If your IM chats aren’t auto-assigning, here’s what to check

If your IM chats aren’t auto-assigning, here’s what to check

Hey everyone!

We’ve been seeing quite a few questions around Instant Messaging (IM) Chat Routing in Zoho Desk, especially around how it actually behaves in real time. So I thought I’d share a practical breakdown of what’s happening behind the scenes.

IM in Zoho Desk includes channels like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and other social messaging platforms.


 

What Chat Routing actually does   

At its simplest, it automatically distributes incoming chats among available agents.
For an agent to receive IM chats, three conditions must be met:
  1. Agent is linked to the IM channel
  2. Agent belongs to the correct department
  3. Agent is marked "IM Online" in their Desk profile
If any of these conditions aren’t met, the routing engine will simply skip that agent.

What actually happens when you receive a message   

Each IM channel is mapped to a department in Zoho Desk. Once a message arrives, routing begins inside that department.

Here’s the typical flow:
  1. Customer messages via WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, or their preferred platform.
  2. If a chatbot is enabled, it handles the initial interaction.
  3. If the bot can’t resolve it, the chat is transferred to an agent.
  4. The system checks business hours and agent availability.
  5. The next eligible agent in the sequence gets the chat.

How the routing sequence works 

IM routing follows a sequential cycle.

Example illustrated below:

Each new conversation goes to the next available agent in the sequence. Unlike ticket assignment in Zoho Desk, IM routing does not support load-based or skill-based distribution. Instead, the system simply cycles through the available agents.

Routing is based on channel-linked agents   

Routing considers only the agents who are linked to the specific IM channel. The routing cycle includes only these agents. For example, if a channel is configured, only agents linked to the particular channel will be part of the routing cycle.


What happens during business hours?

During business hours, if agents are available, chats are assigned immediately. If no agents are available, incoming chats remain unassigned.

What happens outside business hours?   

Outside configured business hours, incoming chats remain unassigned.
If an offline message is configured in IM preferences, customers will see a message indicating that agents are unavailable. If this setting is disabled, no message will be shown.

Note: Even if agents are marked as IM Online, chats will not be assigned outside business hours.

A quick comparison people ask about   

Another area that often causes confusion is how IM routing compares with ticket routing in Zoho Desk. In Desk, you get multiple routing methods, including load-based, skill-based, and round robin.

For Instant Messaging, routing is sequential only. So if you’re expecting ticket style assignment logic, the behavior may feel different.

Common issues we’ve seen

From experience, most routing issues usually come down to:
  1. Agent not linked to the channel
  2. Agent marked offline in IM
  3. Business hours misconfigured
Nine times out of ten, it’s one of these.

Agent marked offline (this one causes the most confusion)   

Zoho Desk actually has three different presence indicators in the profile section, and each one controls a different type of interaction.

Status
What it controls
Desk Online
General availability inside Zoho Desk for ticket work
Chat Online
Website live chat handled through SalesIQ
IM Online
Instant Messaging channels like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger and more.
 
For IM chat routing, the system only checks IM Online. If IM Online is disabled, the agent will not receive WhatsApp or social messaging chats, even if they appear online in Zoho Desk. If you’re not receiving WhatsApp or social messaging chats, check whether IM Online is enabled.

If you’re enabling routing for the first time,  here's the quick setup path: 

Setup → Channels → Instant Messaging → Preferences → Automation → Enable Chat Routing

After enabling it, run a quick test to confirm routing works as expected. Send 4 to 5 chats from a test account and watch how the assignment cycles between agents.
 
I’m curious:

Has anyone here run into edge cases with routing in high volume environments, or situations where sequential assignment didn’t behave the way you expected?
Would love to hear what you’re seeing in your setups.

Regards
Prabin | Zoho Desk

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