Under certain conditions, you CAN open a webchat in multiple browser tabs. Below are the general rules, which are then followed by different use cases that illustrate how this feature works.

General Rules

1. There can be only ONE active chat queue session at a time (associated to one website). If a user opens a site page that triggers a new chat queue session--for example, its webchat is linked to a different chat queue--the system will automatically close the existing session and becomes ready to create a new session.

2. If opened in one browser, chat sessions from different websites will live independently. For example, a user can simultaneously chat with an Agent from ABC Support and with a different Contact Center team on XYZ’s website.

3. A chat queue session and an ICR session can live simultaneously within one website if the pages with a webchat and an ICR are opened in multiple tabs. This means that a user can chat with an Agent on a website’s Page 1 and browse ICR pages on that same website’s Page 2, provided the pages are loaded in different tabs. However, if the ICR has a redirect to a chat queue and the user clicks the redirect, the system will ONLY be able to support ONE active chat session.

Use Cases

The use cases described below will help you understand the feature better.

Use Case #1: Single website, webchats route to single chat queue

Scenario: A user is browsing the website for company ABC, and has opened multiple pages on multiple tabs using the same browser (for example, on one tab, the user has loaded the Home page, and on another, the About page). Each page has an embedded webchat application that routes to Chat Queue 1 (in other words, ALL webchat instances route to the SAME chat queue).

What happens?

1. When the user opens a new tab in the browser, the webchat application will be loaded in its current state.

   • For example, if there is an active chat with an Agent in an existing tab, the new tab will display the webchat application as well and the user will be able to continue chatting with the Agent in the new tab.

   • On the other hand, if the user was waiting in queue when they opened a new tab, the webchat application that appears in the new tab will also show the user as waiting in queue.

2. The webchat application on all the other opened tabs will be minimized so that only the webchat in the currently active tab will be active as well.

3. If the user returns to an inactive tab and maximizes the equally inactive webchat application, the system displays that webchat in its current state, as described in step 1 above. Because this is now the currently active tab and webchat application, all other instances of the webchat application in all the other tabs will be minimized and become inactive.

Use Case #2: Single website, webchats route to different chat queues

Scenario: A user is browsing the website for company XYZ, and has opened multiple pages on multiple tabs using the same browser (for example, on one tab, the user has loaded the Support page, and on another, the Quote page). Each page has an embedded webchat application that routes to different chat queues (for example, the webchat application for the Support page routes to Chat Queue 1 for tech support specialists, and the webchat application for the Quote page routes to Chat Queue 2 for the sales team).

What happens?

The system can only support ONE active chat session. Therefore, all existing chat sessions will be closed automatically, without prompt, when the new chat session starts.

1. Let’s say the user opens the Support page on one tab and attempts to start a chat with an Agent on Chat Queue 1.

2. The user then opens the Quote page on another tab and starts a chat with another Agent on Chat Queue 2. At this point, the following happens:

   • The system closes the session on Chat Queue 1. The Agent on this session receives a notification that the User Left.

   • The system launches the second webchat application (the one for Chat Queue 2) and pulls the user through the flow configured for this session (for example, this could be asking the user to complete a registration form and placing the chat into Chat Queue 2).
     Important: The session on Chat Queue 1 closes EVEN IF the session on Chat Queue 2 is not yet started. For example, the second webchat application has a data collection form. When the user opens the new tab with the new webchat application that loads the data collection form, the session with Chat Queue 1 ends. If the user closes Chat Queue 2 or leaves it unattended, Chat Queue 1 still ends.

   • A session starts for this second webchat application.

3. If the user then returns to the tab for the Support page, the following happens:

   • The system closes the session on Chat Queue 2.

   • The system re-launches the session on Chat Queue 1.

Use Case #3: Different websites, webchats route to different chat queues

Scenario: On one tab, a user is browsing the website for company ABC and on another tab, they’re browsing the website for company XYZ. The webchat application for company ABC routes to Chat Queue A, whereas the one for company XYZ routes to Chat Queue B.

What happens?

In this case, the user WILL BE ABLE to run a chat session for Chat Queue A on the one tab, while SIMULTENOUSLY running a chat session for Chat Queue B on the other tab.

Use Case #4: Webchat session on one tab and ICR session on another tab

Scenario: A user is chatting with an Agent on one tab, and on another tab, they’re browsing an ICR. The webchat application and the ICR belong to the same website (for example, for company ABC).

What happens?

The user CAN do this without conflict, UNLESS the user starts a new chat session from the ICR. How the system behaves depends on the following:

1. If the ICR on tab 2 redirects to the same chat queue used on tab 1, the system behaves as described in Use Case #1.

2. If the ICR on tab 2 redirects to a different chat queue than the one used on tab 1, the system behaves as described in Use Case #2.