Channels in Conversational Interfaces
Summarize
Summary of Channels in Conversational Interfaces
Channels in Conversational Interfaces define how end users engage with virtual and live agents through different communication modes. These modes includechat modefor real-time, synchronous conversations, andmessaging modefor asynchronous, long-running dialogues. Channels provide flexibility based on users' and agents' availability and the chat applications used within your business environment.
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Types of Channels
- Chat Channels: Support two-way, real-time conversations between users and agents (either virtual or live). These synchronous chats guarantee immediate responses and are integrated with platforms such as Service Portal chat widget, mobile web clients, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Facebook Workplace, Alexa, WhatsApp, LINE, and Facebook Messenger.
- Messaging Channels: Enable asynchronous communication where users and agents do not need to be online simultaneously. This supports longer conversations at participants' convenience. Examples include mobile web clients (iOS, Android, desktop), Now Assist panel, and SMS via Twilio integration.
Configuration and Management
Messaging channels are managed through the Messaging Channels [syscschannel] table, which also allows admins to set whether a channel operates in chat or messaging mode. Live Agent support is enabled by default but can be disabled per channel, such as for Bot-to-Bot or voice channels, by adjusting channel properties.
Key Features
- Message Indicators: Notify users of new and unread messages both in chat and messaging channels, supporting anonymous and authenticated users. Unread message counts are visible on chat widgets, with users able to scroll through up to 50 unread messages across multiple conversations.
- Typing Indicators: Show when a chat participant is responding, enhancing conversational awareness.
- System Messages: Provide real-time updates on conversation states, such as timeouts, which can be customized via system properties.
- Secure Data Handling: Sensitive information like passwords and account numbers is masked and protected during conversations.
- Automatic Conversation Closing: Idle chat or messaging conversations close automatically to maintain system efficiency.
Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
By leveraging these channels, your organization can offer versatile, user-friendly communication options tailored to varying availability and platform preferences. Real-time chat ensures immediate assistance, while asynchronous messaging supports extended engagement and proactive agent outreach. Administrators have control over channel configurations and Live Agent support, enabling optimized interaction workflows aligned with business needs.
The various ways in which your end users engage with virtual and live agents are called channels. In Conversational Interfaces, users and agents converse through channels that have specific communication modes: chat mode for real-time conversations and messaging mode for long-running conversations.
Conversation channels provide your end users and agents with different options for interacting. These options are based on when your users and agents are available to connect, and the chat applications used in your business environment. There are two types of channels: chat channels and messaging channels.
Chat channels
Chat channels support two-way conversations in real time. These conversations may involve a user and a live agent or a user and a virtual agent. This mode of conversation is synchronous, and the user is guaranteed a response. Supported chat channels let your end users and agents interact based on the chat applications (clients) that they’re using and when they’re available to connect.
- Service Portal (mweb) chat widget
- Mobile web (mweb) client
- Integrating Virtual Agent with Microsoft Teams
- Integrating Virtual Agent with Slack
- Integrating Virtual Agent with Workplace from Facebook
- Integrating Virtual Agent with Alexa
- Integrating Virtual Agent with WhatsApp
- Integrating Virtual Agent with LINE
- Integrating Virtual Agent with Facebook Messenger
Messaging channels
Messaging channels let end users and agents communicate over longer periods of time, especially when one party isn’t online. This mode of chat is asynchronous and happens at the parties' convenience.
When your end users and agents must communicate over longer periods without being online concurrently, pre-built messaging channels let them chat asynchronously, at their convenience.
- Mobile web (mweb) client: Configure this channel for iOS, Android, and desktop devices for asynchronous chat
- Now Assist panel: Used by Now Assist panel.
- SMS channel: Used by Integrating Virtual Agent with Twilio
Messaging Channels table
Messaging channels are defined in the Messaging Channels table [sys_cs_channel]. If you’re using the custom chat integration framework to create custom chat integrations, you can specify the channel mode for those integrations—either chat or messaging. For channels such as the mweb channel, you can choose either chat or messaging as well.
Live Agent support by channel
Not all channels may be suitable for Live Agent support. For example, you may want to disable support for the Bot-to-Bot and voice channels. Live Agent support is enabled by default, but admins can change this setting in the Messaging Channels [sys_cs_channel] table. For details, see Disable live agent support for a channel.
Chat and messaging features
- Message indicators that inform your users of new and unread messages received when they’re away from chat or when they’ve been offline.
- Typing indicators that show a chat participant is responding.
- System messages, displayed to users and agents that provide information about the conversation state.
- Secure handling of sensitive data, such as passwords or account numbers. This data is masked when users enter the information, and it cannot be viewed by others.
- Automatic closing of idle chat or messaging conversations.
New and unread message indicators
End users receive new message indicators on chat and messaging channels when they're offline. Users can be anonymous (guests) or known (authenticated). The unread message count is displayed on the chat widget.
In asynchronous chat, the unread message count reflects the number of any offline messages sent by a live agent and any simple notifications received.
There is no limit on the number of unread messages. Up to 50 unread messages can be viewed at a given time. Messages can span multiple conversations, either open (current) or closed (past) conversations.
When users open the chat client, they’re shown the last message received. They can scroll up or down to read the unread messages, as directed by the New messages above button or New messages below button.
A new messages separator line is displayed between the read and unread messages.
When a user closes and reopens the chat window, the messages displayed are considered as "read" even though the user might not have reviewed them.
System messages
During active conversations with live or virtual agents, certain system messages inform users and agents about the conversation state. For example, if a user is engaged in live chat, but doesn’t respond within a certain amount of time, a conversation timeout message is displayed: The conversation is timing out, are you still there?
You can change base system messages by editing their related system properties in Chat Settings in the Conversational Interfaces console.