Summary
The automatic chat assignment feature in Wati's Team Inbox ensures that incoming chats are assigned to available team members in a round-robin manner. This improves efficiency by distributing conversations evenly and ensuring that no messages go unattended. This feature is available only for Business plan users. If you are on another plan, you may need to upgrade to access this functionality.
Instructions
What is Automatic Chat Assignment?
Automatic chat assignment enables Wati’s Bot to distribute new chats among online users in a designated team. The Bot assigns chats one by one in a round-robin manner to ensure an even workload distribution.
Key Features:
Assigns new chats directly to online team members.
Works only when Working Hours are active and Holiday Mode is off.
Excludes Admins from automatic assignment (only Operators are considered).
Can be configured via Default Actions or Chatbot Flows.
This feature is only available on the Business plan.
How to Set Up Automatic Chat Assignment
There are two ways to enable automatic chat assignment in Wati:
1) Via Default Actions
Navigate to Automations > Default Actions.
Scroll down and enable "Assign newly opened chats in round-robin manner within users of the assigned team."
Click Save Settings.
How It Works
When a new chat starts, it is assigned to the Default Team.
If automatic assignment is ON, the chat is routed to an available team member instead of staying assigned to the Bot.
The next chat will be assigned to the next available team member, ensuring fair distribution.
If a Keyword Action routes a chat to a specific team, automatic assignment will assign it to an available team member from that team.
Behavior Comparison: Round Robin OFF vs. ON
Chat Status | Other Automation Rules for Assignment | Current Behavior (Round Robin OFF) | Expected Behavior (Round Robin ON) |
Open (When a customer initiates a conversation) | None | Agent: Bot Team: Default team | Agent: Assigned to a specific team member as per round-robin logic Team: Default team |
Broadcast > Open (When a customer replies to a broadcast message) | None | Agent: Bot Team: Same as the team assigned when the broadcast was sent | Agent: Assigned to a specific team member as per round-robin logic Team: Same as the team assigned when the broadcast was sent |
Expired > Open (When a customer initiates a message on an expired chat) | None | Agent: Bot Team: Last assigned team (from expired status) is maintained | Agent: Assigned to a specific team member as per round-robin logic Team: Same as the team assigned when the chat expired |
Solved > Open (When a customer initiates a message on a solved chat, within 24 hours or after) | None | Agent: Bot Team: Last assigned team (from solved status) is maintained | Agent: Assigned to a specific team member as per round-robin logic Team: Same as the team assigned when the chat was solved |
Open (With "Assign team" routing set under keyword match) | Assign team via automation rule | Agent: Bot Team: As defined in the automation rule | Agent: Assigned to a specific team member as per round-robin logic Team: As defined in the automation rule |
2) Via Chatbot Flows
If you're using chatbot flows for chat routing, you can enable automatic chat assignments within the flow.
Navigate to Automations > Chatbots.
Open an existing chatbot flow or create a new one.
Add an Assign Team node and customize it.
Select the Round Robin option and choose the team for assignment.
Click Save.
How It Works
When the chatbot assigns a chat to a team, it will also assign it to an online team member if Round Robin is enabled.
If the "Skip Offline Users" option is unchecked, chats may also be assigned to offline users.
If the assignment type is "Direct", the chat will be assigned only to the team and not a specific member.
This setting operates independently of the Default Action setting.
This chatbot setting works independently of the setting explained in 1) via Default Actions above.
Both of them can be configured together or without each other.
Important Considerations & Limitations
The automatic assignment only works for chats assigned to a single team. Chats assigned to multiple teams will not be auto-assigned to users.
Only Operators (not Admins) are considered for assignment.
Working Hours must be active, and Holiday Mode must be OFF for automatic assignment to work.
If a chatbot or automation response is triggered first, that takes precedence over automatic chat assignment.
If "Expired or Closed chat will not be assigned to Bot" is enabled, such chats will remain assigned to the last assignee, even if Round Robin is ON.
This setting does not impact pending chats that are reopened before expiration.
Manually assigned teams are not affected by the round-robin logic.
Check out this video for some practical examples on how this feature can be used:
How Round Robin Works with Other Default Actions
Default Action Setting | Expected Behavior with Round Robin ON |
Out-of-Office Reply | The out-of-office message is sent, and Round Robin does not work outside working hours. |
No Agent Online Reply | This reply is sent instead of a chat assignment since Round Robin only assigns chats to online agents. |
Welcome Message (No Keyword Matched) | The message is sent first, and then Round Robin assigns the chat. |
Delayed Response (User Waits X Minutes) | Round Robin takes priority and assigns the chat as soon as it is opened. |
Fallback Message (No Default Actions Met) | If the fallback triggers a chatbot, Round Robin does not apply. Otherwise, the chat is assigned after the fallback message. |
24-Hour Inactivity Response | Works independently of Round Robin. |
Keep Last Assignee for Expired/Closed Chats | This setting takes priority over Round Robin, keeping the last assignee. |
Conclusion
By enabling automatic chat assignment, businesses can ensure efficient customer service by distributing chats fairly among online team members. Whether through Default Actions or Chatbot Flows, this feature enhances workflow management and ensures that no customer message is left unattended.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General Questions
What is an automatic chat assignment in Wati? → Automatic chat assignment is a feature that distributes new chats evenly among available team members in a round-robin manner. It ensures no chat goes unattended and improves efficiency.
Who can use the automatic chat assignment feature? → This feature is available only for Business Plan users. If you are on a different plan, you need to upgrade to access it.
How does a round-robin assignment work? → When enabled, the system assigns each new chat to the next available team member in a sequential order, ensuring fair distribution of workload.
Setup and Configuration
How can I enable automatic chat assignments? → You can enable it through two methods:
Via Default Actions: Navigate to Automations > Default Actions, enable the round-robin assignment option, and save settings.
Via Chatbot Flows: Navigate to Automations > Chatbots, add an Assign Team node, select the Round Robin option, and save settings.
Can I configure automatic assignment for specific teams? → Yes, you can configure it for specific teams either through Default Actions or Chatbot Flows.
Does automatic assignment work outside working hours? → No, automatic assignment works only when Working Hours are active and Holiday Mode is off.
Will admins be assigned chats automatically? → No, only Operators are included in automatic chat assignments. Admins are excluded.
Behavior and Functionality
What happens if no agent is online? → If no agent is online, the No Agent Online Reply is sent instead of assigning the chat.
How does round-robin work with chatbot flows? → If a chatbot assigns a chat to a team, round-robin will distribute it among available team members. If Skip Offline Users is unchecked, chats may be assigned to offline users as well.
What happens if a chat is reopened after being solved or expired? → If a chat was assigned to a team before being marked as Solved or Expired, it remains with the last assigned team member.
Limitations and Special Cases
Does automatic assignment work for multiple teams? → No, automatic chat assignment only works for chats assigned to a single team. Chats assigned to multiple teams are not auto-assigned to users.
What happens if an automation or chatbot response is triggered first? → If an automation or chatbot response is triggered before the assignment, that takes precedence over an automatic chat assignment.
Does automatic assignment impact manually assigned chats? → No, manually assigned teams are not affected by round-robin logic.
What happens to pending chats that are reopened? → Pending chats that are reopened before expiration are not affected by round-robin assignments.
Can I override the round-robin assignment manually? → Yes, chats can still be manually reassigned to specific team members if needed.