Service levels and response timers
Measure response targets and use waiting timers to identify unanswered conversations.
What it is
Service levels compare response times with your configured targets. INSIDE measures business response and operator response separately, and also tracks whether a conversation is waiting for a reply.
Who uses it and why
Operators use waiting indicators to prioritise unanswered work. Supervisors review missed targets and queue pressure. Operators with the Settings role set website targets and decide when unanswered work should return to the queue. Powerfront sets messaging account targets for you.
Where to find it
Operators with the Settings role can change targets in Settings › General Settings › Website and the voice target in Settings › Voice › General Settings. Powerfront can change platform-specific targets in messaging account settings for you. Conversations includes a Business Service Level filter. Response and service-level results also appear in statistics and reports.
With the Settings role, configure requeue timeouts in Settings › Chat › Chat Pane, and automatic waiting messages in the theme's Be Right Back settings.
How it works
The business response measure includes the wait before an operator answers. For an ordinary reactive chat, it starts from the chat trigger or first visitor message. The operator response measure starts from assignment.
The first eligible human operator reply is used; bot replies do not count as that human response. For proactive chats, INSIDE considers the visitor's reply before the responding operator message, so the invitation itself is not the response being measured.
INSIDE records hit or miss results and feeds them into live statistics and reporting. The waiting timer is separate from the first-response target. It can change as the conversation continues to wait for another reply.
Where configured, eligible unanswered work returns to the queue. Automatic Be Right Back messages can reassure the visitor while they wait.
Configure it
With the Settings role, set website business, operator and workforce management targets in seconds. Zero disables the ordinary positive-target evaluation when no applicable account or conversation target overrides it. Ask Powerfront to review account-level targets for messaging channels, and ask an operator with the Settings role to review the separate voice target before comparing platforms.
With the Settings role, set desktop requeue delays in minutes and mobile response timeouts in seconds. Configure missed mobile broadcasts separately from the response timeout.
With the Settings role, enable Enable Automatic Be Right Back Messages, then set each message and its Minutes delay. Maintain language versions in the theme.
Settings
| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Service Level Target (secs) | Settings › General Settings › Integrations › messaging account | channel | 0 seconds, use the website target | Powerfront | Sets a messaging account's business response target, with website fallback where supported. |
| Operator Service Level Target (secs) | Settings › General Settings › Integrations › messaging account | channel | 0 seconds, use the website target | Powerfront | Sets a messaging account's operator response target, with website fallback where supported. |
| WFM Service Level Target (secs) | Settings › General Settings › Integrations › messaging account | channel | 0 seconds, use the website target | Powerfront | Sets a messaging account's workforce management target, with website fallback where supported. |
| Voice Business Service Level (secs) | Settings › Voice › General Settings | website | 0 seconds, disabled | Settings role | Sets the business answering target for voice calls. |
| Chat Business Service Level Target (secs) | Settings › General Settings › Website | website | 0, disabled | Settings role | Sets the business target for the first eligible human response to web chat. |
| Chat Operator Service Level Target (secs) | Settings › General Settings › Website | website | 0, disabled | Settings role | Sets the operator target measured from assignment for ordinary reactive chats. |
| Chat WFM Service Level Target (secs) | Settings › General Settings › Website | website | 0, disabled | Settings role | Sets the workforce management service-level target used by the relevant queue metrics. |
| Email WFM Service Level Target (secs) | Settings › General Settings › Website | website | 0, disabled | Settings role | Sets the separate workforce management target for email handling. |
| Unanswered chat to be transferred back to queue after (mins) | Settings › Chat › Chat Pane | website | 0, disabled | Settings role | Returns eligible unanswered desktop operator chats to the queue after the configured number of minutes. |
| Mobile Operator - Chat response timeout (secs) | Settings › Chat › Chat Pane | website | 0, disabled | Settings role | Sets the separate timeout in seconds for eligible mobile operator chats. |
| Mobile Operator - Auto unavailable on missed chats. | Settings › Chat › Chat Pane | website | 0, disabled | Settings role | Sets the missed-chat count at which a mobile operator becomes unavailable. |
| Mobile Operator - Count any missed broadcast as missed chat | Settings › Chat › Chat Pane | website | Off | Settings role | Counts a missed broadcast even if another operator later accepts it. |
| Enable Automatic Be Right Back Messages | Settings › Chat › Themes › General › Messages › Be Right Back | website | Off | Settings role | Sends configured automatic messages while the visitor waits for a response. |
| Be Right Back Message 1 | Settings › Chat › Themes › General › Messages › Be Right Back | website | Not set | Settings role | Sets the first localised waiting message. No automatic text is supplied until a message is configured. |
| Be Right Back Message 2 | Settings › Chat › Themes › General › Messages › Be Right Back | website | Not set | Settings role | Sets the second localised waiting message. No automatic text is supplied until a message is configured. |
| Be Right Back Message 3 | Settings › Chat › Themes › General › Messages › Be Right Back | website | Not set | Settings role | Sets the third localised waiting message. No automatic text is supplied until a message is configured. |
| Minutes | Settings › Chat › Themes › General › Messages › Be Right Back | website | Not set | Settings role | Sets the waiting delay separately for each Be Right Back message, with a minimum of one minute. No waiting delay is configured until a value is entered. |
Limits and good to know
- A business target and an operator target can produce different results because assignment happens after the visitor starts waiting.
- Waiting time and the last operator action are separate measurements.
- An automatic waiting reply is not evidence that a human met the first-response target.
- Desktop and mobile timeout fields use different units.
- Platform-specific targets and reporting rules must match before results are compared.
Depends on and works with
+4 more · used by
- Chat performance and tab visibility reportsConfigured by
Service targets determine which handling intervals meet the service level.
- Operator productivity reportsConfigured by
Service-level targets determine hits and misses.
- Service Overview dashboardConfigured by
Service-level targets give response and assignment measures their thresholds.
- Voice, video and live show reportsConfigured by
Voice Business Service Level sets the answer-time target used in voice performance reporting.
View all connections as a list
This feature uses
- Admin settings and feature switches · managed by PowerfrontConfigured by
Admin settings supply website chat and email service-level targets.
- Chat queueEnhances
Waiting time in the queue contributes to business response measures.
- Broadcast for acceptanceEnhances
Mobile missed-broadcast handling uses separate timeout and counting options.
- Messaging channel connectionsConfigured by
Messaging account settings can supply platform-specific service-level targets.
- Chat trayRelated
Attention timers help operators identify conversations still waiting for a reply.
- Reports data and metric definitionsRelated
Metric definitions explain which responses count when assessing a service-level result.
- Visitor chat themes and brandingConfigured by
Theme settings control automatic Be Right Back messages.
Used by
- Chat trayConfigured by
Service level targets determine the eligible chat countdown and hit or missed result.
- Operator notification soundsEnhances
Eligible operator service level countdowns trigger the timer warning.
- Teams Overview and Manager ModeConfigured by
Configured service level targets determine the service level results shown in team monitoring.
- Messaging channel connectionsEnhances
Service levels measure account response times against the configured targets.
- KakaoTalk messaging conversationsEnhances
Service levels measure KakaoTalk responses against the account's targets.
- SMS number and channel setupEnhances
Service levels measure SMS responses against the selected number's targets.
- Email account and mailbox setupEnhances
Service levels measure email handling against the account's response targets.
- Email ticket handling and statusesEnhances
Email service levels measure response and resolution time.
- Chat performance and tab visibility reportsConfigured by
Service targets determine which handling intervals meet the service level.
- Operator productivity reportsConfigured by
Service-level targets determine hits and misses.
- Service Overview dashboardConfigured by
Service-level targets give response and assignment measures their thresholds.
- Voice, video and live show reportsConfigured by
Voice Business Service Level sets the answer-time target used in voice performance reporting.
FAQ and troubleshooting
Why did the operator meet their target but the business missed its target?
The visitor may have waited in the queue before assignment. Business response includes that earlier wait; the ordinary operator measure starts at assignment.
Why is unanswered work not returning to the queue?
Check the applicable desktop or mobile timeout. A value of zero disables that timeout, and the conversation must meet the requeue conditions.
Why do visitors receive no automatic waiting message?
Check the active theme, Enable Automatic Be Right Back Messages, the configured message text and its delay.