See Every IM Conversation as It Happens

Instant messaging moves fast. Customers expect quick replies and smooth conversations across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and live chat.

But without real-time visibility, small issues become big problems. A session stays open longer than expected. A message is delivered but never read. A bot hands over too often. An integration stops working and no one notices immediately.

With IM webhooks in Zoho Desk, you can now see every important change in an IM conversation the moment it happens.

This is not about technical tracking. It is about staying in control.

What’s included   

You can now track three important things:

1. When a message is sent or received
   
2. When a chat session changes status
   
3. When a message is delivered or read
   

Together, they give you a complete view of what is happening inside every IM conversation.

Example 1: A customer sends a WhatsApp message   

Let’s say a customer messages you on WhatsApp asking about a delayed order.

1. Here is what happens behind the scenes:
   
2. The message is received.
   
3. The chat session becomes OPEN.
   
4. It gets assigned to an agent.
   
5. The agent replies.
   
6. The message is delivered.
   
7. The customer reads it.
   
8. The session ends once resolved.
   

With IM webhooks, you can track each of these steps automatically.

Now imagine this situation instead:

1. The session becomes OPEN but stays there for 10 minutes with no assignment.
   
2. That prevents delays before the customer even feels them.
   

That is the practical value.

Track every message   

Whenever a message is sent or received, you can capture that information instantly.

This helps you:

1. Update dashboards in real time
   
2. Monitor how many chats are active
   
3. Connect chat activity with other systems
   

If your team wants to know exactly when conversations start increasing during peak hours, this gives you that visibility.

Monitor session status and avoid bottlenecks   

Every chat session moves through different stages such as:

1. Newly started
   
2. Waiting to be handled
   
3. Being handled
   
4. On hold
   
5. Ended
   
6. Blocked
   

Tracking these changes allows you to manage workload better.

For example, if several chats are sitting in the “waiting” stage, you can quickly spot a capacity issue and assign more agents.

If sessions frequently move to “on hold,” it may indicate agents need better information or internal support.

Instead of reacting later, you can respond immediately.

Example 2: The customer reads but does not reply   

Now consider another real situation.

An agent sends a payment link through chat. The system shows that the message was delivered and read, but the customer does not respond.

With message status tracking, you can:

1. See that the message was read
   
2. Trigger a follow-up reminder after a few minutes
   
3. Notify the agent to check in 

Without this visibility, the agent might assume the customer never received the message.

Small insight. Big difference.

Improve bot and agent coordination   

If you use Guided Conversations, you can also see when chats move from bot to agent.

For example:

If many conversations start with the bot but quickly get transferred to an agent, that may indicate customers are not finding answers in the flow.

You can use that insight to improve your conversation design and reduce unnecessary escalations.

This helps you refine your automation strategy over time.

Align IM with your response goals   

Customers expect quick responses on IM channels.

With session tracking, you can:

1. Set internal response time targets
   
2. Alert supervisors when chats wait too long
   
3. Measure how long conversations stay active
   
4. Track how quickly agents resolve sessions
   

This brings structure and accountability to real-time support.

Prevent channel issues before customers notice   

Sometimes issues are not about agents or customers. They are about integrations.

 

For example:

If a WhatsApp access token expires or messaging credits are exhausted, messages may fail silently.

With webhook alerts, you can notify administrators immediately and fix the issue before customers are affected.

That protects your brand experience.

Build a clear conversation timeline   

By combining message tracking and session tracking, you can see the full journey of every interaction from start to finish.

You know:

1. When it started
   
2. Who handled it
   
3. When replies were sent
   
4. Whether messages were delivered and read
   
5. When the session ended
   

 

This supports performance analysis, quality review, and internal reporting.

How to set it up   

For session status tracking, contact Zoho Desk Support to enable the feature for your portal. Then go to Setup > Automation > Webhooks, create a new webhook, select the session status event, enter your destination URL, and save.

For message tracking and message status tracking, simply create a webhook under Setup > Automation > Webhooks, select the relevant event, enter your URL, and test.

Testing in a sandbox environment before going live is recommended.

Let's talk!

• Topic Participants

• Raj R

  

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