The WhatsApp conversational channel has 2 tabs to configure, the channel settings and the 'general tab'. The latter is setup via MaxSupport and will be configured for you on implementation.
There are some rules and constraints around using WhatsApp as a communication method through contact centre software that you need to be aware of.
Considerations and settings when using WhatsApp.
Opt-in for customers. You must use an Opt-in feature when sending initial outbound messages. The Opt-in feature is meant to prevent unsolicited marketing via the WhatsApp platform and this is not something MaxContact have control of, we have made it simple to use however. It does mean some specific steps are needing before initiating a conversation with a customer for the first time or after a certain period of time. If you haven't contacted the customer before, you must send an opt-in template, these can be configured during your onboarding or via our support team. When you first attempt to message a customer, you need to select the template message button (appears at the bottom left of the conversation box). This will send the predetermined message to the customer with a built in 'Accept' button. The customer can agree to the conversation by either selecting the button or by replying to your opt-in message. Once the customer opts it, you can have a conversation. If a customer has initiated a conversation via an inbound message and its the first time they have done so, you wont need to send a template. By sending in a message, they are automatically opting in. If they have been contacted before, either outbound or inbound and they send in a message, the same applies and they are automatically opting in by messaging you.
Time limitation for opt-in. Customers opting in, either from your initial message or by messaging in, are opted-in for 24 hours from their last correspondence. This means that if a customer doesn't message for more than 24 hours, you will have to send an opt-in message again to continue the conversation from your end, regardless of how many messages you have sent in the 24 hours from their last message. If a customer messages in at any time, they will be automatically opted back in, as it was an inbound message. NOTE - Messages sent to the customer after their last message but within the 24 hours, will be seen by the customer. If the 24 hours elapses, any further messages will not be received by the customer and the agent will receive an error message instructing them to send an opt-in message.
Possible errors. There are some error messages your agents may see under certain circumstances, for all other errors that are rare, see this guide.
RECIPIENT_NOT_OPTED_IN The opt-in message needs to be sent/resent to the customer. OUTSIDE_ALLOWED_SENDING_WINDOW The 24 hours window has elapsed. You will need to send another opt-in message. TEMPLATE_INSUFFICIENT_PARAMETERS A template fill point is blank on channel admin. A member of admin staff will need to edit the fields on the 'general' tab of the WhatsApp channel.
Select the images for a closer look.
Fig 1. WhatsApp conversational channels filtered and tabs available for the WhatsApp channel visible.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
For information on how agents handle WhatsApp interactions, see this guide.
Channel settings tab
Fig 2. Some of the channel settings tab options viewable on the tab (you can scroll in the portal for further options).
Channel settings | |
| Name | Here you can enter a name for your channel visible to users and used in reporting. Max 40 characters. |
| Channel type | Select the type of channel from the dropdown to apply, in this case WhatsApp. |
| Active | Toggle this to make the channel active/inactive. |
| Description | Here you can enter a description for the channel for internal reference only. Max 1000 characters. |
| Ticket reopening | Toggle this to enable/disable ticket reopening. When enabled, enter the maximum number of days a customer can reopen the previous ticket (happens automatically). If not enabled or the number of days is exceeded, a new ticket will automatically be created. |
Ticket reopening examples
If this is on and set for 7 days. A customer may message on day 1 and an issue may be resolved/question answered by an agent. If within those 7 days, the same customer initiates another ticket via WhatsApp because the issue persists or they have a follow-up question, the previous ticket will be opened for the agent to continue the previous.
Tagging | |
| *Only visible when tagging feature is enabled. | |
| No tags/ add tags | By clicking in this pane, you can assign/unassign tags on your channel.  Simply click on the tags to add or remove. You can also create/edit tags via the icons on the left. |
Tagging example
Tagging can be used to hide or present channels to relevant users who also have the same tag. Some customers have multiple sites/offices using the same portal. In order for each site/office to only see the relevant channels and access them, tagging can be used to hide the non related channels.
Plans | |
| Result code | Here you can select the result code plan used for all interactions on this channel. Only result codes within the selected plan are available for users to disposition an interaction. You can use the 'go to' button to navigate to the result code plans page to edit the selected plan. Its also worth noting here that any result codes you wish to be available must have the relevant channel types assigned in the result codes configuration. See the guide on result codes for more. |
| Schedule | Here you can select the schedule you want the channel to adhere to. The 'go to' button will take you to the schedule plans page for creation or editing. See this guide for more. |
Result code plans example
Using different result code plans for your different channels will allow you to track and report, in more detail, the outcomes of your interactions within the system.
Schedule example
Using schedules allows you to automatically control when a channel is open or closed for customer to access.
SLA | |
| Response time | Here you can set the maximum amount of time a user should take when responding to an interaction. Users will see the amount of time they have for SLAs on the tabs of interactions. These will tick down with time. |
| Response warning | This option allows you to set the percentage of the above response time you want users to be warned they are approaching SLA. Visually, the tabs bar changes from green to amber when they hit this time on a response. If this is set to 100%, the user will not be warned they are approaching SLA. |
| Manual park | When enabled, tickets handled by users on the queue associated with this channel will be able to be manually parked. |
| Automatic park | When enabled, all tickets handled by users on the queue associated with this channel will be automatically parked, when the user receives an inbound call. If not enabled, the SLA of the ticket will continue to increase while the user is handling the inbound call. |
SLA response time examples
Some clients have themselves, set SLAs for agents to respond to their customers. For example, "you must reply to the customer on a web chat within 60 seconds or the customer journey will be a poor reflection of our service." Clients working on behalf of other companies may have these SLAs determined for them. This allows them to enter the SLA into the system for users to adhere to.
Purpose of manual park
If agents receive an interaction that requires further work away from the screen E.g. they need to speak to a manager/3rd party or undertake a lengthy process elsewhere, they can park the interaction to do so.
Purpose of automatic park
If you need interactions to be parked when a call comes in, use automatic park, as this is not possible with manual park alone. You can however, have both manual and automatic park enabled on channels.
User settings | |
| Capacity | Here you can set the maximum number of concurrent interactions a user can handle from this channel at any one time. User capacity is cumulative across all channels they are assigned to, unless a specific user capacity is set. For more on user capacity, see this guide. |
| Force ready | By default, when a user receives an interaction, they automatically go not ready to deal with that interaction. This is better for customers that have long processes around dealing with interactions. When force ready is enabled, once a user goes ready on a queue they will be ready until their capacity is filled. Once they deal with one interaction, they will go ready automatically to receive another. They can only leave the campaign/go on break etc. by requesting then dealing with their capacity. |
Capacity
For WhatsApp, capacity could be set slightly higher than web chat because the customer might not be expecting an immediate response, but should be set lower than email as responses will generally be quicker than email. The more capacity an agent has, the more they will have to deal with at the same time. Its worth remembering however, the higher the capacity, if used in conjunction with 'force ready', the longer an agent will have to wait before being able to go on break etc!
Force ready
To ensure interactions are being dealt with in a timely manner, the system has the ability to push queued interactions to any agents with available capacity. This ensures that agents always have interactions to deal with, thus improving agent efficiency and reducing customer queue times.
Scripting | |
| Enable toggle | Enable or disable the use of a script on the channel. |
| Provider | Select the script you wish your agents to see when engaging with interactions on the channel. Choose 'Max' for bespoke scripts created within the MaxContact system. These are usually built as part of onboarding but can also be created & edited at any time. Alternatively, select 'other' for use with a CRM or 3rd party system. |
| Max Script | Here you can select the Max script to use for the channel. This is required if you have selected 'Max' script and will be greyed out if you have selected 'other'. |
| Script URL | The URL for the script (populated automatically if using a 'Max' script). Enter the URL for the script location only if the Script Provider is set to 'other'. This will be setup during the onboarding process if required and can still be changed created post 'go live'. |
Scripting examples
A BPO running campaigns for different clients will have different scripts for each WhatsApp channel to provide relevant information to the agent, allowing them to process information and improve the customer journey. Each channel can have a different script if you require. For more on scripting, see this guide.
We have a specific button set available which allows for quick responses from agents with a push of the button. For more on this feature, see this guide.
General tab
Fig 3. The general tab,
General | |
| This tab is configured by MaxContact. For information or changes to this area, please contact the support team as it is not possible to edit from the 'front end' of the product other than to enable/disable WhatsApp interactions on the channel. | |
| App ID | Don't worry, we will have this setup for you. Contact the support team for any issues or changes. |
| Number format | This is the number format prefix for WhatsApp messages and makes the channel configurable to different countries. |
| Project ID | Don't worry, we will have this setup for you. Contact the support team for any issues or changes. |
| Enable WhatsApp | Toggle to enable WhatsApp interactions on this channel. |
| WhatsApp outbound number | This is the number used to send WhatsApp messages from this channel. Don't worry, we will have this setup for you. Contact the support team for any issues or changes. |
Template | |||||||||
Template use case exampleThe template is currently used to give your customer some information before they opt in to chat via Facebook. When sending an initial opt in message to a customer, you may want to personalise it in some way or potentially change some wording 'on the fly'. An example of this would be "Hello there, we are trying to connect with you about your {{1}}. If you would like to continue the conversation about this, please reply to this message or press the Accept button. Kind regards, {{2}}.
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The Opt-in feature is meant to prevent unsolicited marketing via the WhatsApp platform and not something MaxContact have control of, we have made it simple to use however, it does mean some steps are needing before starting a conversation with a customer.
If you haven't contacted the customer before, you must send in the opt in template, these can be configured during your onboarding or via our support team. Once the customer opts it, you can have a conversation. Customers opt in by selecting an opt-in button that appears within WhatsApp or by simply replying to the initial message.
If a customer has initiated a conversation, you wont need to send a template, as by sending in a message, they are automatically opting in for 24 hours.
If the last message from the customer was more than 24hours ago, you will need to send another opt-in template.
Channel types
There are 4 main channels currently available, webchat, email and SMS. Each one has different settings and configuration options within tabs on the page.
Please select a link below to see each specific channels options
Webchat |
SMS |