Skillsets and skills-based routing
Define routing skills and visitor conditions, assign skills to operators and match conversations to eligible operators.
What it is
Skillsets defines the skills INSIDE uses to match visitors and conversations to suitable operators. Required matching rules decide who is eligible. Skill priorities can then help rank the operators who qualify.
Who uses it and why
- As an operator, you receive matching work and can choose a skill when transferring a conversation.
- As a supervisor, you review skill coverage and assign skills to operators when you have permission.
- As an administrator with the Settings role, you maintain skills, visitor conditions and matching rules.
Where to find it
Open Settings › Account › Skillsets to view the catalogue. Select a skill's Operators Count to open its Operators List. You can also assign skills through an operator's website-specific Skills selection in Settings › Account › Operators.
During a transfer, use Skills in the transfer window to see skill destinations.
The Settings role needs the Skillsets permission for catalogue access. Delegated managers can access Skillsets and change operator assignments with Edit Operator Skills. View Only restricts editing.
How it works
- Visitor conditions and any timed conditions determine which skills apply to a visitor.
- INSIDE compares the visitor's required skills with the operator's assigned skills. Operators Must Have Same Skills as Visitors requires a matching operator skill. Visitors Must Have Same Skills as Operators requires a matching visitor skill for an operator who holds that required skill.
- One shared skill can satisfy a required category. Different required categories can impose separate requirements.
- INSIDE applies the website's assignment policy to eligible operators. The priorities of shared skills add to a matching score, which can influence the assignment order.
As an operator, you can use the transfer Skills list to see available counts and operator names for a skill. Platform, subsite, availability and capacity rules still apply. A matching skill alone does not mean an operator can take the conversation.
As a supervisor, review the operators assigned to each skill to identify gaps in coverage. A timed condition can remove a skill from a visitor while an operator still holds it. If Visitors Must Have Same Skills as Operators is on, that visitor may stop matching the operator.
Configure it
- With the Settings role and Skillsets permission, open Settings › Account › Skillsets and choose New.
- Enter Name and, if useful, Category. A category affects matching as well as how skills are grouped.
- Set both matching-direction switches deliberately. Both default to off for a new skill. Set Priority to a whole number of zero or greater; a new skill starts at 1.
- Add visitor conditions in the condition area. You must provide at least one condition to save.
- For a schedule, use Add beside Dates under Additional filters. Each row can contain date limits, Day of the week, and daily From and To times. These use the website timezone shown on the screen, set in Settings › General Settings › Regional Settings. No timed conditions are set initially, and leaving weekdays unselected adds no weekday restriction. Remove an unused empty row before saving. When you set both daily times, To must be later than From.
- Choose Save, then assign the skill to the intended operators through their website-specific Skills selection. You can also add or remove operators in the skill's Operators List with Edit Operator Skills, provided View Only does not restrict editing. A new skill has no operator assignments.
Controlled by Salesforce Omni Channel Status defaults to off and appears only when Salesforce is enabled for the website. Turning it on makes the skill available for Salesforce Omni-Channel status mapping. Ask Powerfront to configure the Salesforce connection and mapping before using it.
Powerfront can change Operator Assignment Priority for you. Its default is Most Available. Most Skills Matched gives the matching score an earlier place in the assignment order. Both policies still apply other routing and availability checks.
Settings
| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operators Must Have Same Skills as Visitors | Settings › Account › Skillsets | website | Off in the new-skill editor | Settings role, Edit Operator Skills role | Requires an operator skill match when the visitor has this required skill; one shared skill per required category can suffice. |
| Visitors Must Have Same Skills as Operators | Settings › Account › Skillsets | website | Off in the new-skill editor | Settings role, Edit Operator Skills role | Requires a visitor skill match when the operator has this required skill; one shared skill per required category can suffice. |
| Priority | Settings › Account › Skillsets | website | 1 in the new-skill editor | Settings role, Edit Operator Skills role | Sets the non-negative score added for this skill when it matches, used to rank eligible operators. |
| Controlled by Salesforce Omni Channel Status | Settings › Account › Skillsets | website | Off in the new-skill editor | Settings role, Edit Operator Skills role | Makes the skill available for Salesforce Omni-Channel status mapping when Salesforce is enabled for the website. |
| Operators Count | Settings › Account › Skillsets | website | No operators assigned to a new skill | Settings role, Edit Operator Skills role | Opens the skill's operator list to review assignments and, with permission, add or remove operators. |
| Dates | Settings › Account › Skillsets | website | Not set | Settings role, Edit Operator Skills role | Adds timed conditions to the skill through Additional filters. |
| From | Settings › Account › Skillsets | website | Not set | Settings role, Edit Operator Skills role | Sets the start date or daily start time in a timed condition under Dates. |
| To | Settings › Account › Skillsets | website | Not set | Settings role, Edit Operator Skills role | Sets the end date or daily end time in a timed condition under Dates. |
| Day of the week | Settings › Account › Skillsets | website | Not set: no weekday restriction | Settings role, Edit Operator Skills role | Selects the weekdays on which a timed condition under Dates applies. |
| Operator Assignment Priority | Settings › General Settings › Admin | website | Most Available | Powerfront | Selects how availability and matched skill scores influence the order of eligible operators; Most Skills Matched gives the score an earlier place in that order. |
Fields
| Field | Where | Required | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Settings › Account › Skillsets | Yes | Names the routing skill, with a 50-character editor limit. |
| Category | Settings › Account › Skillsets | No | Groups skills for matching as well as display, with a 50-character editor limit. |
Permissions
| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Settings | Access skill catalogue administration when the Skillsets permission is allowed, subject to View Only. |
| Skillsets | Allows the Skillsets section for the Settings role. |
| Manager | Access operator administration; Edit Operator Skills allows delegated skill assignment changes, subject to View Only. |
| Edit Operator Skills | Allows delegated managers to access Skillsets and edit operator skill assignments. |
| View Only | Restricts editing under the Settings or Manager role when enabled. |
Limits and good to know
- Name is required. Name and Category each have a 50-character editor limit.
- New skills are checked for an existing name and category combination without regard to case.
- Skill priority and conversation priority serve different purposes. Raising a skill's Priority does not bypass required matching rules or other routing restrictions.
- Deletion is blocked while a skill is assigned to active operators or used by live visitors or conversations, including transfer requirements. Remove those uses before trying again.
- Routing Skillsets and reusable AI skills are separate catalogues.
Depends on and works with
+2 more · this feature uses
- Visitor event targeting conditionsConfigured by
Visitor conditions determine which skills match a visitor.
- Visitor event and bot schedulesConfigured by
Skill time filters can add or remove eligibility as schedules change.
+8 more · used by
- Voice queue and call offersConfigured by
Operator eligibility also follows routing and skill rules.
- Telephone call transfersEnhances
The transfer picker can find recipients by skill.
- Team comparison reportsConfigured by
Skillsets supply skill groups.
- Service Overview dashboardConfigured by
Skill definitions determine the groups available in the Skills dashboard.
- Availability Log for routing investigationsEnhances
Skill and routing information helps explain which operators could receive work.
- Website, channel and subsite accessConfigured by
Skillsets defines available skills and provides an Allowed Operators list for maintaining assignments.
- Operator templatesConfigured by
Template skill assignments must refer to skills in the selected website.
- Importing and exporting operatorsConfigured by
Imported skill assignments must match skills available in the website.
View all connections as a list
This feature uses
- Website accounts · managed by PowerfrontRequires
The routing skill catalogue belongs to a website.
- Website and regional settingsConfigured by
Timed skill conditions use the website timezone set in Regional Settings.
- Admin settings and feature switches · managed by PowerfrontConfigured by
Powerfront sets how matched skills influence operator assignment priority.
- Roles and permissionsConfigured by
Role permissions control skill catalogue access and delegated operator skill editing.
- Website, channel and subsite accessConfigured by
Each operator's website-specific Skills selection controls their routing skill assignments and other access restrictions.
- DepartmentsConfigured by
Channel routing controls where skill-matched conversations can be assigned.
- Chat limits and wind-downConfigured by
Matching a skill does not bypass capacity or availability checks.
- Salesforce connection and operator setupConfigured by
Salesforce Omni-Channel mapping can control skills marked for external status control.
- Visitor event targeting conditionsConfigured by
Visitor conditions determine which skills match a visitor.
- Visitor event and bot schedulesConfigured by
Skill time filters can add or remove eligibility as schedules change.
Used by
- Visitor flags and custom scoresEnhances
Skill routing lets permitted integration flag changes recalculate the skills used for assignment.
- Operator availability statusConfigured by
Omnichannel status choices change the skills used to route work.
- Chat queueConfigured by
Mandatory skill matching affects queue lanes and eligible operators.
- DepartmentsEnhances
Optional skill rules further restrict and rank operators eligible for routing.
- Broadcast for acceptanceConfigured by
Skill matching restricts eligible recipients.
- Transferring conversationsEnhances
Skills provide additional handover destinations.
- Visitor event targeting conditionsEnhances
Visitor skills can be used in filters.
- Virtual Assistant task actionsConfigured by
Skill rules determine routing recalculations after task actions change departments or tags.
- Voice queue and call offersConfigured by
Operator eligibility also follows routing and skill rules.
- Telephone call transfersEnhances
The transfer picker can find recipients by skill.
- Team comparison reportsConfigured by
Skillsets supply skill groups.
- Service Overview dashboardConfigured by
Skill definitions determine the groups available in the Skills dashboard.
- Availability Log for routing investigationsEnhances
Skill and routing information helps explain which operators could receive work.
- Website, channel and subsite accessConfigured by
Skillsets defines available skills and provides an Allowed Operators list for maintaining assignments.
- Operator templatesConfigured by
Template skill assignments must refer to skills in the selected website.
- Importing and exporting operatorsConfigured by
Imported skill assignments must match skills available in the website.
FAQ and troubleshooting
Why does an operator with the right skill receive no work?
Check both matching-direction switches, required categories, visitor conditions and timed conditions. Then check the operator's platform and subsite access, channel routing, availability and conversation capacity.
Does the operator need every skill in a category?
One shared skill can satisfy that required category. Separate required categories can still impose separate matching requirements.
Why can I not save a skill?
Enter a name, a whole-number Priority of zero or greater and at least one visitor condition. For a new skill, check for a duplicate name and category. Remove empty Dates rows and make sure any daily To time is later than From.
Why can I not delete a skill?
It may still be assigned to an active operator or used by a live visitor or conversation, including as a transfer requirement. The deletion message identifies the type of remaining use.
Why is the Salesforce option missing?
Controlled by Salesforce Omni Channel Status appears only when Salesforce is enabled for the website. Ask Powerfront to enable and configure the integration.
Why can I view skills but not change operator assignments?
Check Edit Operator Skills and View Only in the Manager permissions. The skill's Operators List requires the delegated editing permission. You can also manage assignments through the operator's website-specific Skills selection with the appropriate operator editing permissions.
Why does the list still show an old entry?
Reopen Skillsets to reload the catalogue.