FAQ: How do I route conversations to departments and agents?

In Acquire, there’s several ways to route conversations to departments or agents. Best of all, you may choose the method(s) that work best for you. Most of these methods may also be used simultaneously, so you have control of how you implement and direct conversations. 

In this article:

• Routing through Workflows
• Routing from an Agent
• Routing from an Department
• Advanced Routing via Webhooks

Routing through Workflows

There are a variety of ways to route agents and departments in Acquire. For instance, you may use a Business Rule to route incoming conversations to specific agents such as in the example below. 

In this example, whenever a visitor is on a widget-enabled page, they’ll be connected with the assigned agents.

When you need to automate complex routing, use a Sequence Bot and trigger it with a Business Rule. Sequence Bots engage visitors in directed conversations and may help funnel them based on their needs.

To get started, identify the way you would like to route visitors. After you’ve decided on the user journey your visitors will take, build a Sequence Bot in Chatbots > Sequence Bots. Learn more about building a Sequence Bot →

In this example, the bot asks which department the visitor would like to get in touch with. They’ll then be connected with the first available agent.

Once this sequence is published, it may be available to visitors via a Business Rule. 

In Settings > Workflows > Business Rules, you may tie the Sequence Bot to a new or existing rule. We recommend having a Business Rule for each incoming communication channel. 

Routing from an Agent or Department

During a live conversation, visitors may ask to be connected with other agents or departments. To transfer a chat, agents may use the ‘Invite Agent’ button in the top-right corner of the screen. 

Routing from a Department

Departments may also be invited during a live conversation. If inviting a department, the first available agent will be notified. 

Advanced Routing via Webhooks

If you find that none of the above methods suit your needs, you may want to invest time in webhook routing. Webhooks are data sent from triggering events, such as a button press. They may be configured in a number of ways. 

In Acquire, the routing webhook uses a reserved word to transfer visitor conversations to the indicated party: 

{“chatRouteTo”: “<Stringify Chat Routing JSON>”}

To differentiate, use their IDs with the key agentIds or deptIds: 

Route to agents:

{“agentIds”: “11,12”}

Route to departments:

{“deptIds”:”1,2”}

In this example, if the visitor chooses the ‘Transfer’ option, they’ll be transferred to the agent mentioned in the webhook.

Webhook routing may be used in combination with other routing methods. To learn more about webhook routing, read our webhook guide.

No matter the size of your organization, there’s probably a routing method that suits your needs. Use workflows, such as Sequence Bots and Business Rules, to automate your routing so visitors are connected with an agent automatically. And of course, you can always use manual routing or webhooks when the need arises.

Need support building your routing process? Reach out to support@acquire.io,