The conversations console

Chat is different from tickets in one important way: the person is there now. The console is built around that — it is a live queue rather than a backlog.

The other thing to understand is when a conversation should stop being a conversation and become a ticket.

Who this is for

Anyone answering live chat.

Before you start

• The chat widget installed and running on your site.
• Permission to read and reply to conversations.

Chat is synchronous; tickets are not
A chat works while the visitor is on the page. The moment the answer needs research, another team, or a reply tomorrow, the conversation has outgrown chat — turn it into a ticket so it has an owner, a status and an SLA. Leaving a long-running problem in chat is how it gets lost when the visitor closes the tab.

Work the console

1. Watch the queue
   Incoming conversations appear as they start. Speed matters more here than anywhere else in support, because the visitor is waiting on the page.
2. Pick one up and identify yourself
   Answer as a person. A named human replying is the entire advantage chat has over a contact form.
3. Use the visitor context
   The console shows what it knows about the visitor. Reading it before you answer avoids asking questions the system already has answers to.
4. Raise a ticket when it will outlive the chat
   If the answer needs work you cannot do now, convert it to a ticket. The customer gets a reference and the work gets an owner instead of ending when they close the tab.
5. Link the conversation to the CRM record
   Tying the chat to the contact or company means the next person to open that record sees it, rather than the conversation living only in the console.
6. Close conversations you have finished
   An open conversation reads as ongoing to whoever looks at the queue next. Close it when it is done.

What you get

• A live queue where waiting visitors are visible.
• Context about the visitor before you have to ask.
• A clean escalation route from chat to a tracked ticket.
• Conversations attached to the customer record rather than stranded in the console.

Frequently asked questions

When should a chat become a ticket?

As soon as the answer will not happen in this session — anything needing research, another team, or a reply later. That gives it an owner and a status instead of it ending when the visitor leaves.

What happens if nobody answers a chat?

The visitor is left waiting, which is worse than not offering chat. If you cannot cover it reliably, set expectations in the welcome message or use the widget only during hours you can staff.

Does a chat conversation show on the contact's record?

It does when the conversation is linked to the CRM record, which is what keeps it visible to colleagues outside the console.

Can a workflow create a ticket from a conversation?

Yes. There is a create-ticket action available to workflows, so an automation can open a ticket rather than relying on an agent to remember.