Inbound chat flows overview

Administrators and contact center managers can use advanced routing capabilities in Architect for chat messages. This method routes and delivers incoming chat messages to the right queue based on a better understanding of the customer and intent.

To set up chat messaging, create an inbound chat flow in Architect and then select to route to the flow in PureCloud > Admin > Contact Center > Widgets. For more information, see Create a widget for web chat.

Unlike call flows, inbound chat flows do not have failure or success paths. For potential routing errors, you can configure an action’s path. For example, add a Disconnect action or transfer to a specific queue. Inbound chat flows do not include language settings, in-queue handling, or audio controls such as DTMF or text-to-speech.

To familiarize yourself with inbound chat flows, review the following pages:

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Inbound chat flow configuration and setup

Page	Description
About widgets for web chat	Create a web chat implementation in two steps: add a web chat widget deployment in PureCloud, and then add code to your website.
Add an inbound chat flow	Create and configure an inbound chat flow in Architect.
Manage data resources in the flow	In addition to editing variables and viewing usage, you can add and filter variables for inbound chat flows.
Set default event handling behavior	Determines how Architect behaves if there is an error in the inbound chat flow.
Expression help feature	Learn how to access the built-in expression resource to assist when creating inbound chat task expressions.
Work with expressions	Use expressions to create sophisticated and complex flow calculations by selecting variables and operators.
Architect built-in variables	See the list of Architect read-only, built-in variables for inbound chat flows.
Manage a variable	Edit a variable’s values.
Work in the Edit Message Body dialog box	Create complex expressions that route to the chat recipient.
Set up a message sequence with the String Builder	Create a more complex ordered sequence of chat elements that route to a chat recipient. Use any combination of data, expressions, prompts, and text elements.
Manage a message sequence	Manage an ordered sequence of chat elements that the system plays back to the caller. Arrange the order of elements, add or delete elements, and edit an element’s configuration.
Enable an alternate message sequence language	Configure and order the chat sequence for other configured languages.
Disable an alternate message sequence	Reset the chat sequence to the default language, or cancel an alternate chat sequence.
About Architect	Find more information on flows, including configuring default settings; managing flows; dependency searches; flow design resources; and tips, best practices, and troubleshooting.
Architect permissions overview	Review Architect permissions, which are based on flow design tasks or job functions. An administrator from the PureCloud organization must assign the appropriate permissions to an Architect user.

Inbound chat flow actions and tasks

Icon	Category	Action	Description
	Data	Call Data Action	Retrieve information about a customer from default or custom data actions integration in PureCloud.
		Call Lex Bot	Run self-service applications within a flow before or instead of routing a customer to an agent.
		Data Table Lookup	Retrieve data stored in a PureCloud data table.
		Get Response	Use with the Send Auto Reply action to send an automated reply to a customer.
		Get Participant Data	Set up an attribute to retrieve from a call participant.
		Set Participant Data	Set an attribute value on a call participant.
		Update Data	Assign values to flow or task level variables.
	Disconnect	Disconnect	Provide callers with a graceful way to exit a menu system by ending the call immediately.
	External Contacts	Get External Contact	Retrieve information about an existing external contact.
		Get External Organization	Use the Get External Organization action to find a specific organization, or with the Get External Contact action to find a specific person.
		Search External Contacts	Find one or more external contacts based on your search terms.
	Find	Find Queue	Find a queue based on its string name at IVR runtime. Use this action to source data from a data action or data lookup tables.
		Find System Prompt	Look up Architect system prompts by name and determine which prompts to play dynamically at runtime.
		Find User Prompt	Look up Architect user prompts by name and determine which prompts to play dynamically at runtime.
		Find User	Search for a PureCloud user based on an email address at IVR runtime.
		Find User by ID	Reference a user dynamically and find that user based on a string name at IVR runtime.
		Find Users by ID	Reference PureCloud users dynamically and find them based on a string at IVR runtime.
	Flow	Set Language	Allow callers to select the appropriate language in which to hear prompts.
		Set Screen Pop	Select a predefined script and, if necessary, configure the input variables that store the selection made by the user at runtime.
	Logical	Decision	Direct the process branch, depending on whether a condition is true.
		Switch	This action is similar to a Decision action, and is easy to set when to evaluate multiple cases. Configure a switch action to specify what Architect does, when to do it, and under which circumstances.
		Evaluate Schedule	Use this action with the Evaluate Schedule Group action and make routing decisions based on previously defined schedules and schedule groups.
		Evaluate Schedule Group	Use this action with the Evaluate Schedule action and make routing decisions based on previously defined schedules and schedule groups.
	Loop	Loop	Direct your process repeat a series of actions before it goes on to the next action in your design.
		Next Loop	Use the Next Loop action when, during the loop iteration, the flow encounters a false outcome and you want it to continue to the next iteration.
		Exit Loop	Use this action inside a Loop action and end and exit the current loop, and to continue flow execution by moving to the following action.
	Send Response	Send Response	Configure a message and return it to a recipient.
	Change State	Change State	Jumps the process directly to the beginning of a different state without any intervening steps.
	Call Task	Call Task	Call another task. When the called task completes, the configured output path determines how flow execution continues.
	Transfer to ACD	Transfer to ACD	Transfers a message into a queuing system.
	Wait	Wait	Pauses the message process for a duration or until a time that you specify.