is available.

 

9.2 direct transfers from one agent to another


If the push of a conversation to an agent 1 fails, then that conversation will be put on hold in agent 1's personal queue.

NB : This queue is different from the distribution group queue