Configuring a messaging queue

This demo shows how you can configure a new queue and add skills and members to handle a category of chat questions.

Chat queue in action

First, notice how queues work in Pega Customer Service. U+ Bank set up Web Messaging on its website. The bank has configured a chatbot to direct customers to the appropriate queue. Sara Connor is using the U+ Bank website to resolve a billing issue. She uses chat to ask for help. The chatbot responds with a menu. The menu represents the available queues.

Sara selects Billing, and the system routes her request to the Billing queue.

The chatbot responds with a question. PreChat questions further define the customer issue before a CSR receives the chat assignment. You can configure PreChat questions for each queue.

Bill, a CSR, is an expert in Billing issues. He receives the request. He views the transcript of the conversation and continues the chat with Sara.

Adding a queue

U+ Bank has a significant mortgage lending business. The team asks you to configure a queue to handle mortgage questions.

Log in to Infinity Studio and, in the application header, click the application menu. Select Settings > Control Panel. In the Control Panel, click the Engagement Channels tile, expand the Messaging section, and then, to the right of Queues, click Start to create the Mortgage queue.

Add a queue named Mortgage and configure the basic settings:

Set the Max concurrent conversations to 3. This field value means the routing engine offers up to three conversation requests from this queue to the CSR. The system routes any further requests only after the CSR completes one of those three active conversations.

The Queue selection text for customers is displayed on the list of queues displayed to the chat customer. For the Mortgage queue, enter I have a mortgage question.

The Agentic queue description specifies the types of customer issues that the queue handles. When no intelligent routing conditions apply, the Agentic Messaging bot uses this description with Pega GenAI to route chat sessions to the appropriate queue. Enter a clear, concise description so that the bot can accurately match incoming customer issues to this queue. For example, for the Mortgage queue, enter Handles mortgage applications, payments, interest rates, and existing mortgage accounts.

The Queue questionnaire is optional. For this scenario, select Mortgage questions so that the chatbot asks questions to define the customer issue further. This questionnaire is already configured in Infinity Studio.

Maximum wait time refers to the time that a new customer waits for connection to a CSR in a queue. When a new customer escalation arrives in a queue, the routing engine estimates the time that the system requires before the first available CSR can take the customer request. If the estimated wait time exceeds the maximum, the queue status is unavailable.

For example, if a queue has a maximum wait time of 600 seconds, and the estimated wait time that the routing engine calculates is 660 seconds, then the customer request does not enter the queue.

Default wait time is the time that is displayed to every customer regardless of CSR availability. If a CSR is available, the customer waits less than the default wait time. If CSRs are unavailable, then the wait time takes longer than the default time.

Add the Messaging skill as a mandatory requirement for CSRs to access queues, and then include all other necessary skills for CSRs.

In the Availability section, set Hours of operation to Always Open, and then save the changes.

The creation of skills occurs in Infinity Studio, and you can assign these skills to CSRs. For example, navigate to the operator record for Ashlea Buckley, a CSR who knows mortgage processing, and assign her the Mortgage_processing skill on the Work tab.

Showing the new queue in action

When Ashlea starts her day, she logs in to Pega Customer Service, selects the Mortgage queue, and then sets her availability.

Sara Connor is reviewing her mortgage information on the U+ Bank website. She initiates a chat, and then selects I have a mortgage question. The chatbot sees that Sara selected the Mortgage queue and asks the two pre-chat questions. The chatbot then assigns a live chat to Ashlea and attaches the transcript of the conversation with Sara.

Ashlea receives Sara's request and views the transcript. She then continues the chat with Sara in a live session.

You have reached the end of the video. What did it show you?

• How to configure a new queue
• How to add skills and members to handle a category of chat question