What is Plain Chat Routing (Sequential Assignment)

How Plain Chat Routing Works  

1. Customer Initiates a Chat  

1. A customer starts a conversation through a supported channel, such as WhatsApp, Live Chat, or Telegram.
   

2. Agent Availability Check  

1. The system verifies if agents are online and available to handle the chat.
   
2. If agents are online, the chat is assigned based on the configured routing method.
   
3. If no agents are available, the chat remains in the queue until an agent manually picks it up.
   

3. Chat Assignment  

1. The system auto-assigns the chat to the first available agent.
   

4. Chat Handling  

1. Once assigned, the agent interacts with the customer, resolves the issue, and closes the chat. If necessary, the chat can be transferred to another agent.
   

5. Fallback Handling (If No Agents Are Available)  

1. If no agents are online at the time of chat initiation, the system follows fallback rules:
   
2. The chat remains in the inbox until an agent becomes available.
   
3. The system sends a message informing the customer of expected wait times.
   

Key Features of Plain Chat Routing  

1. Simple and direct – No complex rules; chats are assigned manually or to the first available agent.
   
2. No automatic workload balancing – Agents may receive different numbers of chats.
   
3. No business hours logic if not enabled – Chats can come in anytime, without restriction.
   
4. High flexibility – Agents can decide when and which chats to pick up.
   
5. Requires manual oversight – Supervisors may need to intervene to ensure chats are assigned efficiently.
   

Limitations of Plain Chat Routing  

1. Uneven workload distribution – Some agents may receive more chats than others.
   
2. No prioritization – All incoming chats are treated equally.
   
3. Higher dependency on manual actions – Requires agents or supervisors to monitor and assign chats.
   
4. Delayed responses outside business hours – If no agents are online, customers may experience long wait times.
   

What is Chat Routing in IM 

How Round Robin Chat Routing Works  

1. Customer Initiation

2. Chatbot Handling (if enabled)

3. Escalation to Agents

1. Agent availability
   
2. Business hours settings
   

4. Business Hours Check

1. Automated responses
   
2. Manual assignments of chats for the next business day
   

5. Round Robin Assignment

6. Inbox and Notification

Note: Agent-to-Agent Direct transfer doesn't apply to the Round Robin Rules.

Steps to Set Up Chat Routing via round robin

1. Access Zoho Desk
2. Click the Setup icon ( ) in the top bar.
   
3. Under Channels, click Instant Messaging.
   
4. From the Left Panel, select Preferences.
   
5. In Preferences, click the Automation sub-tab.
   
6. Enable Chat Routing: Toggle the Chat-routing option for the required channels.
   
7. System will auto-assign chats to agents linked to those channels.
   
8. Save and Test Configuration:
   
1. Run test cases to ensure proper chat distribution and escalation.
   
2. Make sure you have the required access permissions to configure chat routing.
   

During Business Hours when Chatbot is Enabled:  

1. The chatbot handles initial interactions and attempts to resolve the query.
   
2. If the issue is unresolved, the chatbot escalates the Chat to an available agent based on round-robin logic.
   
3. Agents receive chat notifications instantly in their inbox.
   

Outside Business Hours when Chatbot Enabled:  

1. The chatbot informs the customer that support is currently unavailable.
   
2. Pending chats are queued, and notifications are sent to agents once business hours resume.
   

Best Practices for Handling Offline Chats

1. Offer self-service FAQs or automated responses.
   
2. Make sure that queued chats are assigned to agents as soon as business hours begin.
   

Benefits of Enabling Round Robin Chat Routing

1. Automated Distribution: Ensures a balanced workload among agents.
2. Integrated Chatbot Support: Handles initial interactions to reduce agent workload.
   
3. Optimized Resource Management: Minimizes the need for supervisor intervention.
   
4. Efficient Notification System: Real-time alerts keep agents informed about new chats.
   
5. Fair Workload Distribution: Prevents burnout by evenly distributing chats.
   

Disadvantage of Disabling Round Robin Routing  

1. Chats remain unassigned until a supervisor manually assigns them.
2. Chatbots handle a higher volume of customer interactions without escalation.
   
3. Business hours settings still apply, but response times may be delayed due to manual intervention.
   
4. Chat queues may increase due to reliance on supervisor routing.
   
5. Inbox notifications for chat assignments are disabled and require manual tracking.
   
6. Increased operational overhead for supervisors managing chat assignments.
   
7. Beneficial for cases requiring personalized manual routing.
   

Upgrade and Downgrade Effects

1. Upgrading: Adds chat routing and automatically assigns chats in a cyclic manner.
2. Downgrading: Removes chat routing capabilities, making all chat assignments manual.
   
   

Troubleshooting FAQ

1. Chats Not Getting Assigned  

1. Ensure agents are available.
   
2. Ensure Round Robin is enabled in settings.
   
3. Verify business hours settings for correct routing times.
   

2. Uneven Chat Distribution

1. Confirm that all agents are online and included in the routing pool.
   
2. Run a test to check the round-robin sequence.
   

3. Chatbot Not Transferring Chats to Agents  

1. Confirm transfer triggers are correctly configured.
   
2. Ensure at least one agent is available to receive escalated chats.
   

4. Agents Not Receiving Notifications  

1. Advise agents to refresh their inbox or re-login if needed.
   

5. Offline Agents Receiving Chats  

1. Ensure agents set their status to Offline before logging out.
   
2. Remove offline agents from the assignment pool if needed.
   

6. Round Robin Not Working Correctly  

1. Verify Round Robin is enabled in chat routing settings.
   
2. Check if manual assignments are overriding automatic routing.
   
3. Run a test to validate the routing order and agent inclusion.
   

7. Chats Not Assigned Outside Business Hours  

1. Review business hours settings to confirm restrictions.
   
2. Enable chatbot fallback or queueing for after-hours chats.
   

8. Chats Remain in the Queue Instead of Being Assigned  

1. Ensure agents have set the status to available to take new chats.
   
2. Verify that Round Robin is active and not overridden by priority rules.
   
3. Enable chatbot support to reduce queue build-up.
   

9. Returning agents Not Receiving Chats  

1. Refresh the agent's status or re-add them to the routing cycle.
   

Conclusion