Functionality to pause Agent chat timeouts

Henri1 · ‎12-05-2023

Hello all,

I have the following request to fulfill for the Agent chat:

Agents should be able to pause chat session timeouts

The purpose of this functionality is that when Agent needs to for example take a remote connection session with the Caller, neither of them are using the chat even though they both are interacting with each other. This will lead to chat timeouts and the chat session often ends to timeout before they return to that view.

Since there is an automatic chat session timeout monitoring (which is a good thing), we would need some kind of functionality how agents could indicate that the chat timeout should be paused.

I was thinking that could we access the Session Binding record through the Interaction record? Below is the view where this functionality should be initiated.

Table for the Session Binding records that contain the session activity information: sys_cs_session_binding

Scheduled Script Execution 'Idle Chat Timer Task' that initiates timeout monitoring: /nav_to.do?uri=sysauto_script.do?sys_id=90e0b96e3b5000109cbbcea234efc42f

Script include 'IdleChatHandler' to update the records: /nav_to.do?uri=sys_script_include.do?sys_id=8a1a896a3b1000109cbbcea234efc4cf

Any ideas how this requirement could be completed? I am yet to find a way the connection between Interaction record and Session Binding record. If I would find that, then I could just create for example a BR to Interaction table that would initiate this functionality that would pause chat timeout for this session.

Thank you already in advance.

Henri1 · ‎09-30-2024

Seems that we found now a solution. It is not pretty and I'm sure it's against all the best practices but at least it is working.

What we did:

On interaction table we created a new column with type True/False. Agent can then use this field in the Service Operations Workspace.
In IdleChatHandler script include we created a script before it checks the lastActivityTime variable. This script queries interaction records where the new column is set as True. If it finds a record(s), then it will create a conversation message to the corresponding conversation where Direction is "inbound".

Yes, this will create every two minutes (scheduled job default frequency) a new conversation message that is not visible for the end user nor for the agent. But at least this will update the lastActivityTime and therefore you don't have to touch removeReminderConversations for example.

I hope this helps others AND ServiceNow will create OOB functionality soon as well. I'm a dreamer, I know...

View solution in original post

LM5 · ‎01-26-2024

Henri1, did you figure out a solution?

Henri1 · ‎01-29-2024

Unfortunately not yet. We do have one more idea how to resolve this and I will update it here if that works out. Or if I happen to hear some other solution for this.

MJN2 · ‎02-20-2024

Please add the timer to your chat session end.

Please navigate to sys_properties table and search for com.glide.cs.idle_chat_cancel_timeout"property and update the value. Value(numbers) are captured in seconds.

Henri1 · ‎02-22-2024

Thank you for participating into this topic.

The problem is not pausing or editing the value of chat_cancel_timeout. Currently the issue is that how we can trigger this from the SOW by agent how is covering the chat session. So in other words how to trigger this from the ongoing Interaction record, for example.