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.
Note: Broadcasts are now Campaigns – same powerful features, updated name!
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 |
Campaign > Open (When a customer replies to a campaign message) | None | Agent: Bot Team: Same as the team assigned when the campaign was sent | Agent: Assigned to a specific team member as per round-robin logic Team: Same as the team assigned when the campaign 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
1. What is automatic chat assignment in Wati?
Automatic chat assignment is a feature in Wati’s Team Inbox that assigns incoming chats to available team members in a round-robin manner, ensuring chats are distributed evenly.
2. Which Wati plans support automatic chat assignment?
This feature is available only for users on the Business plan.
3. How does round-robin chat assignment work?
New chats are assigned one by one to online operators within a team, rotating evenly so that workload is fairly distributed.
Eligibility and conditions
4. When does automatic chat assignment work?
It works only when Working Hours are active and Holiday Mode is turned off.
5. Are admins included in automatic chat assignment?
No. Only Operators are considered for automatic assignment; Admins are excluded.
6. Can chats be assigned if multiple teams are involved?
No. Automatic assignment works only when a chat is assigned to a single team.
Setup and configuration
7. How can I enable automatic chat assignment?
You can enable it either through Default Actions or within Chatbot Flows, depending on how you manage chat routing.
8. What happens if both Default Actions and Chatbot Flow settings are configured?
Both settings work independently and can be enabled together or separately.
Behavior and limitations
9. What happens if no agents are online?
Chats are not assigned to agents. Instead, the “No Agent Online” reply is sent if it is configured.
10. Does automatic chat assignment affect manually assigned chats?
No. Chats that are manually assigned to teams or agents are not affected by the round-robin logic.