How to answer incoming chats

Respond to an incoming chat initiated by a visitor.

  1. When a new chat is initiated by a visitor, BoldChat can alert you in several ways, depending on your Alert settings.

    Result:

    • A ringing tone is played
    • The icon in the system tray will flash
    • The Chats icon will flash on the left menu
    • A temporary alert window will pop up from the system tray
  2. Click the Chats folder on the left pane or click the temporary alert window.

    Result: The Chats grid is displayed.

  3. Answer the chat in one of the following ways:
    • Select a row (an incoming chat) on the Chat grid and click the Answer icon on the Chat tab.
    • At the top of the Chat grid, click Answer Next .
    • Click the temporary alert, then click Answer in the window that appears.
    • Right-click a row (an incoming chat) on the Chat grid and select Answer.

    With any of these options you can also choose to send a canned message immediately upon answer.

  4. Option. Auto Answers is a self-service support feature that allows visitors to submit queries using natural language and instantly find contextual answers without any operator involvement.

    When the feature is enabled, you can track the visitor's Auto Answer browsing history as well as their feedback in the Message History panel once you are engaged in live chat.

    Result:

    Tip: New to Auto Answers? Click here to learn more or contact your administrator for further details.
  5. Option. Once you answered, either party can initiate a video chat if the feature is enabled.

    You can keep exchanging messages while on the call or after closing the video.

    Important: Video is only supported in the Web Client running on any of the last 20 versions of Google Chrome.
    1. To accept a video chat request, click Accept to join.

      Result: The Video Chat window is displayed.

    2. To initiate video chat with the visitor, click Start Video in the button bar above the Message History panel.

      Wait for the visitor to accept your request.

    3. Select the video and audio device you want to use.
      Note: First time users: Click Allow for both device to allow Google Chrome to access your camera and microphone.

      Video chat experience may differ depending on the chat window settings.

      • Visitors may not be able to stream video. In this scenario, audio is two-way, but video is one-way.
      • Video is never recorded.
      • Your conversation may be automatically transcribed in real time. Transcribed messages are excluded from the chat transcript and are accessible only to you in the Message History panel, marked with STT.
        Note: The accuracy of speech recognition is influenced by the visitor's acoustic environment, microphone quality, connection bandwidth, clarity of speech and pronunciation. In adverse conditions, transcription quality may degrade and affect the operator's chat experience.

      Result: Having problems? Check the following.

      Symptom Action
      Video chat is not available. Are you using the web client in a compatible browser? Video is only supported in Chrome version 31 or newer. If you are using the BoldChat Operator Client, go to https://web.boldchat.com/.
      Webcam and/or audio access is blocked in the browser.
      1. Click the camera icon in the address bar to bring up the device permissions dialog.
      2. Ensure that either the Always allow... or Continue allowing... option is selected.
      3. Click Done.

      You will not be asked again once you have given permission to access your devices.

      If the issue persists, check that access to devices is not being blocked globally.

      1. Go to Settings > Show advanced settings....
      2. Under Privacy, click Content settings....
      3. Ensure that Ask when a site requires access... is selected under both Microphone and Camera.
      4. Click Manage exceptions... to ensure that BoldChat hosts are not being blocked.
      5. Click Done.
      Note: You may need to reload the page for the permission settings to take effect.
      Video is stuttering or breaking up. Video chat is bandwidth-intensive. Check your network connectivity and quit any application that may produce high network traffic.
      Video is blank or there is no audio.
      • Clear your browser's cookies.
      • Are your drivers up-to-date? Install the latest drivers for your devices.
      • Are other applications using your webcam? Multiple capture may not be supported by your system. Ensure that the webcam light is off before starting the chat and quit all potentially interfering applications.
      • Are both audio and video streams enabled? Check the media controls.
      Video chat starts in a popup window. Your site is served over an unsecured (HTTP) connection. See Configuring the chat window for how to fix the problem.
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