Side Conversation - Notification of Existing Side Conversation Required in Context Panel

Executive Summary
With the recent upgrade to Zendesk's side conversation context panel, a critical functionality has been lost—the clear notification that a ticket has side conversations. This change impacts workflow efficiency and risks critical information being overlooked. Side conversations often contain essential details exchanged with programmers and external partners, making it crucial for agents to have immediate visibility into their existence. This business case outlines the current issue, its impact, and a proposed solution to restore and enhance productivity.

Background
Zendesk recently upgraded to a new side conversation context panel. Previously, when viewing a ticket, agents could easily identify if a ticket contained side conversations through an indicator in the ticket header. This feature provided immediate awareness of side conversations without requiring the agent to constantly monitor the context panel/have the context panel open.

In the upgraded version:

• No notification: There is no visible indication on the ticket interface when side conversations exist unless the context panel is open at all times (Please note, there is a notification if there is a new response).
• Workflow inefficiency: Agents must leave the context panel open, taking up valuable screen real estate, or risk missing side conversations that may hold critical information or have to click into the context panel when reviewing every ticket (inefficient).
• Business usage: Side conversations are used for communication with and between our programmers and external partners. While not all tickets have them, those that do often contain important data necessary for ticket resolution.

Problem Statement
The lack of a visible notification for side conversations introduces the following challenges:

1. Risk of Oversight: Critical details in side conversations can be missed, leading to delayed or incomplete ticket resolutions.
2. Reduced Efficiency: Agents must keep the context panel open unnecessarily, reducing available workspace and increasing cognitive load.
3. Impact on Collaboration: Missing side conversations could disrupt workflows with and between programmers and external partners, potentially leading to errors or miscommunication.

Proposed Solution
To address these issues, we propose the following enhancements:

1. Notification Indicator: Add a notification badge or number to the side conversation icon on the context panel, indicating the number of side conversations associated with the ticket. This restores the functionality previously available and ensures agents are immediately aware of their presence.

Benefits of the Proposed Solution

1. Improved Awareness: Agents can quickly identify tickets with side conversations without keeping the context panel open, reducing the risk of missing important information.
2. Enhanced Workflow Efficiency: By minimizing the need for an always-open context panel, agents can make better use of screen space and focus on resolving tickets.
3. Better Collaboration: Ensures seamless communication with programmers and external partners, improving ticket resolution times and accuracy.
4. User Satisfaction: Restoring this functionality would align with agent expectations, ensuring a smoother transition to the upgraded interface.