How to Send Outbound Support Messages
Business Goal: Have support agents send outbound messages to customers with previously closed conversations when needed.
Some issues may need more time to resolve, requiring support agents to follow up with a customer after a conversation is closed. To reopen a conversation, agents will need to find the Contact with a closed conversation on the platform and send an outbound message based on the conditions of each Channel.
Benefits of Outbound Messages
Support agents may need to send outbound messages to:
follow up with customers on unresolved issues after closing the conversation on the platform.
provide updates to VIP customers with dedicated support agents.
Method for Sending Outbound Messages
Find the Contact with a closed conversation and reopen the conversation to send an outbound message.
Send Outbound Messages
Method Objectives
Find the Contact with a closed conversation.
Reopen the conversation with a customer to send an outbound message.
How-To
Find the Contact with a closed conversation
Tip: Learn more about Contact Search, Sort and Filter here.
Use the Sort and Filter dropdown along with the Search Bar to find a specific Contact on the platform. Choose the right filters based on the location of the Contact within the platform, then input the Search Bar with fields such as Contact’s first name, last name, email or phone number.
Tip: The search behavior depends on the field type you input. Learn more about search behavior and the fields that can’t be searched here.
There are two ways to find Contact with a closed conversation.
If the Contact is assigned to you, use the Mine Inbox > select the Closed filter > type the Contact’s name, phone number or email in the Search Bar.
If the Contact is not assigned to you, use the All Inbox > select the Closed filter > type the Contact’s name, phone number or email in the Search Bar.
Tip: If you can’t find the Contact in the Closed filter, the Contact might be Snoozed. Try searching for the Contact in the Open and Snoozed filter.
Reopen the conversation with a customer to send an outbound message
Tip: Learn more about Channels Capabilities here.
The ability to reopen a conversation differs among Channels. Most Channels allow you to send outbound messages anytime, some Channels have a messaging window with limitations, while some Channels do not allow you to message customers after the messaging window closes.
Channels with no messaging window
Most Channels allow you to message customers any time after they’ve become a Contact on the platform. The list of Channels without a messaging window are Telegram, LINE, Website Chat, SMS and Email.
To reopen a conversation, go to the Messages Module > use the text box to send a customer an outbound message.
Channels with messaging limitations after the messaging window closes
However, some channels have a messaging window that limits what you can send after the messaging window is closed. Here are the channels with messaging windows and their limitations.
Channels that do not allow outbound messages after messaging window closes
There are also channels with a messaging window that do not allow businesses to send any outbound messages after the messaging window closes until their customer sends them a message again. Here are the channels with messaging windows and their limitations.
Once a conversation is open, the customer will automatically be assigned to the agent who sends the outbound message. When the agent has finished chatting with a customer and closes the conversation, the agent may be unassigned from the customer depending on the closing conversation logic your business decides to use.
Tip: Learn more about closing conversations here.
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