Introduction to the Chat dashboard

This article provides an overview of the Chat dashboard and navigation menu, which allows agents to configure their Chat settings, view relevant information, and access the Chat window.

Note: The information in this article applies to agents on Chat accounts using the classic dashboard. If you are on a Chat + Support account using the Agent Workspace, see Using the Chat dashboard with the Zendesk Agent Workspace.

This article includes the following sections:

• Overview of the Chat dashboard
• The sidebar menu

Overview of the Chat dashboard

When you open Zendesk Chat, the Chat dashboard appears. The interface has the following sections:

• The sidebar menu, the area down the left side of the interface, with navigation buttons to major features.
• The main window, where the page or feature selected in the sidebar is displayed.

The sidebar menu

The sidebar menu runs down the left side of the Chat dashboard. It includes a number of options and icons to navigate you to major feature areas, or configure settings. Clicking a menu icon or option opens the related page in the dashboard's main window.

Note: The options displayed in the sidebar may vary depending on your permissions.

Table 1. Chat sidebar icons

Icon	Feature
	The Chat icon at the top of the sidebar displays the copyright information related to your Chat installation.
	The Availability menu displays your current availability setting, and allows you to change your availability. See Configuring your chat availability settings for more information.
	The Home icon displays an analytics overview, as well as links to commonly-used sections.
	The Visitors icon displays the Visitors activity page, which shows real-time information on current visitors to your site. See Browsing your site's visitors for more information.
	The History icon displays details about your visitors and chats. See Browsing past chats in History for more information.
	The Analytics icon displays a reports on your chat and agent activity. See Monitoring chat activity with analytics for more information.
	The Monitor icon displays real-time metrics about chat volume, agent performance, and visitor experience. See Monitoring real-time chat metrics for more information.
	The Settings icon expands to display a number of menu options related to your Chat settings: Agents and Departments display management pages for your agents and departments. Agents are unlikely to have permission to configure these pages. See Creating agents and departments in Chat for more information. Roles displays the management page for custom and default roles. Agents are unlikely to have permission to configure this page. See Creating custom Chat roles and assigning users for more information. Routing displays the page for configuring chat routing rules. Agents are unlikely to have permission to configure this page. See Setting up chat routing for more information. Shortcuts displays the page for viewing and creating your shortcuts. See Inserting common phrases with shortcuts for more information. Banned displays the management page for banned visitors. See Banning visitors from accessing Chat for more information. Triggers displays the management page for viewing and creating triggers. Agents are unlikely to have permission to create or edit triggers. See Working with Chat triggers for more information. Goals displays the management page for conversion tracking, a method for monitoring which customers perform certain actions post-chat. See Measuring business goals with conversion tracking for more information. Widget displays management pages for configuring a number of widget settings, including appearance options, security settings, and more. Agents are unlikely to have permission to configure these settings. Personal displays management pages for configuring a number of personal settings, including profile information, notification settings, and more. The pages available here are determined by your Chat account. See Editing your personal settings in Zendesk Chat Standalone accounts or Editing your personal settings in Zendesk Chat + Support accounts for more information. Account displays management pages related to your Zendesk account. Agents are unlikely to have permission to configure these settings.
	The Team icon expands to display your options for viewing team information. Agents are likely limited to viewing which agents and departments are signed in to Chat.
	The Serve chat button displays the Chat window when a chat is in the queue. See Serving chats in the Chat dashboard for more information.