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Queues

Updated on May 10, 2021

Pega Customer Service uses omni-channel queue-based routing to direct Legacy Webchat or Digital Messaging conversation requests to Customer Service Representatives (CSRs). Determining an appropriate queue for a customer request is the first step in the escalation process. A queue is a temporary container that holds and processes the incoming chat and messaging requests. There are several ways of mapping a specific request to a queue. For chats, the system can auto-select a queue based on the URL from which the customer initiated the chat. You must configure at least one queue for requests to be collected and then routed. If you have several queues, you can prompt customers with a list of questions or options that map to different queues.

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You can configure pre-assignment questions for a queue that the customer can answer before the system routes the conversation to a CSR. For example, the queue questionnaire can request a customer's name, account number, and further details about their question. This removes the need for the CSR to collect the information after escalation.
If you configure a queue with pre-assignment questions, the customer needs to answer each question. The questions and the answers provided by the customers are presented in a Here's what we know section in the conversation window when the CSR accepts the routed interaction. For more information about configuring pre-assignment questions, see the Pre-chat questions to determine queue routing section below.

Configuring chat and messaging queues

Streamline the escalation processing by selecting the following key queue configurations.
  • The number of queues: Determine the number of queues to suit your customer workflows, organization process, and CSR skillset.
  • Max concurrent conversations (for queue): Vary the maximum number of active conversations that a CSR can handle simultaneously for different queues depending on the type of request and CSR skills.
  • CSR skills: Enter the skills that are required for the CSR to work in the queue. For example, if a queue requires English speakers who can process service requests, you define a skill for English and another skill for Service. You can add only those CSRs who have the specified skills to the queue.

To add a new chat queue and configure it to a chat server, perform the following steps:

  1. In the navigation pane of App Studio, click SettingsChat and messaging.
  2. In the list of chat and messaging settings, click Queues.
  3. In the Queues section, do one of the following:
    • To edit an existing queue, click the Edit this queue icon, and then follow the instructions below for adding a new queue.
    • To add a new queue, click Add queue, and then follow the instructions below for adding a new queue.
  4. On the General tab, perform the following steps:
    1. In the Queue name field, enter a name for the queue without spaces or special characters.
      Note: Spaces and special characters are not allowed in the queue name.
    2. To define the maximum number of active conversations that a CSR can handle simultaneously in this queue, enter a value in the Max concurrent conversations (from this queue) field.
      For example: If you enter a 3, 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. If you do not enter a value here, the routing engine then considers the value specified in the Max concurrent conversations field in the operator record, or the Max concurrent conversations (per CSR) in the Chat and Messaging settings, in that order.
    3. To display the duration that a new chat alert stays on the CSR’s screen, enter a value in the Screen pop duration before timeout field.
    4. To make the queue visible to the customer while they are interacting with the chatbot, in the Is this queue visible to the user field, select Yes.
    5. To display choices from which the customer can choose the most appropriate queue, enter the relevant text in the Queue selection text for customers field.
      This field is visible only if you select Yes in the Is this queue visible to the user field. When the chatbot shows the list of available queues to the customer, the queue displays with the text you enter here, instead of its original name.
      For example: If you enter I have a billing question for a queue named Billing, the text "I have a billing question" replaces "Billing" in the chatbot.
    6. To select a set of predefined, queue-specific questions to present to the customer, select an appropriate item from the Queue questionnaire list.
      This questionnaire provides additional context to the CSR about the customer’s issue.
    7. To map a unified resource locator (URL) to the queue, click Add URL, and then enter the complete URL.
      Note: This step applies only to Legacy Webchat.
      You can enter multiple values separated by the or operator, or the * wildcard character. For example, yoursite.com/*-sales or yoursite.com/newcustomer. The URL pattern of the organization determines which chat queue to select for a request.
      For example: If a banking organization has two divisions, Savings and Credit Card, and configures Queue A for the Credit Card URL, then the request raised from that URL is routed to Queue A.
  5. On the Availability tab, complete the following steps:
    1. To configure the availability of the queue, select a value in the Hours of operation field.
      Select a calendar that reflects the hours of operation of the queue. Pega Customer Service provides the following default calendar values: Always Open, Default Calendar, Holiday, and Default US Calendar.
    2. To configure a message that you want to display to customers who request a chat during the off-hours of the queue, for example, Agents are not available during off-hours, enter the message text in the Off-hours behavior field.
    3. In the Wait time section, complete the following fields:
      • In the Maximum wait time (Secs) field, enter the maximum wait time in seconds for the calculated wait time on the server.
        Note: When a new customer escalation arises in a queue, the routing engine estimates the time required before the first available CSR in the queue can take the customer request. If the computed wait time exceeds the maximum wait time that you enter, the customer is notified that they must wait in the queue.
      • In the Default wait time (Secs) field, enter the default wait time in seconds for the queue.
        Note: The routing engine considers the default wait time at the start of the business hours of the queue until the CSRs resolve enough chats to meet the threshold for recalculating the estimated wait time.
    4. To configure a message that you want to display to the customer when no CSRs are available in the queue, or when the computed wait time is more than the configured Maximum wait time of the queue, enter the message text in the Agents not available field.
  6. To enter the skills that are required for the CSR to work on the queue, click the Members tab, and then select a skill from the Skills list.
    You can select an existing skill or create a new one. The system routes chat and messaging requests in the queue to CSRs who have all of the specified skills.
    For example: If a queue requires English speakers who can process service requests, you define a skill for English and another skill for Service. Chat requests to the queue are then routed to CSRs who have both skills.
  7. Optional: To create additional skills as needed to meet the needs of the queue, repeat Step 6.
    New skills must match the operator skills that are defined in the operators skill section.
  8. Click Submit.
  9. Click Save again.

Pre-chat questions to determine queue routing

You can assign a series of questions to a queue that customers can answer when they select the queue during escalation. Collecting information in advance of the Customer Service Representative (CSR) accepting and starting work on an interaction saves time for both the customer and the CSR. Customers answer questions one at a time. When the customer answers all the questions, the interaction becomes ready to route. CSRs can see the answers provided by the customers in the Here's what we know summary section displayed above the interaction transcript.

Creating a queue flow

Create a flow for a queue to add a series of questions that will be presented to the customer on escalating a conversation.

Pega Customer Service provides the following sample queue flows:
  • Billing questionnaire list
  • General questionnaire list
  • Technical questionnaire list

To create a workflow for the queue, complete the following steps.

  1. In the Dev Studio Explorer panel, click App.
  2. In the search field, enter PegaCA-Work
  3. Click ChatWithAgentPreChatQuestionsProcessFlow.
  4. Click Create and build your new flow and questions on that flow.
    The sample queue flows listed give you direction on how to do this.
  5. In the Label field, enter a name, and then click Create and open.
    For more information about flows, see Flows.
What to do next: After creating a queue flow, create a question rule with the list of questions you want to ask the customers.

Creating a question rule to add questions

To define the questions that are displayed to the customer in the flow that is assigned for a queue, create a question rule.

  1. In the Dev Studio Explorer panel, click App.
  2. In the search field, enter PegaCA-Work
  3. Open the PegaCA-Work-ChatWithAgent-PreChatQuestions class.
  4. Click Survey > Simple Question, and then click Create.
  5. In the Label field, enter the name of a question rule, and then click Create and open.
  6. Click the Question tab and add questions. For more information about how to create questions see Adding a question to a question page and Populating a question template.
  7. Click Save.
What to do next: After creating a queue flow and question rule for the flow, add the created question rule to the flow.

Adding the question rule to the flow

To display the relevant questions for the work queue, add the question rule to the queue flow. This helps the customer to view and respond to the questions during the conversation with the bot.

  1. Open the PegaCA-Work-ChatWithAgent-PreChatQuestions class.
  2. Click ProcessFlow, and then open the queue flow for which you want to add the question rule.
    For example: Billing questionnaire flow.
  3. Add a question shape in the flow.
  4. Double-click the question shape.
    1. Replace the default text with your notes or comments.
    2. To add the relevant question rule into the flow, enter a value in the Question rule field.
    3. Click Submit.
  5. Drag the question shape to a different position on the canvas, based on the functionality that you are documenting.
  6. Click Save.
Result: The relevant questions are added to the work queue.

Tags

Pega Customer Service 8.7 Pega Customer Service for Communications 8.7 Pega Customer Service for Financial Services 8.7 Pega Customer Service for Healthcare 8.7 Pega Customer Service for Insurance 8.7

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