Using Delayed and Live modes

Written by Grace Williamson
Last update: Friday, Jun 18, 2021

How can you control your live chat status?

In short, your live chat status is defined in 3 different ways:

By scheduling your live chat.
By manually editing your chat mode.
By automatically detecting a team member’s presence.

If you want to put your live chat in delayed mode, regardless of how it was turned on, you can do so using one of these 3 ways.

❗️However, if you want to turn your live chat to live mode, you'll have to do so in the same way you turned it to delayed mode in the first place.

For example:

My live chat was automatically switched to live chat mode this morning following the schedule I set. However, after one hour, I want to switch my live chat to delayed chat mode. I can either change the settings on the schedule page, directly use the command !off in the Slaask channel, or ask all my team members to log off, so the live chat can be switched to delayed chat mode.
I switched Slaask to delayed chat mode using the command !off in the Slaask channel last night, so this morning, I want to switch Slaask to live chat mode. I can ONLY use the command !on to switch Slaask to live chat mode. {slaask-end}

Live mode:

Live mode is one of 2 Slaask modes (delayed / live). Live mode is dedicated to situations where your team is available to live-chat with your contacts.
In Live mode, communication from your contacts funnels directly into Slack.
In Live mode, your contacts can directly reach your team, ask questions and get instant replies.

Delayed mode:

Delayed mode is one of 2 Slaask modes (delayed / live).
Delayed mode is dedicated to situations where no one on your team is available to live-chat with your contacts.
In Delayed mode, the chatbox is still available to your contacts, but once opened, its behavior will be adapted seeing as you won't be able to respond immediately.

Delayed mode behavior details:

When Slaask is in delayed mode, your chatbox will show the appropriate greeting message for the delayed mode, that you can change as you wish, on the Customize page.

Default behavior:

When someone tries to reach you via live chat, a message will warn them that you are not available right now, and also ask for an email address (if unknown). The Contact will be able to continue talking until you come back.

If the Contact leaves the chat after giving their email address, they will receive an email notification allowing them to see your answers as soon as you are available, no matter what.

In Slack, a channel will be created, but you won't be invited. It will be listed in the #slaask-open channel, and when you come back, you will be able to join the channel and talk with your Contact.

Behavior with a ticketing system:

If you have a ticketing system integrated into Slaask, all conversations received while in delayed mode will be forwarded to your ticketing system and can be handled directly from there.

The chatbox will display a form asking for an email address and a message, which will be forwarded to your ticketing system. The message won't be stored on Slaask to avoid duplication.