Planning an Interactive Chat Response (ICR)

ICR Structure

An ICR is comprised of one or more pages. Each page contains a combination of the following content: images, messages, buttons, external links, and delays. Below is a detailed description of each type of content:

Images might include a company logo or an image that is representative of the website your customer is visiting.
Messages might include a greeting, or instructions on what action to take next within the ICR (e.g. "Please select one of the options on the next page.").
A button might take you from one page in your ICR to another page (e.g. Next Page, Landing Page). Buttons can also redirect you to a queue.
External links can redirect you to another website.
Delays allow you to present multiple messages and controls one at a time, with a slight delay before each new message and control is displayed.

When a customer navigates to a website with an enabled ICR, the customer is presented with the ICR window, where he is able to navigate through each page of the ICR and become familiar with the available support options. Some options might include being redirected to a queue to speak to a live agent or being redirected to an external website to receive the support needed. Although interactivity between different ICR's is not feasible, multiple ICR's could be published on one website, since there is a separate JavaScript code for each ICR.

ICR Plan

Before you begin creating your ICR, create a plan of what you would like your ICR to look like and how you would like it to function. For example:

How many pages would you like to include in your ICR? What purpose will each page serve? What controls will each page consist of?
Would you like to display an image on your ICR page(s)? Maybe a logo? How about an image that is representative of the website your customer is visiting?
Would you like to greet your customers? If so, what will your greeting be?
What types of messages, other than a greeting, would you like to add? Or do you wish to keep messages to a minimum?
If multiple messages are being presented, would you like them to be presented one at a time, with a short delay in between each displayed message?
Would you like to include buttons that allow your customer to move from one page to another page easily? Which pages will be accessible via button?
Would you like to redirect your customer to a queue, providing the opportunity to speak to a live agent? Which queue(s)?
Would you like to redirect your customer to an external site? Which site(s)?

Remember to combine a variety of controls to create the desired experience for your customer:

Introduce a persona by including images, greetings, and follow-up messages.
Add a combination of buttons, such as Go To Page, Go To Queue, and Go To External Link, which allows your customer to move between pages and sites of varying topics.
Include delays between various control types to allow time for the customer to absorb the information presented.

Once you have mapped out how you want your ICR to function, you can start creating your ICR. To create an ICR, click here.