# Incoming chats and calls

Accept or decline incoming work before its countdown ends and check whether assignment succeeded.

*Release 3.3 · operator*

**Settings › General Settings › Admin**

## What it is

Incoming notifications offer you a chat or call with a limited time to respond. They show **Accept** and **Decline**, or call-specific controls, with a countdown. Accepting requests the assignment; the result confirms whether the work is now yours.

## Who uses it and why

Operators use incoming offers to take work they can handle and decline work they cannot take.

## Where to find it

Incoming offers appear as console notifications. Their heading identifies the type of work, such as a chat, call, voicemail, callback or video-call transfer. The Store App can show its own incoming notification instead of the browser-style popup.

## How it works

1. Read the incoming-work heading and any visitor or transfer information shown.
2. Select **Accept**, or the answer control for a call, before the countdown ends. Select **Decline** if you cannot take the work.
3. Wait for the outcome. A successful acceptance opens the conversation or proceeds with the call.
4. If the offer is withdrawn, read the replacement message. It can say the work went to another operator or that the acceptance time expired.

The countdown normally uses the website acceptance timeout, with a fallback of 30 seconds. An individual offer can specify a different remaining time. When an offer expires without a response, INSIDE treats it as missed or automatically declined for you.

An acceptance can fail because the customer is away, your conversation limit has been reached, another operator has received the work, or a call has timed out. A call can also report a connection or acceptance failure. Use the displayed result to decide what to do next.

## Configure it

Powerfront can change **Conversation Acceptance Timeout (secs)**, **Conversation Broadcast - Decline Cooldown (secs)** and **Conversation Broadcast - Acceptance Expiry (secs)** for you.

The first controls your response window. The cooldown controls how soon you can receive another offer after declining. The overall acceptance expiry controls how long work can remain unaccepted across the broadcast process. These are different time limits.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conversation Acceptance Timeout (secs) | Settings › General Settings › Admin | website | 30 seconds | Powerfront, on request | Sets the usual time allowed to accept or decline an incoming conversation offer before it is automatically declined for that operator. |
| Conversation Broadcast - Decline Cooldown (secs) | Settings › General Settings › Admin | website | 30 seconds | Powerfront, on request | Sets how long an operator waits after declining before being offered another conversation. |
| Conversation Broadcast - Acceptance Expiry (secs) | Settings › General Settings › Admin | website | Not set: no broadcast acceptance-expiry limit | Powerfront, on request | Limits how long broadcast work can remain unaccepted before expiring for the visitor. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Chat | Handle incoming chat work subject to availability, channel access and capacity. |

## Limits and good to know

- Selecting **Accept** does not guarantee assignment. The conversation may have changed while the offer was on screen.
- Declining or missing an offer does not mean the customer has been served. Routing determines the next step.
- Voice, voicemail, callback and video transfers can use different notification layouts and countdowns.
- The Store App's presentation depends on its notification configuration and connection state.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Configured in** [Chat limits and wind-down](CHAT-008.md): Operator capacity can prevent an offer from being accepted.
- **Configured in** [Operator availability status](CON-002.md): Availability and capacity affect eligibility for incoming work.
- **Configured in** [Website, channel and subsite access](ADM-009.md): Website and channel access affect which work can be offered.
- **Configured in** Admin settings and feature switches (managed by Powerfront): Powerfront-managed settings control acceptance timeouts and decline cooldowns.
- **Works better with** [Broadcast for acceptance](CHAT-009.md): Broadcast routing adds chat offers that eligible operators can accept or decline.
- **Works better with** [Transferring conversations](CHAT-010.md): Transferred conversations can request acceptance and show transfer context.
- **Works better with** [Operator notification sounds](CON-020.md): Incoming offers can use the configured event sound.
- **Works better with** [Voice queue and call offers](RTC-003.md): Voice routing supplies call offers and their timeouts.
- **Works better with** [Voicemail messages and follow-up](RTC-010.md): Voicemail work has its own acceptance presentation.
- **Works better with** [Telephone callback requests](RTC-009.md): Callback work has its own acceptance presentation.
- **Works better with** [Browser video and audio calls](RTC-017.md): Audio and video calls use call-specific incoming controls.
- **Works better with** [INSIDE Store App for mobile](CON-034.md): The Store App can present incoming broadcasts through its native notification interface.

### Used by

- **Enhances** [Operator notification sounds](CON-020.md): Incoming acceptance notices can play the Events sound.
- **Enhances** [INSIDE Store App for mobile](CON-034.md): Native in-app presentation provides another way to show incoming work offers.
- **Related** [Operator notifications and alerts](CON-018.md): Incoming offers use separate acceptance controls and countdowns from ordinary activity notices.
- **Related** [Broadcast for acceptance](CHAT-009.md): Incoming-work controls explain how operators accept, decline and recognise expired offers.
- **Related** [Voice queue and call offers](RTC-003.md): Incoming call notifications show operators how to accept or decline a call offer.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why did another operator get the chat after I selected Accept?

Assignment changed before your acceptance completed. The notification shows the updated assignee when that information is available.

### Why does it say I am on limit?

Your capacity was full when INSIDE checked the acceptance. Finish or transfer work as appropriate before taking more conversations.

### Why did the buttons disappear?

The offer may have expired or been withdrawn. Read the replacement message for its current outcome.

### Can we give operators longer to respond?

Ask Powerfront to change **Conversation Acceptance Timeout (secs)**. Individual offer types can still provide their own countdown.

### Why am I not offered another chat immediately after declining?

A decline cooldown may apply. Ask Powerfront to check **Conversation Broadcast - Decline Cooldown (secs)**.