Agent Assignment

When visitors need to speak with a live person, Boei needs to decide which agent should handle the conversation. This guide explains how to configure agent assignment and selection strategies.

How to get there: Go to Setup → Chatbot in the top menu → click your chatbot → Live chat tab (under the Live Chat section in the sidebar).

Two Key Settings

There are two different (but related) settings that control how chats reach your team:

  1. Agent Assignment Mode - How chats are assigned to agents
  2. Agent Selection Strategy - Which agent gets selected when auto-assigning

Agent Assignment Mode

Controls how incoming chats are distributed to your team.

Notify All (Default & Recommended)

How it works:

  • When a visitor requests human help, ALL available agents are notified
  • Agents see the chat in their waiting queue
  • First agent to claim the chat gets it
  • Creates a competitive, fast-response environment

Best for:

  • Small to medium teams (1-10 agents)
  • Teams where agents actively monitor their dashboard
  • When you want the fastest possible response time
  • Encouraging team competition for quick responses

Configuration:

  • This is the default mode
  • No special configuration needed
  • All agents with access to the chatbot will see waiting chats

Auto-Assign

How it works:

  • System automatically assigns each chat to one specific agent
  • Assignment uses your chosen selection strategy (random or round-robin)
  • Assigned agent receives a notification
  • Other agents don't see the chat

Best for:

  • Larger teams where notify-all creates too much noise
  • Teams with specialized agents (based on tags or routing rules)
  • When you want guaranteed equal distribution
  • Preventing notification fatigue

Configuration:

  1. Go to chatbot settings
  2. Find "Agent Assignment Mode"
  3. Select "Auto-Assign"
  4. Choose your selection strategy below

Agent Selection Strategy

When using Auto-Assign mode, this determines which agent receives each chat.

Random (Default)

How it works:

  • Each chat is assigned to a randomly chosen available agent
  • Over time, distribution evens out
  • Simple and unpredictable

Best for:

  • Teams where all agents have equal skills
  • When you don't need perfectly even distribution
  • Simpler setup (no state tracking)

Example:

Chat 1 → Agent C
Chat 2 → Agent A
Chat 3 → Agent A
Chat 4 → Agent B
Chat 5 → Agent C

Round-Robin

How it works:

  • Agents are assigned in rotation order
  • After Agent A gets a chat, next one goes to Agent B, then C, then back to A
  • Ensures perfectly even distribution
  • System remembers position in rotation

Best for:

  • When equal workload distribution is critical
  • Performance tracking and fair comparisons
  • Teams where you pay per conversation handled
  • Ensuring no agent is overworked or underutilized

Example:

Chat 1 → Agent A
Chat 2 → Agent B
Chat 3 → Agent C
Chat 4 → Agent A
Chat 5 → Agent B

Agent Unavailable Settings

Configure what happens when no agents are available to respond.

Unavailable Timeout

Setting: agent_unavailable_timeout_minutes

What it does:

  • After X minutes of waiting, the system considers no agents available
  • Displays a custom message to the visitor
  • Typically set to 2-5 minutes

Why this matters:

  • Prevents visitors from waiting indefinitely
  • Sets clear expectations
  • Allows visitor to leave contact info or try another time

Recommended values:

  • 2 minutes - For high-priority support (premium customers)
  • 3 minutes - Standard response time expectation
  • 5 minutes - For after-hours or lower priority
  • 10 minutes - Very patient wait, less urgent support

Unavailable Message

Setting: agent_unavailable_message

What it does:

  • Custom message shown when timeout is reached
  • Should explain next steps for the visitor

Good examples:

"Our team is currently unavailable. Please leave your email
and we'll get back to you within 2 hours."

"All agents are busy right now. Average wait time is 10 minutes.
You can wait or leave a message."

"We're outside business hours (9 AM - 5 PM EST).
Leave your question and we'll respond in the morning."

Bad examples:

"No one is here" - Too blunt, unprofessional
"Try again later" - Unhelpful, frustrating
[blank] - Visitor doesn't know what happened

Small Team (1-3 agents)

  • Mode: Notify All
  • Strategy: N/A (only applies to auto-assign)
  • Timeout: 3 minutes
  • Message: "Our team is currently helping other customers. Leave your email and we'll respond within 1 hour."

Medium Team (4-10 agents)

  • Mode: Notify All or Auto-Assign
  • Strategy: Random (if using auto-assign)
  • Timeout: 2 minutes
  • Message: "All agents are currently busy. Please wait or leave your contact information for a callback."

Large Team (10+ agents)

  • Mode: Auto-Assign
  • Strategy: Round-Robin
  • Timeout: 5 minutes
  • Message: "High chat volume right now. Estimated wait: 5-10 minutes. Leave a message for faster response."

After-Hours / Weekend Support

  • Mode: Either (fewer agents available)
  • Strategy: Random
  • Timeout: 10 minutes
  • Message: "Outside business hours (M-F 9-5 EST). Leave your email and we'll respond first thing tomorrow."

How Agent Availability Works

An agent is considered "available" if:

  1. They're assigned to the chatbot
  2. Their status is "Active" (not offline/away)
  3. They're currently logged in
  4. They haven't exceeded their max concurrent chats (if configured)

An agent becomes "unavailable" if:

  • They set their status to Away or Offline
  • They close their dashboard
  • They're handling their maximum number of concurrent chats
  • They haven't been active for 10+ minutes

Monitoring Performance

For Notify All Mode

Check these metrics:

  • Average claim time - How quickly agents claim waiting chats
  • Abandoned chats - Chats where no agent claimed before timeout
  • Agent response distribution - Are some agents claiming more than others?

If average claim time is too slow, consider:

  • Reducing team size (too many notifications = noise)
  • Training on importance of fast claims
  • Switching to Auto-Assign

For Auto-Assign Mode

Check these metrics:

  • Assignment distribution - Are chats evenly distributed?
  • Average response time per agent - Who responds fastest after assignment?
  • Reassignment rate - How often are chats reassigned due to no response?

If distribution is uneven with round-robin, investigate:

  • Are some agents going offline without updating status?
  • Different availability hours per agent?
  • Max concurrent chat limits per agent?

Best Practices

  1. Start with Notify All - It's simpler and often faster for small teams

  2. Set realistic timeouts - Don't promise 1-minute response if you can't deliver

  3. Update unavailable message seasonally - Mention holidays, reduced hours, etc.

  4. Test both modes - Try each for a week and compare metrics

  5. Train agents on claiming - In notify-all mode, emphasize fast claiming

  6. Monitor abandoned chats - If high, reduce timeout or add more agents

  7. Use clear unavailable messages - Always explain what visitor should do next

  8. Consider time zones - If global team, configure per-region chatbots

  9. Review regularly - Team size changes, so should your assignment strategy

  10. Combine with business hours - Use auto-responses outside hours, live chat during hours

Troubleshooting

Problem: Chats never get claimed (Notify All)

  • Check: Are agents actually logged in and active?
  • Check: Do agents have access to this chatbot?
  • Check: Is timeout too short? Agents need time to see notification.
  • Solution: Increase timeout or switch to Auto-Assign

Problem: One agent gets all chats (Auto-Assign + Round-Robin)

  • Check: Are other agents marked as active?
  • Check: Have other agents set max concurrent chats too low?
  • Solution: Verify all agents are available and properly configured

Problem: Visitors complain about wait time

  • Check: What's your current average claim/response time?
  • Check: Is unavailable message accurate about wait time?
  • Solution: Add more agents, reduce timeout, or improve message clarity

Problem: Agents don't get notifications

  • Check: Are agents assigned to the chatbot?
  • Check: Is the assignment mode set correctly?
  • Check: Do agents have the dashboard open and logged in?
  • Solution: Verify access permissions and notification settings

Configuration Steps

Setting Assignment Mode

  1. Go to your chatbot settings
  2. Navigate to "Live Chat" or "Agents" section
  3. Find "Agent Assignment Mode"
  4. Choose either:
    • Notify All Agents (default, recommended for most)
    • Auto-Assign to Agent
  5. Save changes

Setting Selection Strategy (Auto-Assign only)

  1. After selecting Auto-Assign mode
  2. Find "Agent Selection Strategy"
  3. Choose either:
    • Random (default)
    • Round-Robin (fair distribution)
  4. Save changes

Setting Unavailable Settings

  1. In chatbot settings under "Live Chat"
  2. Set "Agent Unavailable Timeout" (in minutes)
  3. Write "Agent Unavailable Message"
  4. Save changes

Changes take effect immediately for new chats.