Question
Why should I use live chat or messaging? Are messaging and live chat different products? Is live chat the same as messaging?
Answer
Your account purchases the Chat product and then can use communication channels like live chat or messaging. Admins can enable the messaging communication channel to allow agents and visitors to engage in messaging conversations instead of live chats.
Choose live chat or messaging based on the conversation experience you want to provide to your visitors and the workflows you desire for your agents.
Live chat |
Messaging |
Live chat offers real-time, session based and synchronous support for customers to receive 1:1 support from an agent on your website. |
Messaging conversations can occur in real time and across channels when necessary but can be picked back up without losing context or history. |
Live chat requires high involvement from both parties and has a beginning and an end. |
Messaging conversations can start and stop when convenient for the participants. |
In live chat, you route chats to departments (or agent groups if you use agent workspace), but cannot use omnichannel routing. |
In messaging, you route conversations to groups of agents, and can use omnichannel routing. |
For more information, see these articles:
10 comments
Mark Leci
The introducing messaging link on this page appears to be broken
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Viktor Osetrov
Yes, you are right. At this moment Introducing messaging article is available internally.
However, you can review the archived version of this article here.
Hope it helps and please accept our apologies for all inconvenience with that.
Thank you
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Dariana vielma
Is the messaging supporting initial message similar to
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Mike DR
For the meantime, these are the only available API codes for messaging: Core messaging Web Widget API
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Les Test Account
"Messaging conversations can occur in real time and across channels when necessary but can be picked back up without losing context or history. "
I wonder how we can enable the highlighted text? Hmm, currently, when Ticket A (via Messaging) needs a follow up via email (this will be Ticket B), it creates another Ticket number (Ticket B) instead of continuing the conversation from Ticket A.
Do we need to set a specific trigger so conversation in Ticket A is continuous without the need of creating another ticket for follow up? Thank you.
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Mark Leci
@lee - you would need to enable continuous conversations - https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408829095706-Allowing-customers-to-continue-their-conversation-over-email?page=2#comments.
The problem with this is that it's all or nothing. You can't force a new conversation if it's a totally new topic without using API custom code (at least this was the issue we ran into)
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Damon
How can I configure the settings so that Zendesk users on my end can see ongoing 'messages' without having a chat seat? Currently, only folks with a chat seat can see 'open' conversations, and others can only see that after the status has shifted to 'pending' or 'solved'.
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Christine Diego
Hi Damon,
Agents without chat entitlements can only view completed chat conversations in the agent workspace, not ongoing ones.
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Reshma Patel
Mark Leci can you share how you used custom code to start new conversations. We are going to run into the same issue.
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Steffi VanDooren
Hello, I cannot seem to access the following links:
Chat vs messaging - the admin & agent perspective 👨🏻💻
Chat vs. messaging - the customer's perspective 🗣
Is there any way I can access an explanation on the agent and customer perspective on chat vs messaging?
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