Understanding the end-user experience with multi-conversations for messaging

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<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">Enable multi-conversations to let users handle multiple messaging chats at once, enhancing their support experience. In the Web Widget and mobile app, users can view a list of conversations, start new ones, and receive push notifications for updates. This feature supports proactive messages and integrates with AI agents, improving issue resolution without needing to navigate complex steps.</p>
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<div class="body">
<p class="p">Multi-conversations let your end users conduct multiple messaging
conversations simultaneously in your Web Widget or mobile app, providing faster
resolutions to their support issues and a more satisfying customer
experience.</p>
<p class="p">When you activate multi-conversations, your <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408824263578" target="_blank">AI agent behavior</a> runs when an end user starts a new
conversation. Multi-conversations significantly impact how end users interact with your
Web Widget and mobile channels. </p>
<p class="p">See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8008427696410" target="_blank">Allowing multiple conversations for your end
users</a> for information on activating this feature.</p>
<p class="p">See <a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/documentation/conversations/configuring-multi-conversations/" target="_blank">Configuring multi-conversations</a> for
developer information about this feature.
</p>
<p class="p">This article includes the following sections:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_rpg_qny_1dc">Changes to the Web Widget experience with multi-conversations</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_c5z_pny_1dc">Changes to the mobile experience with multi-conversations</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_rpg_qny_1dc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Changes to the Web Widget experience with multi-conversations</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">If you offer messaging support through the Web Widget, your end users will see
several changes when you turn on multi-conversations, including:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_rpg_qny_1dc__ul_cjw_gz2_y2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_hk4_5ny_1dc">Conversations list</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_odv_5ny_1dc">Conversations</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_vk1_vny_1dc">Launcher button</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_gxf_vny_1dc">Proactive Messages</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested2" id="topic_hk4_5ny_1dc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title3">Conversations list</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When the end user clicks the launcher button, the Web Widget displays a list of
the end user’s existing conversations. Conversations are listed in descending
order based on the time of the latest message in each conversation. End users
can click a conversation to open it in the Web Widget. Inactive conversations
display the <em class="ph i">Ended</em> label.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_hk4_5ny_1dc__image_kb2_lpy_1dc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/multi-convos_list-web_widget.png" width="200"></p>
<p class="p">Each conversation in the list includes the following information:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_hk4_5ny_1dc__ul_r32_mpy_1dc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Title of the conversation</strong>. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Avatar for the agent</strong> who sent the latest message in the conversation.
Your AI agent avatar displays if an agent hasn’t responded to the
conversation. The default agent image displays if the agent doesn’t have an
avatar. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Beginning of the latest message in the conversation</strong>. The agent’s
username precedes the message if the agent submitted the most recent
comment, or “You” if the end user submitted the most recent comment. The
content of the message appears in bold if the end user has not read the
latest message. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Timestamp</strong> of the latest message in the conversation. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Badge counter </strong>for unread messages.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">The <strong class="ph b">New conversation button</strong> appears at the bottom of the Conversations list. Clicking
this button navigates the end user to the conversation screen and creates a new
conversation. The button doesn’t appear if you have <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8008427696410#topic_nwd_wjy_1dc" target="_blank">removed the New conversation button</a>.
In this case, end users can’t create a new, separate conversation but can
continue to raise support issues in any pre-existing conversation. </p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested2" id="topic_odv_5ny_1dc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title4">Conversations</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When the end user is viewing a conversation, the Web Widget frame includes the
following features:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_odv_5ny_1dc__ul_kw5_tpy_1dc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">The conversation title</strong>, by default the start date/time of the
conversation. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">The avatar of the agent </strong>who sent the most recent message in the
conversation </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">A back button </strong>to return to the list of conversations. </li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Use the SunCo API to <a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/documentation/conversations/configuring-multi-conversations/" target="_blank">manage conversation titles and visual
elements</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested2" id="topic_vk1_vny_1dc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title5">Launcher button</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When the end user clicks the launcher button to open the Web Widget, its behavior
depends on their pre-existing conversations, and whether the tickets associated
with those conversations are <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8008427696410#topic_qng_5cj_q2c" target="_blank">active or inactive</a>. </p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_vk1_vny_1dc__ul_t3k_22j_q2c">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">If there are no pre-existing conversations</strong>, a new conversation opens
on the <a class="xref" href="#topic_z4n_tny_1dc">Conversation
screen</a>. <p class="p"><strong class="ph b">If there are one or more <em class="ph i">active</em>
conversations</strong>, the most recently-updated conversation opens on
the conversation screen. The end user can use the back button to
navigate to the <a class="xref" href="#topic_pvc_tny_1dc">Conversation list screen</a>. </p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">If all pre-existing conversations are <em class="ph i">inactive</em></strong>, the
conversation list screen opens allowing the end user to select the
conversation they want to revisit or start a new conversation by tapping the
New conversation button. </li>
</ul>
<div class="p">
<div class="note note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> If you have <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8008427696410#topic_nwd_wjy_1dc" target="_blank">removed the New conversation
button</a>, end users with only one conversation always navigate to
the <a class="xref" href="#topic_z4n_tny_1dc">Conversation
screen</a>, where their conversation displays.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested2" id="topic_gxf_vny_1dc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title6">Proactive Messages</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When you turn on multi-conversations, <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5381304334234" target="_blank">proactive messages</a> sent to end users
create new conversations rather than being appended to an existing
conversation.</p>
<p class="p">If you <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8008427696410#topic_nwd_wjy_1dc" target="_blank">remove the New conversation button</a>,
your proactive messages will stop creating new conversations. Instead,
subsequent proactive messages are appended to the latest updated
conversation.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested1" id="topic_c5z_pny_1dc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title7">Changes to the mobile experience with multi-conversations</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">If you offer messaging support through your mobile app, your end users will see
several changes when you turn on multi-conversations, including:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_c5z_pny_1dc__ul_axj_kz2_y2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_pvc_tny_1dc">Conversation list</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_z4n_tny_1dc">Conversation</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_smw_tny_1dc">Launcher button</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_pj3_5ny_1dc">Push notifications</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested2" id="topic_pvc_tny_1dc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title8">Conversation list</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">This screen displays a list of the end user’s conversations. All conversations
appear in the list, regardless of <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4892092747162" target="_blank">ticket</a> or <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8009788438042" target="_blank">messaging session</a> status.
Conversations are listed in descending order based on the time of the latest
message in each conversation.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_pvc_tny_1dc__image_hby_g4y_1dc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/multi-convos_list-mobile.png" width="200"></p>
<p class="p">Each conversation in the list includes the following information:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_pvc_tny_1dc__ul_ixy_h4y_1dc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Title of the conversation</strong>. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Profile picture of the agent</strong> who sent the latest message in the
conversation. Your <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6447066520986" target="_blank">AI agent avatar</a> displays if an
agent hasn’t responded to the conversation. The default agent image displays
if the agent doesn’t have a profile picture. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Beginning of the latest message in the conversation</strong>. The agent’s
username precedes the message if the agent submitted the most recent
comment, or “You” if the end user submitted the most recent comment. The
content of the message appears in bold if the end user has not read the
latest message. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Timestamp</strong> of the latest message in the conversation. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Badge counter</strong> for unread messages. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">New conversation button</strong>. Tapping this button navigates the end user
to the conversations screen and creates a new conversation. The button
doesn’t appear if you have <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8008427696410#topic_nwd_wjy_1dc" target="_blank">removed the New conversation
button</a>. In this case, end users can’t create a new, separate
conversation but can continue to raise support issues in any pre-existing
conversation. </li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title9" class="topic nested2" id="topic_z4n_tny_1dc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title9">Conversation</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When you turn on multi-conversations, the header on the conversation screen
includes the following features:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_z4n_tny_1dc__ul_h42_z4y_1dc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">The conversation title</strong>, by default the start date/time of the
conversation. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">The profile picture for the agent</strong> who sent the most recent message in
the conversation. <p class="p"><strong class="ph b">A back button</strong> that navigates to the previous
screen. </p>
</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408834810394#topic_kzg_ync_gnb" target="_blank">Customizing and configuring the Zendesk
mobile SDKs</a> for information on setting these features.</p>
<p class="p">Use the SunCo API to <a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/documentation/conversations/configuring-multi-conversations/" target="_blank">manage conversation titles and visual
elements</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title10" class="topic nested2" id="topic_smw_tny_1dc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title10">Launcher button</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When the end user taps the launcher button to open the widget, its behavior
depends on whether there are pre-existing conversations, and whether those
conversations are <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8008427696410#topic_qng_5cj_q2c" target="_blank">active or inactive</a>. </p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_smw_tny_1dc__ul_rfm_dpy_1dc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">If there are no pre-existing conversations</strong>, a new conversation opens
on the <a class="xref" href="#topic_z4n_tny_1dc">Conversation
screen</a>. <p class="p"><strong class="ph b">If there are one or more <em class="ph i">active</em>
conversations</strong>, the most recently-updated conversation opens on
the conversation screen. The end user can use the back button to
navigate to the <a class="xref" href="#topic_pvc_tny_1dc">Conversation list screen</a>. </p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">If all pre-existing conversations are <em class="ph i">inactive</em></strong>, the
conversation list screen opens, allowing the end user to select the
conversation they want to revisit or start a new conversation by tapping the
New conversation button. </li>
</ul>
<p class="p">If you have <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8008427696410#topic_nwd_wjy_1dc" target="_blank">removed the New conversation button</a>,
end users with only one conversation will always navigate to the <a class="xref" href="#topic_z4n_tny_1dc">Conversation screen</a>, where
their conversation displays.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title11" class="topic nested2" id="topic_pj3_5ny_1dc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title11">Push notifications</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When a new message is added to a conversation, the user receives a <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408834810394#topic_ic5_dsq_gnb" target="_blank">push notification</a> on their mobile
device. Tapping the notification takes them to the Conversation screen, with the
updated conversation open.</p>
<p class="p">Notifications can be received when the end user:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_pj3_5ny_1dc__ul_ads_hpy_1dc">
<li class="li">Is viewing another conversation in the app. </li>
<li class="li">Is viewing another screen in the app. </li>
<li class="li">Is not currently in the app (depending on how their notifications are
configured).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p">However, new message notifications aren’t displayed if the end user is viewing
the Conversation list. Instead, the newly updated conversation moves to the top
of the list, and the new message is highlighted.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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