Ending conversations: by the agent or the customer

Messaging conversations do not end by themselves. Deciding who may close one, and when, keeps the queue honest.

Messaging conversations do not end by themselves. Deciding who may close one, and when, keeps the queue honest.

The settings

1. In Admin Center, click Channels and select Messaging and social > Messaging.
2. Click Manage settings, and under Advanced click Ending sessions.
3. Choose Agents can end messaging sessions at any time, End users can end messaging sessions at any time, or both.
4. Click Save settings.

Why it matters

A conversation that is never ended holds agent capacity. With capacity rules in place, an agent with five open conversations that finished yesterday receives nothing new.

That is the practical reason to care, and it shows up as agents complaining they are idle while the queue grows.

Let agents end them

Almost always right. The agent knows when a conversation is finished, and asking them to leave it open for a customer who has gone is asking them to hold capacity for nothing.

Letting customers end them

A courtesy that some customers use and most ignore. Harmless, and it gives a clean signal when they do.

Inactivity

The setting that does the real work. A conversation with no activity for a period can be released, which recovers capacity without anyone deciding.

Set it long enough that a customer who stepped away for lunch is not cut off, and short enough that yesterday's conversations are not still counted today.

See also

• Releasing capacity on inactive conversations
• Sending inactivity reminders
• Capacity rules to balance the workload