# Departments

Maintain translated department choices and optional bot context actions, and use channels and teams to route conversations to suitable operators.

*Release 3.3 · admin, operator, supervisor, visitor*

**Settings › Chat › Departments** · **Settings › Channel** · **Settings › Teams**

## What it is

**Departments** are named choices that identify the area a visitor wants to contact. Each department can have translated names and optional actions that change a bot's conversation context. Channels control floor membership and routing, while teams group operators. Creating a department alone does not create a queue or assign a team.

## Who uses it and why

- Administrators maintain department names, translations, optional bot context actions, channel conditions and team membership.
- Supervisors review routing and operator access when work is not reaching the intended people.
- Operators receive eligible conversations and transfer work to permitted destinations.
- Visitors choose a department where the chat experience offers one.

## Where to find it

Use **Settings › Chat › Departments** for department names and **Contexts**, **Settings › Channel** for routing controls, and **Settings › Teams** for teams. Manage individual operator access in **Settings › Account › Operators**.

The **Settings** role grants department and channel configuration access when **Departments** or **Settings › Channel** is allowed in **Settings Permissions**. **View Only** prevents changes. The **Manager** role can change operator channel settings when **Edit Operator Channel Settings** is allowed and **View Only** is off.

## How it works

1. Where the visitor experience offers department selection, the visitor chooses an area to contact. That department and other visitor details provide routing context. The department can also apply its configured bot context actions.
2. Channel conditions identify the relevant floor and eligible work. Conditions and schedules can change eligibility over time.
3. INSIDE checks operator permissions, skills, platform capability, availability and capacity.
4. INSIDE orders eligible operators according to the assignment policy and any applicable team, chat-link or preference for the operator who previously postponed the conversation.
5. Operators receive assigned conversations, accept broadcast offers or pick up waiting work manually, according to the channel settings. Work that cannot be assigned remains waiting.

Operators can transfer conversations to permitted destinations. Supervisors investigating unexpected routing should check channel conditions and schedules, operator access, skills, availability and capacity, then any explicit destination restrictions.

The department list displays the preferred-language name, falling back to English and then another populated translation. Saving fills a missing English name from the website language where available.

## Configure it

With the **Settings** role and permission to make changes:

1. Ask Powerfront to set up the supported languages you need in **Settings › General Settings › Supported Languages** before entering translations.
2. Open **Settings › Chat › Departments** and choose **New**, or open an existing department.
3. Enter **Department name** in the default language tab, then add names in the other supported language tabs.
4. If needed, use the plus control under **Contexts** to add an action. Choose **Select Bot**, **Select Context**, then **add**, **remove** or **set to**. New rows default to **add**. Use the row's delete control to remove an action.
5. Choose **Save**, then configure the visitor's department selector separately in the chat entry experience.

No context actions are configured by default. New rows start with no bot or context selected. For each row with a selected bot, select a context and an operation.

In **Settings › Channel**, configure visitor conditions and availability. **Managed channel** is off by default. When on, it creates separate operator floors and splits visitors and chats between them. Its **Mode** starts at **Default (mixed)** in the new-channel editor; you can choose **Proactive Only** or **Reactive Only**. **Enforce filter criteria** is off by default. When on, it removes visitors who stop matching the conditions, while active chats remain. **Restricted Availability** is also off by default; enabling it disables the queue when operators have limited availability.

For manual pickup, enable **Disable Auto Assignment** and choose **Disabled Platforms** if only some platforms need it. With no platforms selected, it applies to all platforms. For proximity routing, enable **Closest Team Location** and choose **Team** to restrict the teams considered; leaving it blank considers all teams. Both switches start off in the new-channel editor. Maintain team membership and locations in **Settings › Teams**, and give operators the necessary website, channel and subsite access.

For platform-specific availability, enable **Omnichannel Availability Control** and save the intended **Allowed Statuses**. The editor initially selects all configured statuses, but a missing or empty saved list offers none. **External Availability Control** lets an external system control availability instead. Both controls start off in the new-channel editor. Where Salesforce is integrated, **Salesforce Enable Omni Channel** is off by default, with no **Salesforce Statuses** or **Salesforce Limited Statuses** mapped. Ask Powerfront to change the Salesforce integration setup for you.

Powerfront can change **Operator Assignment Priority** for you in **Settings › General Settings › Admin**. Its default is **Most Available**; **Most Skills Matched** favours matched skills when ordering eligible operators.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contexts | Settings › Chat › Departments | department | Not set | Settings role | Adds, removes or sets selected bot contexts when a department is applied. No context changes are configured when unset. |
| Select Bot | Settings › Chat › Departments | department | Not set | Settings role | Selects the bot for a context action. No bot is selected when unset. |
| Select Context | Settings › Chat › Departments | department | Not set | Settings role | Selects the context to add, remove or set. Complete this selection for each row with a selected bot. |
| Context operation | Settings › Chat › Departments | department | add for a new context row | Settings role | Chooses add, remove or set to for the selected bot context when the department is selected. |
| Managed channel | Settings › Channel | channel | Off |  | Creates separate operator floors within the channel and automatically splits visitors and chats between them. |
| Mode | Settings › Channel | channel | Default (mixed) in the new-channel editor |  | Selects mixed, Proactive Only or Reactive Only operation for this channel. |
| Enforce filter criteria | Settings › Channel | channel | Off |  | Removes visitors when they no longer meet the channel conditions. When off, visitors can remain after entering. Active chats remain in either case. |
| Restricted Availability | Settings › Channel | channel | Off |  | Disables the queue when operators have limited availability. |
| Conversation Snooping | Settings › Channel | channel | On in the new-channel editor |  | Controls ordinary visibility of conversations assigned to another operator on an unmanaged floor. |
| Disable Auto Assignment | Settings › Channel | channel | Off in the new-channel editor |  | Requires manual pickup for the selected platforms in this channel and turns off Broadcast for Acceptance. |
| Disabled Platforms | Settings › Channel | channel | Not set |  | Selects platforms excluded from automatic assignment; an empty selection applies the exclusion to all platforms when Disable Auto Assignment is on. |
| Closest Team Location | Settings › Channel | channel | Off in the new-channel editor |  | Uses team proximity in this channel's routing. |
| Team | Settings › Channel | channel | Not set |  | Restricts Closest Team Location routing to selected teams. With no selection, all teams are considered. |
| Omnichannel Availability Control | Settings › Channel | channel | Off in the new-channel editor |  | Uses configured omnichannel statuses to control availability. |
| Allowed Statuses | Settings › Channel | channel | All configured statuses in the editor |  | Selects the omnichannel statuses permitted by this channel. The editor initially selects all configured statuses; an empty or missing saved list offers no statuses. |
| External Availability Control | Settings › Channel | channel | Off in the new-channel editor |  | Lets an external system control operator availability in this channel. Operators cannot become available directly in INSIDE while it is on. |
| Salesforce Enable Omni Channel | Settings › Channel | channel | Off |  | Enables Salesforce Omni-Channel handling where the integration is available. |
| Salesforce Statuses | Settings › Channel | channel | Not set |  | Maps Salesforce statuses for channel availability. No statuses are mapped when unset. |
| Salesforce Limited Statuses | Settings › Channel | channel | Not set |  | Maps Salesforce statuses to limited availability. No statuses are mapped when unset. |
| Operator Assignment Priority | Settings › General Settings › Admin | website | Most Available | Powerfront, on request | Chooses Most Available or Most Skills Matched for ordinary candidate ordering. |

### Fields

| Field | Where | Required | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department name | Settings › Chat › Departments | Yes | Names the department in the default and supported language tabs. The default-tab name is required. |
| Channel Name | Settings › Channel | Yes | Names the channel being configured. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Settings | Manage departments and channels when the corresponding Settings Permissions allow changes. |
| Settings › Channel | Access channel configuration through the Settings role, subject to View Only. |
| Departments | Access department configuration through the Settings role, subject to View Only. |
| Edit Operator Channel Settings | Allows the Manager role to change operator channel settings, subject to View Only. |

## Limits and good to know

- **Broadcast for Acceptance** and **Disable Auto Assignment** are mutually exclusive in the channel editor.
- Explicit operator or team restrictions can take precedence over ordinary channel and skill matching.
- **Conversation Snooping** starts on in the new-channel editor. Turning it off hides ordinary conversations assigned to another operator on unmanaged floors. Tickets, virtual assistant work and operators with the **Manager** role have exceptions.
- **Omnichannel Availability Control**, **External Availability Control** and **Salesforce Enable Omni Channel** are mutually exclusive in the editor. External or Salesforce availability can affect operator eligibility and available floor actions. With external control on, operators cannot become available directly in INSIDE.
- A department selected outside pre-chat may be reset when chat ends.
- The default-tab department name is required. The editor rejects a name matching an existing displayed department name, ignoring letter case.
- You can configure several context actions, but only one **set to** action per bot in each department.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Requires** Website accounts (managed by Powerfront): Departments belong to a website account.
- **Configured in** Admin settings and feature switches (managed by Powerfront): Admin settings select whether assignment favours available capacity or matched skills.
- **Configured in** [Roles and permissions](ADM-008.md): Role permissions govern administration and delegated changes.
- **Configured in** [Website, channel and subsite access](ADM-009.md): Operator website, channel and subsite grants constrain access.
- **Configured in** [Teams](ADM-013.md): Team membership and location support team routing.
- **Configured in** [Supported languages](ADM-022.md): Supported languages determine the department name translations available in the editor. Powerfront manages the supported language list.
- **Configured in** [Chat limits and wind-down](CHAT-008.md): Operator capacity and availability affect assignment.
- **Configured in** [Visitor event targeting conditions](ENG-002.md): Visitor conditions supply channel and skill matching criteria.
- **Configured in** [Visitor event and bot schedules](ENG-003.md): Channel schedules restrict when visitors satisfy the channel's routing conditions.
- **Works better with** [Chat queue](CHAT-005.md): Work waits in queues when it cannot be assigned immediately.
- **Works better with** [Skillsets and skills-based routing](CHAT-007.md): Optional skill rules further restrict and rank operators eligible for routing.
- **Works better with** [Broadcast for acceptance](CHAT-009.md): Channels can offer work for acceptance instead of assigning directly.
- **Works better with** [Chat links](CHAT-030.md): Chat links can favour particular operators, teams or channels.
- **Works better with** [Salesforce connection and operator setup](CRM-010.md): Salesforce availability can influence eligible operators when integrated.
- **Works better with** [Custom bots and FAQ bots](ENG-020.md): Optional department context actions use configured bots.
- **Works better with** [Department selection before chat](VX-009.md): Configure the visitor department selector separately to display the department choices.

### Used by

- **Required by** [Department selection before chat](VX-009.md): Configured departments supply the names and optional bot context actions offered by the selector.
- **Configures** [Operator availability status](CON-002.md): Channel settings choose omnichannel, external or Salesforce availability control and the statuses offered.
- **Configures** [Live visitor and operator floor](CON-006.md): Channel conditions and managed-channel settings determine floor membership and visibility.
- **Configures** [Chat queue](CHAT-005.md): Channel and team routing determine which operators can serve waiting work.
- **Configures** [Skillsets and skills-based routing](CHAT-007.md): Channel routing controls where skill-matched conversations can be assigned.
- **Configures** [Broadcast for acceptance](CHAT-009.md): Channel configuration selects acceptance mode and routing recipients.
- **Configures** [Transferring conversations](CHAT-010.md): Channel, team, platform and subsite routing constrain destinations.
- **Configures** [Taking and pinning conversations](CHAT-011.md): Channel, platform and access rules govern pickup and visibility.
- **Configures** [Postponing conversations](CHAT-012.md): Channel routing determines eligible recipients when postponed work returns for service.
- **Configures** [Operator reminders](CHAT-013.md): Channel availability controls can prevent a reminder from restoring a visitor to the floor.
- **Configures** [Team chat](CHAT-027.md): Channel messages use the operator's channel group.
- **Configures** [Chat links](CHAT-030.md): Channel routing and date filters control recipient eligibility for live-chat links.
- **Configures** [Chat links for visitors](VX-024.md): Channel schedules restrict link availability when channel date filters are enforced.
- **Configures** [Proactive chat invitations](ENG-004.md): Department definitions supply the department applied to conversations started by the event.
- **Configures** [Virtual Assistant task pauses and handover](ENG-015.md): Channel routing and availability controls determine the human destinations available for handover.
- **Configures** [Virtual Assistant task actions](ENG-016.md): Department definitions supply the department selected by Set Department actions.
- **Configures** [Email event rules and actions](ENG-022.md): Channel routing and availability settings determine eligible destinations for automatic transfers.
- **Configures** [Task notes and operator reminders](ENG-024.md): Channel availability controls affect whether the visitor is brought to the floor.
- **Configures** [Messaging conversations](CHN-002.md): Channel conditions and assignment settings determine which operators receive messaging conversations.
- **Configures** [Email ticket handling and statuses](CHN-026.md): Channel conditions and platform assignment settings control automatic ticket routing.
- **Configures** [Ticket sources and email event automation](CHN-032.md): Transfer actions use the channels configured in Settings > Channel.
- **Configures** [Voice queue and call offers](RTC-003.md): Channel platform, assignment and availability settings affect which operators receive voice offers.
- **Configures** [Operator telephone audio setup](RTC-004.md): Channel platform settings determine whether an operator is in a voice-enabled channel.
- **Configures** [Telephone call transfers](RTC-007.md): Channel routing settings affect the destinations available for telephone transfers.
- **Configures** [Team comparison reports](REP-005.md): Department and routing-channel settings define the corresponding report groups.
- **Configures** [Website, channel and subsite access](ADM-009.md): Floor channel definitions supply the channel choices and an Allowed Operators list for maintaining assignments.
- **Configures** [Importing and exporting operators](ADM-012.md): The floor channel catalogue determines which imported channel assignments are valid.
- **Related** [Teams](ADM-013.md): Configure channel routing separately when conversations should reach a particular team.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Does a department automatically create a queue or team?

No. A department supplies context. Configure teams, channel conditions, routing restrictions and the visitor intake form separately.

### Why can an operator see visitors but receive no conversations?

Check automatic assignment, the selected platforms, skills, capacity, availability and subsite permissions.

### Why did enabling manual pickup turn off broadcasts?

**Disable Auto Assignment** and **Broadcast for Acceptance** select different handling modes. The editor prevents both being on together.

### Why did a conversation go to a different team?

Check explicit transfer restrictions, closest-team routing, chat-link destinations and fallback eligibility.

### Why will the department not save?

Enter a name in the default tab, check for an existing displayed name and complete the context and operation for each row with a selected bot.

### Why is the name displayed in another language?

The list falls back to English and then another populated translation when the preferred name is missing. Check the department's language tabs.

### Why are multiple set to actions rejected?

A department permits only one **set to** action for each bot. Remove the conflicting row.

### Why can I only view departments?

Department editing requires the **Settings** role, **Departments** access and **View Only** switched off in **Settings Permissions**.