Live Chat Settings

Most settings can be accessed by logging into your Alive5 account (as an Admin) and visiting: https://app.alive5.com/settings/alivechat.

Max Chat

This setting allows Admins to configure how many chats at most an agent should handle at any given time. This setting can be a set number for all users, or Admins can let the user decide themselves how many chats they’d like to handle at once. If a user is “maxed out” with chats (for example, max chat is at 2, and they are handling 2 live chat sessions), then the next incoming chat will not notify them, and their turn will be skipped.

Chat Timeout

This is how long you'd like your visitor to wait for an Agent before they are sent to the Offline Flow.

• By default, the setting is no Chat Timeout. It's advised to have this enabled so that visitors do not wait forever and never hit the Offline Flow if you have no Agents accepting the chat.
• To start, you can use a value of 2 minutes for the Chat Timeout. Depending on your customer base and Agent availability, this can be adjusted to suit your needs.

To access this setting, you will need to access the Bot Flow. Once in the Bot Flow, this setting is found in each 'Agent Bot' (under the 'Messages' tab). Be sure to make the updates for every Agent Bot if you have multiple.It's best to have this option enabled with a value so Visitors do not get stuck waiting forever, and it allows them to go through the offline flow if the timeout is reached.

Ring Modes

There are 3 different types of routing methods (Ring Modes). Each one is unique in how chats are distributed to your agents which also affects the client experience. In all cases, Agents who are logged into the mobile app and in ONLINE status will also receive a push notification and opportunity to accept the chat. Agents in AWAY or OFFLINE status will not receive any notification.

Ring All

• When a chat request is initiated by a visitor, logged in and ONLINE agents will simultaneously receive a pop up notification to accept the chat.
• The first agent to accept the chat will be assigned specifically to that visitor in a one-to-one chat session.
• If the chat is missed and the visitor reaches the “Offline Flow”, the chat session will be marked as “Missed by All” in reporting.

Load Balanced

• When a chat request is initiated by a visitor, logged in and ONLINE agents will take turns to receive a pop up notification to accept the chat.
• The agent who is “next in line” to accept the chat will be assigned specifically to that visitor in a one-to-one chat session.
• If the agent misses the chat, the Visitor will then be routed to the “Offline Flow” configured in the Bot Flow (in the Agent Bot).
• If the chat is missed and the visitor reaches the “Offline Flow”, the chat session will be marked as “Missed by Agent” for that specific agent in reporting.

Load Balancer Hunt

• When a chat request is initiated by a visitor, logged in and ONLINE agents will take turns to receive a pop up notification to accept the chat.
• The agent who is “next in line” to accept the chat will be assigned specifically to that visitor in a one-to-one chat session.
• If the agent misses the chat, the Visitor will then be routed to another agent who is “next in line” (“hunting” down the next agent). This assumes there are other agents available to chat.
• If there are no more agents online and available to chat, the visitor will finally be routed to the “Offline Flow” configured in the Bot Flow (in the Agent Bot).

Ring Algorithms

For Load Balancer and Load Balancer Hunt, there are 2 algorithms which determine which agent is “Next in Line”.

Ring Algorithm 1: "Even Chats Per Agent"

• When a chat comes in, we send it to an available agent based on the time they took their last chat. For example, say there are 3 agents, Agent A, B and C. Agent A took a chat 3 hours ago, Agent B took a chat 2 hours ago, and Agent C took a chat 1 hour ago. Agent A would then receive the chat since their last chat session was 3 hours ago (the longest time without a chat compared to Agent B and C). Then the next chat would go to Agent B, then Agent C.
• This ensures that all Agents receive the equal number (volume) of chats regardless of how long a chat session takes to complete.
• The “Max Chat” value and current number of chats an Agent is handling does not impact the distribution of Load Balanced chats. The system ignores this in determining which Agent to send a chat to. For example, if Agent A, B, and C, all have 1 chat session. Let’s also assume Agent A took that chat at 1PM, Agent B took it at 2PM, and Agent C took theirs at 3PM:

Then, Agent C ends their chat. So, Agent C will have no chats:

Since Agent A took their last chat at 1PM, the next incoming chat will be routed to Agent A, even if they already have a chat and Agent C does not have a chat:

This example illustrates that the routing system ignores how many chats an Agent has in their queue currently, and sends the next chat to the Agent with the oldest chat first.

Sales chat benefits: Agents would hurry and accept chats and end them quickly to gain more sales chat opportunities vs other Agents. With a routing system that distributes based on available Agent queues, the sales reps who chat quickly and end them will end up with more chats at the end of the day.

Support chat benefits: Agents who take their time in conversing in chats will handle less chats over time, as with a routing system would give more chats to Agents that quickly finish support chats. This scenario would have support reps who end up taking alot more chats, basically penalizing them to be more efficient.

In summary, routing chats based on “last chat taken” and ignoring number of current chats taken by an agent is the most fair because it evenly distributes the number of chats to Agents over a time period. We know that some chats take longer than others, but over time, this should average out for the entire agent pool.

Ring Algorithm 2: "Even Queue"

• When a chat comes in, we send it to the least busy agent. For example, say there are 3 agents, Agent A, B and C. Agent A took a chat 3 hours ago, Agent B took a chat 2 hours ago, and Agent C took a chat 1 hour ago. Once Agent C completes their chat, they will be the next in line for the next chat.
• This ensures that all Agents are busy chatting equally and the chat queue is distributed evenly based on number of chats taken at the specific time the chat comes in. No agent should be
• The “Max Chat” value and current number of chats an Agent is handling does not impact the distribution of Load Balanced chats. The system ignores this in determining which Agent to send a chat to.

Let's assume Agents A, B, and C are all chatting. Then, Agent C ends their "Chat 3". So, Agent C will have no chats:

The next chat request will then go to Agent C:

This example illustrates that the routing system looks at how many chats an Agent has in the entire chat queue currently, and focuses more on evenly distributing the load of chats to even out the chat queue.

Ring Algorithms Summarized:

• Even Chats Per Agent tries to get Agents an equal number of chats.
• Even Queue - Agents may not have equal number of chats, but load will be equally distributed amongst Agents, so there should not be an Agent with many chats while another sits idle.

Ring algorithm can be configured under 'Live Chat Settings'.