Workstreams Overview – part 2 – Dynamics 365 Customer Service / Omnichannel


Continuing the previous post, let us now delve deeper into the different options inside each of the workstream types.

Let us first create a workstream of type MessagingChat (Persistent) with work distribution mode as Push, and check the various configuration to be done for it.

We are presented with 5 main sections –

  1. Live Chat (setup).
  2. Routing Rules – Work classification and Route to queues.
  3. Work Distribution.
  4. Bot.
  5. Advanced Settings

In the case of work distribution as Pick the only change is in the mode displayed, the rest of the settings remains the same.

The Advance settings section has the following sections –

  1. Sessions
  2. Agent Notifications
  3. Context Variables
  4. Smart Assist Bots
  5. Quick Replies

These sections remain the same for other Channels as well – Apple Message for Business, Chat, Custom, Facebook, Google’s Business Messages, LINE, Microsoft Teams, SMS, Twitter, WeChat, and WhatsApp.

Only in the case of Chat, if we uncheck
Make Chats Persistent, we do not get the option of Auto Close after Inactivity and Keep same agent for entire conversation as those options apply specifically to the persistent chat.

  • Now let us create a workstream of type Record and see the options there.

  • Here we can see the options to specify the Intake rules instead of setting up the channel.
  • The routing rules section remains the same.
  • Work distribution doesn’t have the option of Auto Close after Inactivity and Keep same agent for the entire conversation. This is because here we routing the record and do not have any conversation with the customer.
  • The bot is also not available for record-type workstreams.

For Advanced Settings, we only have the option of Sessions and Agent notifications.

The other sections Context Variables, Smart assist bots, and Quick replies are not available that we saw for messaging type workstream, considering we are not having any conversation here.

  • Now let us check for the Voice type of workstream.

  • Here we get the same options as we have for workstream type messaging except Auto Close after Inactivity and Keep same agent for entire conversation, as expected.

And in advanced settings, the only difference when compared to the messaging channel is that there is no section for quick replies.

In a nutshell,

Settings / Options  

Messaging 

Record 

Voice 

Description

Options

Setup up channel 

Intake Rules 

Setup Voice

Set up the corresponding channels or intake rules.

Routing Rules 

       

Work Classification

(optional) 

Y 

Y 

Y 

Work classification allows us to define conditions and add additional information as output attributes for optimum assignment of the work item.

It can be based on Logical rules or Machine Learning models.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-service/configure-work-classification


Route to queues 

Y 

Y 

Y 

In Routing Rules we can define conditions/rules which when matched, route the incoming work item to the queue. If no rules match fallback queue will be used.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-service/configure-route-to-queue-rules


Work distribution 

       

Auto-close after inactivity 

Y *

N 

N 

We can define the period in minutes (days), after which the inactive conversation will be moved to the closed state.

Work distribution mode 

Y 

Y 

Y 

Push or Pick as defined while creating the workstream. Cannot be edited.

Capacity 

Y 

Y 

Y 

Can be either Unit or Profile based

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-service/capacity-profiles

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-service/capacity-profiles?tabs=customerservicehub#multiple-capacity-profiles-in-a-single-workstream

Block capacity for wrap up 

Y 

Y 

Y 

By default – Always Block. We can specify Don’t block or from 1 minute to 60 minutes, the duration for which agent capacity is blocked while the conversation is in Wrap Up state.


If we select Don’t block, the agent’s capacity will be immediately released when Conversation moves to Wrap State.

Doesn’t apply i.e. capacity won’t reset for End of day capacity profile.


Allowed presences 

Y 

Y 

Y 

The presence values, which agent can be assigned. Out of the box we have Available, Busy, Busy – DND, Away.

We can also define custom presence – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-service/presence-custom-presence


Default skill matching algorithm 

Y 

Y 

Y 

None, Exact Match, Closet Match.

Keep same agent for entire conversation

Y*

N 

N 

If we want the conversation to be assigned to the originally assigned agent when re-initiated after some time

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-service/create-workstreams?tabs=customerserviceadmincenter#agent-affinity


Only available for Push type work distribution.

Bot (optional)

Y 

N

Y 

This option allows adding a bot to the workstream.

All incoming work items will be routed to the bot first.


Only available for Push type work distribution.

Advanced Settings 

       

Sessions

Y 

Y

Y 

We can use out of the box template defined or create our own session template to be used.

Within the session template, we can define

  • The mode of the Communication Panel – Docked, Hidden, Minimized.
  • The application is to be opened in the Anchor tab.
  • Additional tabs to be opened.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/app-profile-manager/session-templates?tabs=customerserviceadmincenter


Agent Notifications

Y 

Y 

Y

We can use the out-of-the-box notification templates defined or can create our notification template.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/app-profile-manager/notification-templates?tabs=customerserviceadmincenter#out-of-the-box-notification-templates


Context Variables

Y 

N 

Y 

We can define context variables of type Text or Number, which can be used in macros and agent scripts and can also be used in routing rules.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-service/manage-context-variables?tabs=customerserviceadmincenter

Smart assit bots

Y 

N 

Y 

We can configure Bot to provide smart assist suggestions to the agents.

Quick Replies

Y 

N 

N 

These are predefined messages, that agents can use to quickly respond to the customers.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-service/create-quick-replies

*not available for non-persistent chat.

In the next posts, we’d delve deeper into each of the options.

Hope it helps..

Advertisements

Workstreams Overview – part 1 – Dynamics 365 Customer Service / Omnichannel


Workstreams can be defined as records or settings, where we can set up the channel, and define routing rules, work distribution, and bots to route work items to the appropriate queue/agents.

Workstream can be of 3 different types – Messaging, Record, and Voice.

For Messaging we can specify the below channels – Apple messages for business, Chat, Custom, Facebook, Google’s Business Messages, LINE, SMS, Twitter, WeChat, and WhatsApp.

  • For Messaging Type as Channel, we can specify Work Distribution Mode as either Push or Pick.

We also need to specify a Fallback Queue, this Queue will be used if no matching queues are found based on the routing rules.

In the case of the Chat channel, we have the option of making chats persistent, so any new messages from the customer will be routed to the same queue and same agent if available or the next best agent.

For all other channel types, we have the same Work Distribution mode and Fallback queue option.

  • For the workstream type as Record, we can select the entities with queues enabled. The remaining option of work distribution mode and fallback queue remains the same.

For the record routing to work, we need to make sure Unified Routing is switched on in the environment.

And the entity is enabled for record routing.

  • For the workstream type as Voice, we have the voice channel selected as default and disabled.

The only difference is in the distribution mode, where we do not have the option of Pick.

In a nutshell –

Workstream Type 

Channel 

Additional Information 

Messaging 

Apple Message for Business, Chat, Custom, Facebook, Google’s Business Messages, LINE, Microsoft Teams, SMS, Twitter, WeChat, WhatsApp 

For Chat, we have an additional option to make chats persistent.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-service/persistent-chat

Push and Pick – Work distribution mode. 

Record 

Entities With Queue and Record Routing enabled

Push and Pick – Work distribution mode 

Voice 

Voice Call (default / disabled) 

Only Push distribution mode. 

In coming blog posts we’d delve deep into the workstreams configuration.

Hope it helps..

Advertisements