Understanding Virtual Assistant Timeout Settings

[Muralidharan BS]

Understanding Virtual Assistant Timeout Settings

This guide explains managing timeout settings for your Virtual Assistant (VA) interactions. We'll focus on situations 

1. Before connecting to live agent

2. After connecting to live agent

1. Before connecting to a live agent: 

By default, the VA remembers your conversation for 24 hours. So, if you come back within that timeframe, you can pick up right where you left off.

Want a shorter timeout?

We understand that 24 hours might be a bit long for some. You can adjust this timeout to a shorter period, like 2 or 1 hour. This way, inactive chats are cleared out faster.

How to Change the Timeout:

To make this change, there are two things involved:

System Property: There's a setting called "com.glide.cs.conversation_idle_timeout" that controls the timeout duration.

Scheduled Job: A background process named "Time Out Abandoned VA Conversations" needs to be updated to run regularly and clear out inactive chats according to the new timeout.

If the property does not exist you can create one. The OOB setting of the property is 24 hours in seconds [Integer - 86400]. Similarly, the job has to be configured periodically. 

2. After connecting to the live agent

This section explains how the system handles situations where a user is connected to a live agent via chat but becomes unresponsive.

Reminder Timeout (com.glide.cs.idle_chat_reminder_timeout )This property determines how long the system waits (default 180 seconds or 3 minutes) before sending a reminder message to the user to nudge them to continue the chat.

Cancellation Timeout (com.glide.cs.idle_chat_cancel_timeout )This property defines the maximum inactivity period (default 360 seconds or 6 minutes) allowed before the chat session automatically cancels.

Scheduled job - (2 minutes for the scheduled job "Idle Chat Timer Task") seems to be working well for this scenario, so no adjustments appear necessary at this time.

Thanks!

Murali

[Srijan]

Hi, I tried adding the 'com.glide.cs.conversation_idle_timeout' system property in my NY instance and also executed the 'Time Out Abandoned VA Conversations' scheduled job. I set the timer (integer value) to 5 secs for testing purpose in the property, yet the chat doesnt close. Any idea what else needs to be done for this to work? 

Also, any help on how to achieve if I want to trigger a Follow up topic after 60 secs if user idle. Any schedule job script or any other way I can achive this? 

I'm fairly new to this, any leads on this would be really helpful. Thanks.

[Muralidharan BS]

Hi Srijan,

Try to update to 60 sec, initiate a conversation and wait for 60 sec and then trigger the schedule job manually - Time Out Abandoned VA Conversations. Test it out in this way. 

Thanks

[Srijan]

Yeah this worked for me. Now, the chat is getting closed after the timer that I have set. 

Any idea on the below:

"Also, any help on how to achieve if I want to trigger a Follow up topic after 60 secs if user idle. Any schedule job script or any other way I can achive this? "

Instead of closing the conversation after sometime...i want a custom messgae or a topic to be triggered.

[sarabjeet]

Hi Murali,

'After connecting to live agent' this point does not work in New York please let us know how to configure for it.

[Muralidharan BS]

Hi Sarabjeet,

You have to create two system properties if it doesn't already exist. Then check the job if it is active and runs periodically. 

Property - com.glide.cs.idle_chat_reminder_timeout
                 com.glide.cs.idle_chat_cancel_timeout

Scheduled job - Idle Chat Timer Task

Thanks

[sarabjeet]

Hi Murali,

We are unable to find any schedule job with this name in system.

[Muralidharan BS]

can you check if you are on or above patch 6. This was introduced around patch 6.

[sarabjeet]

i am on patch 4.

[Muralidharan BS]

I am sorry its not in NewYork, its in Orlando. sorry I confused you - https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/orlando-servicenow-platform/page/administer/workspace/concept/idl...

[sarabjeet]

it's completely fine but i need to configure it in New York so is there any way to achieve this in it.

[Feddy]

Related to chat timeout message

https://community.servicenow.com/community?id=community_question&sys_id=4d4a2ae61b9a6490ed6c9979b04b...


Please visit this question and give me your inputs.
Any help would be much appreciated

[AndyLock]

Here is the script include and job for Idle Chat, taken from Paris patch7

[Marques2]

@Murali How about a property for timeout if the Agent doesn't respond in X amount of time. These properties all seem to be around the Requester abandoning the conversation. However, if the Agent gets distracted, there's a desire for a smooth transition from one Agent perhaps to another or back into the Chat queue. Any thoughts?

[Sai Mohith Gand]

Hi @Murali 

So lets say I have a situation where the end user has initiated a chat and requires some info from the agent, and agent responds say please wait for 5-6 min & agent comes after some time and see chat has been abandoned automatically after 6 min, so in this type so scenarios what should be the approach.

Please let me know

Thanks

[Stuart Comstiv1]

Thank you for this. Should the same system properities etc apply to Virtual Agent sessions regardless of how the VA is engaged with eg via browser / Now Mobile app? We have an issue with VA timeout when using Now Mobile app before connecting to a live agent, but works as expected once connected to a live Agent. When connecting via Browser, timeout works as expected both before and after connecting.

[Miguel Alvarez1]

Hi @Muralidharan BS 

Is there any property or functionality to manage a reminder but before connecting to a live agent. I am looking for something to remind the user first and them close the conversation but not when the end user is connected to a live agent

[Muralidharan BS]

HI @Miguel Alvarez1 you can try this - com.glide.cs.conversation_idle_timeout. this managers the timeout for user before live agent queue. 

[Kass3m]

Where is the timeout setting for --if the agent does not pick up the chat?

Thats not abandoned chat, is it?

[anuj27]

Hi @Muralidharan BS,

Need a bit of your help, 

I am currently facing a similar requirement where I have to change the timeout settings of idle virtual agent chat on the portal that we have created.

I changed this system property:  com.glide.cs.conversation_idle_timeout and also configured the scheduled job: 

Time Out Abandoned VA Conversations. But somehow its not working for me. What could be the reason ? 

I have checked it on PDI , and its worked fine.

Guide me where to look for. 

Thanks

[Bharat Tagad]

Hi 

I am not getting reminder message for live agent chat. How to get rid of this?

Also agent chat is not canceling after 9mins ( time set in Idle Chat Timer Task). Previously it was working fine.

Please help me ....🙁

[GEK29]

@Bharat Tagad, I am facing the same issue. My timeout worked 2 months ago, now my survey is not triggered by timeout settings.

Any idea why??

[Bharat Tagad]

Hi @GEK29 ,

This issue was due to some patch upgrade. 

Please check with ServiceNow team to fix this issue if you have recently updated.

And also make sure your timeout properties are configured correctly as per ServiceNow recommendation.

[Keszia]

I have come to this thread very late but it seems the most relevant to for my query.

Users are getting timed out while waiting to talk to a Live Agent, after talking to the Virtual Agent. Is there a way to remove the timeout only while they're waiting to talk to a Live Agent after talking to the Virtual Agent? Otherwise they're kicked out of the queue and have to re-join several times if Live Agents are busy.

[Praveen Kumar3]

This is one of the cleanest solution related to the VA timeout. Thanks @Muralidharan BS for creating such informational post. Thanks Again

[Muralidharan BS]

@Keszia try this sytem property - com.glide.cs.start_idle_timeout_after_agent_response to true

[Keszia]

Hey @Muralidharan BS that didn't work for us.

We have com.glide.cs.idle_chat_cancel_timeout set to 900 (seconds, 15 mins) and setting the com.glide.cs.start_idle_timeout_after_agent_response to true doesn't affect/ignore this.

I have seen that when users have been handed over to Live Agent from Virtual Agent, the Assigned to in the Interaction table is (empty), as if they're in limbo.

[Keszia]

Have you found a way to adjust these so that the [

com.glide.cs.conversation_idle_timeout] system property does not apply to interactions where the user has requested handover (i.e., was talking to VA, requested handover and it waiting for the interaction to be accepted by the agent)?

Ideally, our business would like VA only interactions (assigned to = Virtual Agent) to timeout as per [

com.glide.cs.conversation_idle_timeout], but not when they've requested handover (assigned to = empty).