Service Agent connections to messaging channels
Key Takeaway
A connection links a Service agent to messaging channels, and Omni-Channel flows move each conversation. Each inbound channel or flow connects to only one agent. The inbound flow routes to that agent, with a messaging queue as the fallback, and never to the agent and a service rep at the same time. Handoff to a service rep goes through the agent's outbound flow.
An Agentforce Service agent can answer customers on messaging channels such as web chat, in-app chat, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. A connection tells the agent how to reason and format replies on those channels. Omni-Channel flows move each conversation to the agent. When the agent escalates, the flows move the conversation from the agent to a service rep, a queue or another agent. The routing rules matter, because a badly designed flow can leave a conversation stuck.
What a connection does
A connection holds three things:
- Behind-the-scenes instructions for that channel
- Adaptive response formats for rich content, such as images, buttons, links and videos
- Settings, including the Omni-Channel flows that route conversations to and from the agent
With connections, you build an agent once and add it to many channels in Agentforce Builder.
The Messaging connection covers all enhanced messaging channels:
- Enhanced In-App Chat
- Enhanced Web Chat
- Enhanced WhatsApp
- Enhanced Facebook Messenger
- Enhanced Apple Messages for Business
- Enhanced LINE
- Bring Your Own Channel (BYOC)
The adaptive response formats of the Messaging connection are Rich Choice Response, Rich Link Response and Time Picker. Time Picker works only on Enhanced Apple Messages for Business. The Messaging connection supports Employee agents only on Enhanced Web Chat.
Enhanced Chat is Salesforce's own messaging channel. With it, an agent handles customer conversations directly on your website or mobile app. Enhanced Chat comes in two versions, Enhanced Chat v1 and Enhanced Chat v2. Enhanced Chat v2 has its own connection. Unlike the Messaging connection, the Enhanced Chat v2 connection uses custom Lightning Web Components (LWCs) instead of adaptive response formats.
Salesforce recommends creating a separate Service agent for the Telephony and Service Email connections for the best customer experience.