Claiming a new chat

When a patron submits a chat from a widget connected to a department you're monitoring, you'll receive a notification and see the new chat appear under the Chats tab. To reply to the patron, you must first claim the chat. There are a couple of ways you can do this:

Quickly claiming a chat

1. The quickest way to claim a chat is by clicking on its Claim Chat button under the Patron Chats list. This will launch the chat pane where you can start chatting with the patron.
   1. A timer displaying how much time has elapsed since the patron submitted the chat displays to the right of the button.

Previewing a chat before caiming:

1. Under Patron Chats, click on the patron's name to view the chat details.
2. ​Click on the Claim this Chat button.
   • If the chat has already been claimed, this button will not appear.
   • Instead, you'll see the name of the staff member chatting with that patron.

Sending messages

To start chatting with the patron: 

1. Enter your reply in the text box. As you write, the patron's chat widget will let them know that you are currently typing.
   1. Use the Message Patron / Internal Note button to toggle between the type of message to send.
      • Message Patron: sends the text you've input to the patron.
      • Internal Note: allows you to record a note that is displayed in the chat thread. Notes are visible only to you and are included in the text of the chat transcript.

This above tutorial provides an overview of how to claim and respond to a chat. There are many additional features you can use when responding to chats. To learn more about those. please visit this springshare page and scroll down to the additional features panel. The above website covers the following features and more:

• Inserting emojis
• Sending Files
• Using caned messages
• Adding an internal note
• Search for FAQs from your group
• Request contact info.
• Send appointment link
• Request a screenshare